Wiener 500 at The Wharf

Oktoberfest and the Wiener 500 at The Wharf 2026

Once a year The Wharf builds a 70-yard race track on District Pier and lets dachshunds run down it. That is the Wiener 500, and it is the centerpiece of the Wharf's Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3. Check-in starts at 1pm, the first heat runs at 2pm, and dogs race six at a time until a champion is left. Watching costs nothing and no ticket is needed.

Kids find this funnier than almost anything else you can take them to in October, partly because the dogs are terrible at it. Some sprint, some stop halfway to sniff the track, some turn around and run back to the start. Around the race there is stein hoisting, a best-dressed contest, and the Wharf's usual food and waterfront. Race entry fees go to Rural Dog Rescue, and only dachshunds can compete, so if you have one, registration is on Eventbrite ahead of time.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Get to District Pier by 1:30pm: the crowd builds fast once check-in opens, and the front rail is where kids can actually see the dogs.
• ✓Small kids need to be up front or up high: the track is at ground level and a five-year-old behind two rows of adults sees nothing. Shoulders work.
• ✓Ask before petting: hundreds of dogs in a tight space, many of them keyed up before racing. Owners will usually say yes, but ask first.
• ✓Leave your own dog home unless it is racing: the pier gets crowded and the noise is a lot for a dog that is not used to it.
• ✓Heats run about 90 minutes total: you do not need to stay for the whole bracket. Catch a few heats, then walk the Wharf and get ice cream.
• ✓Bathrooms are inside the Wharf buildings: not on the pier itself. Go before you stake out a spot at the rail.