New country music stage added to this year’s six-stage entertainment lineup
Octoberfest Weekend (Sept 25-26, 2026) is turning up the volume for this year’s celebration with the addition of a highly requested country music stage, one of many highlights announced today as the Fox Cities Chamber unveiled the festival’s 2026 entertainment lineup. Octoberfest Weekend pairs Friday night’s License to Cruise with Saturday’s Octoberfest celebration, with six entertainment stages throughout the weekend: one on Friday and five on Saturday, each featuring a different genre of music. Together, the two events create one of Wisconsin’s largest free community festivals.
A complete entertainment lineup is included below and available online.
The 2026 lineup features more than 15 local and regional acts across Friday night and Saturday, including:
- The debut of the new GLK Foods/WHBY/The Score Country Stage featuring The 308s, Grand Union and Nashville Pipeline, following years of attendee requests for more country music entertainment during the festival
- The Love Monkeys on their final tour
- Boogie and the Yo-Yoz are returning Friday night for License to Cruise
- Fan favorites Glam Band and Ask Your Mother
“Every year, we strive to improve the festival for our more than 300,000 event attendees,” explained Paul Schrode, Chairman of the Chamber’s Octoberfest Committee. “The addition of a country music stage is something that has been long anticipated, and we are excited to be able to bring this highly requested entertainment to one of our event stages. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see The Love Monkeys during the band’s final tour season.”
Octoberfest Weekend draws more than 300,000 attendees annually and generates an estimated $42 million in economic impact for the Fox Cities region. The multi-day experience encourages visitors to explore downtown Appleton, stay overnight and take in all that Octoberfest Weekend has to offer, including:
- Live music
- Local food vendors, drinks and craft brews
- Arts and craft vendors
- Family entertainment area
- 400 classic cars on display for Friday’s License to Cruise car show
- Free indoor car show at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, displaying “Low Production, Unique Vehicles and More”
Additionally, local nonprofit organizations are central to the Octoberfest Weekend experience, helping operate food and beverage areas while raising funds that support important community initiatives throughout the region.
Full Entertainment Lineup
The stage for License to Cruise is sponsored by Cumulus Media and all Octoberfest stages are sponsored by a local Woodward Community Media station. Specific stage locations along College Ave., band lineups and music genres are outlined below for the entirety of Octoberfest Weekend.
- License to Cruise’s WVBO & Star 98 Stage at Houdini Plaza I Friday, Sept. 25
- DJ— 3-6 p.m.
- Boogie and the Yo-Yoz — 6-9 p.m.
- Team Winnebagoland/WAPL Rock Stage I West College Ave. I Saturday, Sept. 26
- Road Trip — 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
- Boxkar — 1-2:30 p.m.
- Glam Band — 3-5:30 p.m.
- Fox Communities Credit Union/95.9 KISS FM Pop Stage I Division Street I Saturday, Sept. 26
- Star Six Nine — 10-11:30 a.m.
- Ask Your Mother — 12-2:30 p.m.
- The Love Monkeys (Last Tour) — 3-5:30 p.m.
- Twin Pillars/104.3 The Fuse Alternative Stage I Houdini Plaza I Saturday, Sept. 26
- Mistrial — 9-11 a.m.
- Appleton Rock School — 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
- Listening Party— 2-3:30 p.m.
- Kyle Megna & The Monsoons — 4-5:30 p.m.
- GLK Foods /WHBY/The Score Country Stage I Morrison Street I Saturday, Sept. 26
- The 308s — 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
- Grand Union — 2-3:30 p.m.
- Nashville Pipeline — 4-5:30 p.m.
- Razor 94.7/104.7 Hard Rock Stage I Superior Street I Saturday, Sept. 26
- Mistakes Were Made — 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
- Krestfall — 1-3 p.m.
- Trash Pandas — 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Map included.
Map Key:
- Star 1: Team Winnebagoland/WAPL Rock Stage on Saturday for Octoberfest
- Star 2: Fox Communities Credit Union/95.9 KISS FM Pop Stage on Saturday for Octoberfest
- Star 3: Razor 94.7/104.7 Hard Rock Stage on Saturday for Octoberfest
- Star 4: WVBO & Star 98 Stage on Friday for License to Cruise and the Twin Pillars/104.3 The Fuse Alternative Stage on Saturday for Octoberfest
- Star 5: GLK Foods /WHBY/The Score Country Stage on Saturday for Octoberfest
About Octoberfest Weekend
Presented by the Fox Cities Chamber, Octoberfest Weekend is one of Wisconsin’s largest free community celebrations. Each year, the two-day event draws more than 300,000 people to Downtown Appleton and generates an estimated $42 million in economic impact for the region. The weekend begins Friday evening with License to Cruise, a classic car show, and continues Saturday with Octoberfest, a mile-long street festival featuring live music on multiple stages, food and beverage vendors, arts and crafts and a family fun area. Since 1981, Octoberfest has brought together residents and visitors to celebrate community while advancing the Fox Cities Chamber’s mission to promote employers and economic development and enhance the quality of life in the Fox Cities. For more information, visit octoberfestweekend.com.
About the Fox Cities Chamber
The Fox Cities Chamber is a nonprofit business-to-business membership organization that unites the regional business community for greater economic impact. Serving Outagamie, Calumet, and northern Winnebago Counties, we are the second largest Chamber in Wisconsin and were named National Chamber of the Year in 2024. We also received a Wisconsin Innovation Award in the nonprofit category for our free membership level for small businesses.
Our organization proudly captures the energy of one of Wisconsin’s most dynamic regions and transforms it into innovative programs and services to champion employers, economic development, and quality of life. The Fox Cities Chamber celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024. For more information, visit https://foxcitieschamber.com/.