Most Oktoberfests happen in a tent. Waterville Valley's happens on a mountain. On Sunday, October 11, 2026, the resort will host its fourth annual Schwendi Fest, a fall festival that bills itself, in the resort's own words, as "not your average Oktoberfest." The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. at the ski area base, and unlike a traditional beer hall gathering, the centerpiece is a scenic chairlift ride up Mount Tecumseh on the Tecumseh Express, a six-passenger detachable lift that carries leaf-peepers from the base area toward the summit for views of the White Mountains in peak autumn color.
The festival's name comes from the Schwendi Hutte, the resort's summit lodge and restaurant perched at roughly 3,600 feet. The Hutte is a long-standing fixture of Waterville Valley's ski culture, a wood-framed, alpine-style building that serves as a warming hut and barbecue spot in winter and a destination for foliage viewers in fall. The festival leans into that theme with a menu that reads like a ski-town cookout: burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, beer brats with sauerkraut, pretzels, and donuts, served a la carte. Hot apple cider is available spiked or unspiked, alongside beer and seltzer. The resort notes that outside alcohol cannot be consumed at the summit under New Hampshire Liquor Commission rules, so the drinks stay where they're sold.
The Schwendi name has also made its way into local brewing. Woodstock Inn Brewery produces a beer called Schwendi that debuted at the Hutte and is now distributed across New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the Thirsty White Mountain Traveler. The brewery's IPA, Oblivion, takes its name from a popular intermediate trail at Waterville Valley, a small sign of how deeply the mountain's identity is woven into the region's food and drink culture.
Waterville Valley's ski history stretches back nearly a century. Skiers first descended Mount Tecumseh in 1937, when Civilian Conservation Corps crews cut the mountain's first ski trails, according to Sarah Van Kralingen, the resort's marketing communications manager, in an interview with Travel + Leisure. The area became a proper destination resort in the 1960s, when two-time Olympic skier Tom Corcoran founded and developed the mountain. Today the resort encompasses 52 trails, 265 skiable acres, and a vertical drop of 2,020 feet, with the summit sitting just over 4,000 feet. The Tecumseh Express itself is a relatively recent addition, a six-seater detachable chairlift built by MND that replaced the resort's main lift, the 1988 White Peaks Express, which had long carried skiers from the base to the summit.
Schwendi Fest is a young tradition. The 2025 edition was billed as the third annual, which places the first festival in 2023. It has grown each year, and the 2026 version expands the offerings further. The base area event requires no ticket to enter, and includes a live DJ, retail and merchandise sales, and a slate of family-friendly games and competitions. Past years have featured keg tosses, steinholding contests, balloon tosses, musical chairs, skier relay races, water balloon launches, treasure hunts, and pumpkin painting. The 2026 festival adds football games in the Freestyle Lounge and photo opportunities with the resort's snow groomers and their cats.
The chairlift ride is the one component that requires a ticket. Lift tickets for the Tecumseh Express can be purchased in advance through the resort's online shop or in person at the event. Buying in advance comes with a bonus: unrestricted access to the Snow's Mountain Chairlift from Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12, turning the festival into a three-day foliage weekend. Children ages five and under ride free, though a tyke ticket must be redeemed at the ticket window with the child present. Advance tickets can be picked up at the Adventure Center from Friday, October 2 through Saturday, October 10, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and a valid photo ID is required.
At the summit, the resort plans a bonfire outside the Schwendi Hutte, with treats available for purchase. Seating may be limited, and the resort encourages guests to bring picnic blankets, though lawn chairs are not permitted on the chairlift. For anyone staying in the valley, the resort trolley will be running, which the resort points out means visitors already have a designated driver built into their plans.
The timing of the festival is deliberate. Early-to-mid October is typically when foliage in the White Mountains approaches its peak, and the chairlift ride offers a vantage point that a drive along the Kancamagus Highway cannot match. At the same time, the event functions as a soft opening for the coming winter, a chance for the resort to welcome skiers back to the mountain before the snow arrives. It is a hybrid that few fall festivals attempt: part leaf-peeping excursion, part Bavarian-themed block party, and part preseason homecoming for a ski community that has been gathering on Mount Tecumseh for nearly ninety years.