As Oktoberfest celebrations started drying up this year, there was one more place to celebrate German sausages on October 26. Texas Wienerfest says it brought together 1,713 dachshunds, or wiener dogs, for what appeared to be a record-breaking party at Star Hill Ranch.
Texas Wienerfest organizers will need to submit evidence to Guinness World Records to have their count accepted as the official standing world record.
Pup cups were a loose idea in this contest.Photo by Amber Talmage
The annual get-together, now in its third year, is hosted by local photography and events team ZilkerBark, beloved on social media for supplying Austinites with tons of dog content. ZilkerBark also organized a golden retriever meetup in April that came very close to breaking the world record: 1,267 Austin goldens versus 1,310 in Australia.
According to ZilkerBark before the event, more than 1,175 dachshunds had to attend to break the de facto current world record counted in Germany in 2024; Guinness World Records confirmed 897 of them in Germany, but ZilkerBark took aim at the higher unofficial count.
Not only did the 1,713 handily surpass that goal, but they represented a big increase from the 530 that showed up in 2024.
Some dogs really committed to the theme.Photo by Amber Talmage
This is a double win for dachshund-lovers, since Central Texas Dachshund Rescue will receive $2.50 from each entry ticket sold, plus 25 percent of commemorative t-shirt sales. By the time tickets sold out — a few days before the event, to some dog-lover’s dismay — the event had raised more than $20,000 for the organization.
Folks who did snag a ticket got to meet an unbelievable number of wiener dogs, cheer them on in races, a “limbo,” and a pup cup-eating contest, and have their portraits done.
Many commenters on social media say the event was fun, but a significant number also say there were too many people affecting traffic, food vendors, and other logistics. KVUE was onsite and reports that ZilkerBark is planning an even bigger event next year.