NEW BRAUNFELS – It’s no secret that Wurstfest has thousands of people flocking to New Braunfels to take part in the fun.
Rob Johnson is the Grosse Opa this year.
“The person in charge of making sure everyone at the festival has a good time,” Johnson said, describing his role.
But that good time can’t happen without also ensuring everyone is safe.
Having the WURST time at work today 😉
— Leigh Waldman (@LeighWaldman) November 5, 2023
We are highlighting safety at Wurstfest, it’s top of mind for the team who puts on the event every year after the shooting at the Texas state fair last month. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/8OlyeJbbns
“These are good people and we’ve got great people in place,” Johnson said.
The president of Wurstfest, David Huddleston, pointed to each of the gates at Wurstfest and the technology in place to make sure each guest wasn’t bringing anything in that could harm someone else.
“When you come in, we have the latest in the magnetometers, the scanners which come in. It is our goal to provide a very safe environment here,” Huddleston said.
Last month, the shooting at the Texas State Fair sent attendees running in fear.
Huddleston said they took what happened there as an opportunity to learn and run new safety scenarios to make sure it doesn’t happen here.
“We use that as a practice lesson here and went over various procedures in what to do in response,” Huddleston said. “And we are using the latest in technology. It’s not the old thing where it just sets it off if there’s something there. Now, it’ll encapsulate and show you a picture of the guy and where it is on their body.”
Attendees of Wurstfest said they are noticing the extra care.
“There’s a very good police presence, there’s a... I mean, I just think everyone’s looking out for each other,” Miles Schuk, a Wurstfest attendee, said.
“I was thinking about that earlier. It seems really safe because sometimes big festivals like this can get really dangerous,” Ben Bates, another attendee, said.
“Big part of it is everyone here is respecting each other and everyone wants to have a good time and no one here is looking to impend on that. So I feel safe and secure,” Matthew Booker, an attendee, said.
Huddleston said they are partnered with local law enforcement in addition to its own security committee to make sure every night at Wurstfest is a safe one.