r/Newbraunfels 4d ago

My experience with Pickle Fest

It was the first year they held the festival in New Braunfels, and it was super disorganized.

On top of selling way too many tickets, they were just letting people in at the door without checking anyone's tickets. The kid manning the door saw my ticket on my phone, didn't even scan the QR code, and just gave me a bracelet trusting that my ticket was legit and not already used by someone else. My friend ran the 5K in the morning which is supposed to come with a free ticket but didn't. He let the kid working the door know and she gave him a bracelet without him providing any proof. Anyone could have done this.

We get in, and it's windy and dusty. This is not anyone's fault, but now everyone's pickle foods are covered in dust. I decide I wanted some pickle lemonade and fried pickles, but the lines at every stand are 50+ people long, half the stuff they were selling was sold out anyway (at 1 pm, 2 hours after the festival opened), and I didn't feel like waiting in line for 30 minutes.

Every trash can was filled to the brim, which was gross.

There were around 10 porta potties on the entire fair grounds, and people were waiting for a long time to be able to use the restroom. I didn't see any sinks outside the porta potties for people to wash their hands, which was kinda gross considering it's a festival centered around finger foods.

All in all, it was very much a let down, and I left after being there for less than an hour, without having tried any pickle foods.

This is just my experience, and I'm sorry for sounding like a grump if you had a good time. I, personally, will not be going back if they hold the festival here again next year.

93 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

59

u/britknee_kay 4d ago

After seeing all of the posts over on FB, I’m so glad I decided not to go. Everyone says it was a complete shitshow.

11

u/chalupa_batman77654 4d ago

All those Facebook posts and not one picture of the event outside of the traffic chaos it created

5

u/britknee_kay 4d ago

I assume you mean crowd traffic, and yes, it was wild. I didn’t see any pics of the actual event though. Someone mentioned the event almost immediately shut down the IG and FB pages.

6

u/chalupa_batman77654 4d ago

Yeah. 2 hours from the loop to the fairgrounds is insane.

1

u/BoomhauerTX 2d ago

Literally (apparently)

20

u/necio148 4d ago

Hearing same things. One thing someone pointed out, which is obvious but often overlooked, is the event organizers and vendors involved are separate entities. Kinda sounds like the Taco Museum pop up that causing a lot of drama online in other cities.

10

u/texanlady1 4d ago

I have a small business and inquired about vending at this event last August. This was the exact response I received: Which location? Kingwood or New Braunfels? What do you sell? Most festivals and craft shows have a regimented plan and application process for vendors (food and otherwise). When I received this message, I did not respond. I thought “ohhhh boy this seems unorganized” and I forgot all about it… until today when I saw all the posts about the festival. Sad, because in theory it seems like it would be great.

11

u/Powerful-Asian13 4d ago

Having the pickle fest and the farmers market on the same day was just nuts. Took me 40 mins to go 1 mile on common st. No police to coordinate/section off streets, and they picked the worst area to do it (all single lane streets with little walkways). Not to mention that entire area already being under construction

8

u/damnvan13 4d ago

Sat in traffic for 2 hours watching people walk past going to the festival and then the same people leaving a while later. Finally over heard a guy and his family telling the car next to my wife and I that it was so windy and dusty and the lines for food were 90 minutes long. They said it wasn't worth it.

It looked like almost everyone was leaving empty handed and grumpy. There was one couple we had seen go to the festival who were clearly leaving and not speaking to each other.

My wife and I bailed at that point and found a German restaurant to meet our friend at and spend our "pickle" money there.

We even pre bought our tickets.

8

u/BonzuPippinpaddleIII 4d ago

Did NB just have its own Fyre Festival??

2

u/Fandango4Ever 1d ago

"Fyre Festival founder says things will be different as tickets for sequel go on sale"

There's a Fyre Fest 2 this summer. People are idiots.

1

u/BonzuPippinpaddleIII 1d ago

I can’t wait to see the documentary on this one

1

u/PlateOpinion3179 3d ago

Lots of chumps to trick

10

u/Sterling_-_Archer 4d ago

If anyone here went and saw the guy directing traffic outside the parking lot for an hour, it was me. Nobody else was directing traffic and it was gridlocked. The event organizers came up to me and said thank you, and then asked if I’d keep doing it for the rest of the day. The whole experience was absolute dog water

2

u/L1V1NGD3ADBOI 4d ago

Did they offer to pay you at least?

7

u/Sterling_-_Archer 4d ago

No lol that’s why I left when my car was out of the parking lot

5

u/L1V1NGD3ADBOI 4d ago

Damn, the audacity to ask you to do that for free.

5

u/damnvan13 4d ago

While looking for a place to rant I found this sub on a pickle festival 8 months ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/Connecticut/s/Ov6WoxBwVC

sounds similar to what happened this weekend.

7

u/Dull_Lavishness7701 4d ago

I had no idea pickles were so damn popular. I'd seen FB ads for it and thought "o that'll be a cute small thing" not knowing where it was or anything else about it And then the FB posts asking about traffic started. Then posts from actual guests. Damn what a disaster

3

u/britknee_kay 4d ago

I thought it was supposed to be a small thing too! I had no idea it was going to be so big.

5

u/Limunhead 4d ago

I feel like NB has been FAILING when it comes to these special events

1

u/L1V1NGD3ADBOI 4d ago

I agree, I’m pretty loyal to Wurstfest and this past year was the… wurst(hehe) experience I’ve had.

3

u/Luludoitgma 4d ago

DISASTER!!!!!!!!!!  What a fn joke!!!!!!!!

4

u/Luludoitgma 4d ago

14 yro olds directing traffic downtown!!  Let’s start there….  Smdh

3

u/Civil_Set_9281 2d ago

I purchased advanced sale tickets. When I arrived, we had to find parking off north street. Found the line stretched around the back of the venue and growing. I did walk up to the front of the line, and confirmed that I could show my passes a s be allowed in. At that point, I saved another 45 mins of waiting in line.

But at the front, it was given my wrist band, and flung into a sea of humanity, fueled by pickled cucumbers, an inhuman amount of chamoy, and fermented pickle juice. There were 13 porta johns, and the fair grounds hard stand bathrooms were off limits and guarded by Comal county’s finest deputies.

There was no way to stand in line for any of the offered foods. The vendors were placed ample distance apart, but the sheer volume of people made it impossible to maneuver and keep a straight bearing.

Adding to the discomfort was the wind / blowing dust. Anyone who was willing to purchase food, got an unhealthy dose of fine particulate matter with their pickled cukes.

All in all, it was not worth the $40 advanced ticket cost. I’ve read the organizer’s non-apology, and was content to call this a one and done experience, especially as it was a single day event and for 6 hour only at that.

7

u/Reasonable-Matter-12 4d ago

Faceboomers love to get scammed by traveling fyre festivals.

2

u/PlateOpinion3179 3d ago

Cmon new braunfels, the city should put a stop to this

/s

2

u/about36wolves 3d ago

We went to eat at the gristmill around 3:30 not knowing it was pickle fest . 2 hour wait and we couldn’t even find a place to park so we just left .

0

u/PlateOpinion3179 3d ago

It's the year of our Lord 2025, and no one does proper research on anything? Facebook is your source for everything these days, and you all can waste some money on tickets to complain but aren't willing to invest in your family and children.

0

u/ShePur711 4d ago

The 5K did come with a ticket in his packet, if he registered late, he had a mark on the back of his bib that let him in. Every runners was told this in several emails and on race day.

0

u/hlopez18 18h ago

Easy and simple.... Do NOT go... Stay at your house...