Another Record-Breaking Year at Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest!
What a weekend, Jackson! 🍻 The 2026 Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest was another record-breaking year, and we are still celebrating! From incredible live music and delicious food to adorable four-legged competitors and thousands of steins raised, this year's event was one for the books.
Although we started setting up in a little drizzle on Friday, the weather didn't stop us from getting the party started! Friday night turned out to be an amazing evening with Legends Undercover, who rocked the stage and had the crowd loving every minute. And Saturday? We couldn't have asked for better weather!
You showed up in a big way to support Uptown Jackson, our local craft and food vendors, and the community we all love. We are so grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!
A Record-Breaking Weekend!
The excitement was bigger than ever this year, and the numbers speak for themselves!
1,800+ steins sold!
9,500 tokens sold!
39 Wiener dogs raced!
Two days packed with music, food, games, and family fun!
And let's not forget our NEW merchandise, which was a hit! We loved seeing everyone sporting their Oktoberfest gear and taking home a little piece of the celebration.
These numbers represent more than just a successful event. They represent the amazing support of our community, the dedication of our volunteers, and all the visitors who traveled to Jackson to celebrate with us. Everything raised goes straight back to our community with events, merchandise, grants for businesses and so much more! Thank you!
German Food, Music, and Oktoberfest Traditions
Saturday morning kicked off with our German Food Competition, where our food vendors brought their creativity and delicious German-inspired dishes to the table. We had three fantastic winners this year!
Congratulations to our 2026 winners!
🥨 Most Authentic German Dish: 1Up Food Truck
🍽️ Most German-Inspired Dish: Smoke Shack
🍰 Best German Dessert: Bake My Day Sourdough for their delicious Bee Sting Cake!
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this competition such a tasty part of our weekend!
Of course, it wouldn't be Oktoberfest without the music! Die Fluss Katzen returned as an Oktoberfest staple, bringing the German tunes that get everyone in the spirit. We love having them as part of our annual celebration!
Our Favorite Furry Friends Take Over Uptown
Our Pet Parade, hosted by Montgomery Bank, was another highlight of the weekend! We loved seeing so many pups dressed in their Oktoberfest best, parading around Uptown and showing off their personalities.
Whether they were dressed in festive outfits or simply soaking up the attention, these pups stole plenty of hearts. Thank you to all the owners who brought their furry friends out to join the fun!
And speaking of dogs, let's talk about the Wiener Dog Races!
39 Wiener Dogs and Plenty of Excitement!
Our Wiener Dog Races have quickly become a crowd favorite, and this year we had a whopping 39 dogs take part in the competition! These little racers brought big personalities, plenty of laughs, and lots of excitement to the track.
A huge thank-you to Adam for being a fantastic announcer and keeping everyone entertained! Thanks to Prime Stage Productions, we were also able to stream the races onto the big screen so spectators could follow the action from throughout the event.
This was only our third year hosting the races, and with help from Pet Supplies Plus, we made some exciting improvements. We updated the track to improve visibility for spectators and provided participation bags for all registered racers.
We are so grateful to our partners for helping us make this event bigger and better each year. We can't wait to see these little speedsters back next year!
German Games: Start Practicing for Next Year!
For the second year, we hosted our German Games, and they did not disappoint! Watching everyone's strength, determination, and competitive spirit was so much fun.
Congratulations to our winners, who really put it all out there! If you participated this year, now is the time to start practicing. We have a feeling the competition will be even tougher next year!
Stein Hoisting and Saturday Night Fun
You can't have Oktoberfest without our Stein Hoisting Competition and Finals! Thank you to Kohlfeld and Sam Adams for hosting the competition and providing amazing prizes for our winners.
We loved watching everyone test their strength and endurance while cheering each other on. It's traditions like these that make Oktoberfest so much fun!
To close out Saturday night, we were excited to welcome Next of Kin back to the stage. As always, these guys brought the party and gave everyone a fantastic show to finish off an incredible weekend.
From Friday night's rocking performance to Saturday's full day of entertainment, our live music lineup helped make this year's Oktoberfest unforgettable!
Fun for the Whole Family
Our Kids Zone was hopping all weekend long! Thanks to River City Inflatables, kids had a blast bouncing away and enjoying the festivities.
We also introduced something new this year: our pretzel rock scavenger hunt! Kids searched around the grounds for pretzel-painted rocks and brought them back to the UJRO tent to collect some yummy prizes.
We hope our youngest Oktoberfest fans had as much fun hunting for those hidden treasures as we did putting them together! We love finding new ways to make Oktoberfest an experience the whole family can enjoy.
Thank You to Our Incredible Sponsors
An event of this size takes a tremendous amount of support, and we could not do it without our generous sponsors. Their contributions help us bring the entertainment, activities, and experiences you look forward to every year to Uptown Jackson.
A heartfelt thank-you to our 2026 Oktoberfest sponsors:
Sam Adams
Midwest Sterilization
Penzel Construction
Hubble Creek SN & Assisted Living
Sam's Fine Jewelry
Pet Supplies Plus
KEB CPA
Bethany Byrd – Dream Vacations
Regions Bank
River Radio
Withers Radio
Alex Elfrink – State Farm Insurance
Thank you for investing in our community and helping make Oktoberfest such a success!
Our Volunteers Make It All Possible
Last, but certainly not least, we have to give a HUGE thank-you to our incredible volunteers!
From pouring beer and selling tokens and steins to helping guests and keeping everything running smoothly, you are truly the heart of Oktoberfest. Your time, hard work, and willingness to jump in wherever needed make this event possible.
We also had a blast checking IDs and discovering just how far some of you traveled to celebrate with us this year! Whether you came from right down the road or made a special trip to Jackson, we're so glad you chose to spend your weekend with us.
To every volunteer who gave their time and energy to make this event happen: THANK YOU! We couldn't do it without you, and we hope you know how much we appreciate everything you do for Uptown Jackson.
What's Next? We're Already Planning for Next Year!
Another record-breaking Oktoberfest is in the books, but we're not slowing down just yet!
Every year, we learn something new, find ways to improve, and come up with exciting ideas to make the next celebration even better. We've already got some amazing ideas in store for next year, and we can't wait to get started!
But we'd also love to hear from YOU!
What was your favorite part of Oktoberfest this year? Was it the live music, German food, Wiener Dog Races, German Games, Kids Zone, or something else entirely? Is there something new you'd love to see next year? We want to hear your ideas and feedback as we continue making Oktoberfest an event our community can be proud of.
Thank you for showing up, shopping local, supporting our vendors, cheering on the competitors, and celebrating with us. Most importantly, thank you for making Uptown Jackson such a wonderful place to gather.
We couldn't do it without you, and we're already counting down until next year!
Until then, cheers to another incredible Oktoberfest! Prost! 🍻
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