This Week in New Braunfels
Wurstfest 2026 Locks In November Dates at the Wurstfest Grounds
Wurstfest will return to New Braunfels November 6–15, 2026, bringing ten days of German and Bavarian-inspired food, music, carnival rides, dancing, and beer to the Wurstfest grounds. The annual festival is one of the city's most anticipated fall traditions and a significant draw for both residents and regional visitors. Planning ahead is worthwhile — the event consistently draws large crowds across its full run.
Heat Wave Pushes Feels-Like Temperatures Well Past 100°F Across the Region
A summer heat wave has settled across South Texas, with heat indices reaching as high as 115°F in parts of the region. New Braunfels residents and visitors heading to the Comal and Guadalupe rivers should plan accordingly — high heat combined with water activity carries real risk. Health officials are also flagging harmful algal blooms at water bodies this season as an additional concern for people and pets.
City Personnel Monitoring Comal River Through Busy Summer Weekends
New Braunfels police and the city's fire department have stationed personnel along the Comal River during high-traffic weekend periods this summer. The monitoring effort reflects the consistent pressure the river corridor faces during peak summer use. Comal County officials have continued to encourage water safety practices throughout the season.
New Braunfels Unicorns Open 2026 Football Season With High Expectations
Coming off an 11-win season in 2025, the New Braunfels Unicorns enter the 2026 football campaign with momentum — though local coverage has noted the team came close to an even larger season than the record reflected. Smithson Valley currently sits atop the TNL Football Poll heading into Week 1. The Unicorns figure to be a team worth watching as district play approaches.
Mortgage Rates Hold Steady Just Below 6.5%
Mortgage rates remained essentially flat this week alongside steady inflation readings, holding just under 6.5%. The stability comes after a period of elevated volatility and offers a somewhat more predictable backdrop for buyers and sellers weighing timing decisions. Whether that steadiness holds through fall will depend largely on inflation's continued trajectory.
Real Estate Market
The New Braunfels housing market is moving — but deliberately. According to Redfin's data through the most recent three-month period, the median sale price in New Braunfels was $349,000, up 1.1% from the same period last year. Homes are averaging about 69 days on market and receiving roughly two offers. That's not a frenzy, but it's not stagnation either. It's a market where pricing accuracy matters and patience is a realistic expectation on both sides of a transaction.
The broader Texas picture, per the Texas Real Estate Research Center's August 2026 Housing Insight report, echoes what we're seeing locally. Statewide, housing activity strengthened through the first half of the year, with closed sales outpacing 2025 levels for several consecutive months. At the same time, affordability pressures, elevated inventory in some segments, and mortgage rates that remain well above the lows buyers experienced earlier this decade are all acting as real constraints. The state median sits around $350,000 — virtually identical to New Braunfels — which tells you the local market is tracking closely with broader Texas trends rather than running ahead of or behind them.
For buyers, the current environment offers something that wasn't available a few years ago: time to think. With homes sitting an average of 69 days before selling, the urgency that defined 2021 and 2022 is largely gone in this price range. For sellers, that same data point is the relevant one — buyers have options, and overpriced listings are absorbing that extra time rather than generating competing offers. The Texas Real Estate Research Center notes that provided inflation continues declining and broader economic conditions hold, the market is expected to maintain its current stable footing. That's a reasonable working assumption for fall planning purposes.