Half a century after Deutschen Pfest first brought Pflugerville together to celebrate its German roots, the event is marking 50 years with a weekend of music, food, carnival rides and Texas-German culture.
The background
Pflugerville’s longest-running community tradition started in 1976 to honor the German immigrants who settled in Pflugerville.
For a long time, it was a citizen-run event, said Jonathan Hanson, recreation superintendent of the Pflugerville Parks and Recreation Department. Six years ago, the city took over the event to put additional resources behind it.
The tagline of the festival is “Guten tag, y'all,” as it aims to celebrate both Texas and German culture.
“You may be a cowboy-type person; you're welcome at Deutschen Pfest,” Hanson said. “You may be someone who is of German heritage; you're welcome at Deutschen Pfest. You could be someone who is neither of those and just wants to celebrate what Texan culture and German culture looks like.”
In addition to Deutschen Pfest marking 50 years, the park that it is held at, Pfluger Park, will also celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The event
Deutschen Pfest will take place Oct. 16 from 5-11 p.m. and Oct. 17 from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
The music lineup this year is as follows:
- Friday, Oct. 16
- Suede, 5:30-7 p.m.
- Red Not Chili Peppers, 8-10 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 17
- Mike & The Middletones, during the Pfun Run
- Austin Polka Band, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Bidi Bidi Banda, 2-3:30 p.m.
- Spazmatics, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
- EZ Band, 8-10 p.m.
Other attractions include an artisan market, a petting zoo, carnival rides, a German hair braider and a food zone. There will also be a beer garden as well as a kids and teens zone, which will include ax throwing. Hanson said there will also be TVs where football fans can enjoy the games.
“We hope people come and have a great interactive time with each other,” Hanson said. “We don't get a lot of time in these connected worlds to sit down and just talk with someone. We hope this is a space that we're creating.”
Admission to the festival is free for those wearing German or Texan attire, Hanson said. There is also a fun run on Saturday, and registering for the race will allow admittance to the festival for the weekend.
Otherwise, tickets will range from $10-$20 and include options for Friday only, Saturday only or a weekend pass.
