Oktoberfest Dallas 2026 at Flag Pole Hill: A Lake Highlands Festival Guide

Oktoberfest Dallas returns to Flag Pole Hill Park on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Gates open at 10 a.m. and the festival runs until roughly 10 p.m. Pat Green headlines. Presale wristbands save a few dollars a head. The shuttles leave from lots most Lake Highlands families already know by heart. The detail that separates this festival from every other fall beer event in Dallas is less visible. It is the largest fundraiser for the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands, and its proceeds go to Lake Highlands High School seniors, first responders and neighborhood nonprofits. Knowing that explains why the day runs the way it does.

The club's "Super Bowl," and what it pays for

The Lake Highlands Advocate reported that the Exchange Club has described Oktoberfest as its "Super Bowl." The Lake Highlands Advocate also quoted club president Bill Boyd at the club's year-end banquet at the Kaycee Club in June: "We joke that our fundraising is a two-legged stool," he said, "Oktoberfest and the Spring Benefit."

The organizer says the festival has raised more than $1.4 million since it began, money that has paid for college scholarships for Lake Highlands High School seniors and grants to nonprofits around Dallas. Recent years show how fast the scholarship side has grown:

• October 2024 report: the Lake Highlands Advocate wrote that the previous year's scholarships totaled more than $125,000 for 56 graduating LHHS seniors.
• May 2026: a record $162,000 went to 75 graduating seniors. The Advocate reported that the money came from Oktoberfest, the club's casino night and auction, and donor gifts combined.
• June 2026: the club also gave $53,000 to neighborhood schools and local nonprofits.

Between those two reports, the count grew by 19 students and the total by about $37,000. Oktoberfest is one of the two main sources behind it.

The grant recipients are names Lake Highlands residents see every week. The festival site lists Family Compass, Feed Lake Highlands, the Lake Highlands Women's League, the Lake Highlands Junior Women's League, 100 Women of Lake Highlands and the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District. In earlier years the grants program has supported the Audelia Road Branch Library and the Box 4 Fire Buff Association. One past capital grant also paid for a project on the festival grounds, the Flag Pole Hill playground. For 2026, the club says its largest possible single grant will be $25,000, and it prefers lasting capital projects over one-time events.

Why the festival moved to the hill

The festival started out as Lake Highlands Oktoberfest at Lake Highlands Town Center. It moved to Flag Pole Hill when construction shrank the space at Town Center and the crowds kept growing. By 2024, the Advocate reported, the festival routinely drew more than 5,000 visitors.

The park can hold that crowd. Dallas Parks lists Flag Pole Hill at 107.1 acres, established in 1929, with a covered pavilion built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, an inclusive playground, a walking trail and open green space. The official address is 8100 Doran Circle.

How the day is built

The schedule has two halves. Until mid-afternoon the grounds mostly belong to neighborhood groups and families, and after that the main stage takes over. The organizer's 2026 program lists these times, and the daytime performance slots are marked tentative:

The midday lineup is almost entirely Lake Highlands High School groups, the same students the scholarships are meant for. The one-acre Kid Zone is free with admission. It has bounce and climbing attractions, games, face painting, airbrushed tattoos and a YMCA gaming truck.

Festival Hall is the shaded middle of the day, with seating, TVs for the day's games, food, and craft beer from Oak Highlands Brewery. Its two music slots, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 4:25 p.m., are still listed as "coming soon."

Many households split the day, bringing the children in the morning and coming back for the headliners. In 2024 the club said the wristband covered re-entry for the rest of the event. The 2026 FAQ lists no re-entry policy, so check at the gate before you leave for an afternoon break.

What it costs, and where presale changes the math

Admission prices go up at 6 p.m., right when the keg tapping starts. The organizer lists these prices:

Here is what that means for a household of two adults and two children ages 4 to 17. Arriving after 6 p.m. without presale costs $100 at the gate. Presale wristbands for the same four people cost $75. Arriving before 6 p.m. at the gate costs $90.

Inside, vendors take only festival tickets, which sell for $1 each at ticket stands. The stands accept cash or card, and card purchases carry a transaction fee. Beer and wine cost $8, water $3, soda $4, and most food runs $3 to $15. Buying Ofest Bucks in advance saves 10 percent, at $45 for 50 tickets or $90 for 100. The presale store also has a $20 beer stein that comes with eight tickets and a $10 reservation for the stein-holding contest. Pick up presale items at the will-call booth at the main entrance, at the top of the hill.

The presale store closes at 5 p.m. Friday, October 23. There are no refunds on purchases or unused tickets, rain or shine.

Getting up the hill

The organizer points guests to three satellite lots with shuttles running all day:

• Norbuck Park
• KayCee Club
• Lake Highlands High School

For Uber or Lyft, the recommended drop-off is the Park and Recreation Department building at 8007 Northwest Highway.

Neighbors who live close enough to ride can bring a bike, but bikes aren't allowed through the gates or on Doran Circle. Lock them outside the fence. South of the hill, the White Rock Trail segment near Garland Road that closed this summer for wastewater pipe grouting was scheduled to reopen by Friday, August 7, after the work finished early.

The organizer's FAQ covers parking and shuttles but gives no 2026 road-closure schedule. For reference only, in 2025 Doran Circle and the Flag Pole Hill section of White Rock Trail closed from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., while Gofforth Drive stayed open. Treat those hours as last year's and watch for this year's notice.

A few more rules:

• Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome.
• Only service animals are allowed, so leave the dog at home.
• Outside food and drinks aren't permitted.

On the grill and in the stein

The 2026 vendor list is mostly familiar Dallas names:

• Strouderosa for brats and barbecue
• Burger Schmurger for burgers
• Cane Rosso for pizza
• Aw Shucks for seafood
• Cedar & Vine for festival eats and pretzels
• Pop Popcorn for popcorn and snow cones
• Dippin' Dots for ice cream
• Oak Highlands Brewery for beer and wine
• Vector Brewing for beer
• Andrews Distributing for beer and seltzer

Cane Rosso is back on pizza after Greenville Avenue Pizza Company handled it in 2025. The organizer promises Hefeweizen and Kölsch among the beers but doesn't say which vendor pours which. Vector Brewing also sponsors the Market Village, open noon to 6 p.m. In 2024 the Market Village was described as rows of local vendors' stands.

Still to be announced

A month out, three pieces of the plan are still open. The Festival Hall daytime performers haven't been named. The FAQ has no 2026 road-closure schedule. The cornhole tournament that debuted in 2025 isn't confirmed for this year, since its page still says registration is closed and "We look forward to seeing you all next year." The date, the main-stage lineup, the prices and the shuttle lots are all set.

Whether you go for the Highlandettes at 12:20 or Pat Green at 8:30, the money spent on the hill goes into next spring's scholarship ceremony and the club's next round of neighborhood grants.

Events like this one are a big part of what makes Lake Highlands feel like home, and we like helping neighbors keep up with them. If you're thinking about your next step in the neighborhood, or simply want to talk through what's happening around Lake Highlands, The Smiley Sheehan Group would be glad to hear from you. Contact Us anytime.