WAITE PARK, Minn. — September 23, 2026 (Minnesota Nice News)
The winning time in the Flannel Fest stein-holding contest jumped from five minutes to seven last year. On Saturday, Oct. 3, the fifth annual LEDGEtober Flannel Fest at The Ledge Amphitheater finds out whether anyone in plaid can hold on longer.
Doors open at 2 p.m., and the party runs until 7 p.m. with three bands, free beverage samples, stage contests, food trucks and local craft vendors. The event is for ages 21 and older with a valid ID. Flannel is not technically required, but in central Minnesota in October, flannel is less a dress code than a weather forecast.
The festival keeps outgrowing itself. More than 1,300 people turned out last year, after about 1,200 the year before and roughly 800 the year before that. At that rate, organizers may eventually need a bigger quarry.
A Flannel Fest stage carved out of granite
The Ledge sits between two former granite quarries in Waite Park, on land donated by quarry owner Martin Marietta. The city-owned amphitheater opened in 2021 at a cost of nearly $15 million, including $5 million in state bonding, and holds up to 6,000 people. Its buildings were designed to nod to the area’s granite and mining history, and a wooded walking path south of the park overlooks the Transformer Quarry.
“It’s sort of like fairy dust dropped on it,” Chris Fritz, president of New West Productions, which books acts at The Ledge, told St. Cloud Live in 2023.
The Flannel Fest lineup
Tammy Jo opens the afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m. The Minneapolis-born singer is a veteran of the Twin Cities cover band scene and owns, manages and fronts the country-rock band Georgia Clay. Her original song “Takin’ Shots” is about the Minnesota “widows weekend” and what the women really get up to while the men are at deer camp, which makes her the rare performer who can explain the entire Flannel Fest dress code in three minutes.
Church of Cash takes the stage from 3 to 5 p.m. Frontman Jay Ernest is a New Ulm native who grew up in rural Minnesota and baled hay to buy his first guitar at 13. He formed the Johnny Cash tribute in Honolulu, brought it home to Minnesota and has performed more than 4,000 shows across his career. He is also a Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee. The band includes Jonathon TeBeest on drums, “Jumpin'” Jack Mansk on guitars and Tony Wirth on bass. The Man in Black is also the one guest at Flannel Fest who never has to decide which plaid to wear.
Mason Dixon Line closes the show from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with “Born On the Bayou,” a tribute to John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Brothers Justin and Jason Ploof formed the band in 2018 with Micah Barrett and Tony Mazzone. Justin Ploof, who also performs as Justin McGuinn, has been a fixture of the central Minnesota music scene for years and plays with family in Justin Ploof and the Throwbacks.
Flannel Fest samples and a barrel tapping
A barrel gets tapped on stage at 2:30 p.m., and free beverage sampling runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., sponsored by Westside Liquor and C&L Distributing. The pour list includes Outstate Brewing Company, Third Street Brewhouse, Fulton Brewing, Lupulin Brewing, Bad Habit Brewing Company, Obbink Distilling, Hinterland Cider, Garage Beer and Piattelli Vineyards. Designated drivers and root beer loyalists have 1919 Root Beer and Lift Bridge Root Beer waiting.
Beards, best dressed and the Flannel Fest stein-holding contest
Contests run on the main stage starting at 5 p.m.: Best Beard at 5, Best Dressed at 5:10 and Stein Holding at 5:20. Contestants register at the Registration Tent the day of the event. Tom’s Windshield Repair sponsors Best Beard, Best Dressed and men’s Stein Holding. Gutter Shutter of St. Cloud sponsors women’s Stein Holding.
Peter Thorn won Best Beard in 2024 and defended the title in 2025, so he arrives Oct. 3 chasing a three-peat. Anyone planning to unseat him has had a full year to grow a case.
The stein contest is where the drama lives. Peter Einyk won in 2024 by holding a full stein for more than five minutes. Darren Ness raised the bar to seven minutes last year. This is Minnesota, where all the beards are strong, all the steins are heavy and all the arms are above average. Rose Nylund would have entered and told a St. Olaf story for the full seven minutes.
Grand prize and door prize giveaways close out the day at 7 p.m.
Food trucks, crafts and Flannel Fest apparel
Food trucks on site include ODB’s Meat & Greet, Twin Cities Pita, Waldo’s Pizza, Dana’s Kitchen, Mr. Twisty and Betty’s Shrimp Bucket. Local craft vendors include Whispering Pines Creations, My Jazzy Jeans, Candice’s Crafty Corner, Custom Heartfelt Designs, Dragonfly Boutique and Lacey Eidem Art.
This year also brings the first Flannel Fest apparel: T-shirts for $30 and pullover hoodies or zip-ups for $50, available by preorder through Sunday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m. Orders are ready for pickup at the Box Office around or after Oct. 31.
Know before you go
The Ledge runs rain or shine, so dress for October and leave the umbrella home, since umbrellas and tarps stay outside the gates. Parking is free in all lots. Traffic may not turn from Highway 23 or 2nd Street South directly onto 17th Avenue South, so follow the posted directions to the lots. Tailgating is not permitted, and there is no re-entry.
Tickets cannot be printed at home; save them to an Apple or Google Wallet before arriving. Bars are cashless, though food trucks may take cash. Purses must be no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches.
LEDGEtober Flannel Fest · 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 · The Ledge Amphitheater, 1700 Parkway Drive, Waite Park · $40 plus fees at theledgeamp.com/flannelfest or the Box Office, open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. · 21 and older with valid ID
For more fall events around lakes country, see the Community Calendar.
Know a festival, fish fry or fall gathering that belongs on our radar? Reach the Newsroom.
Writing By: Gregory Moyer | Editing by Jodi Moyer
EDITOR’S NOTE:
SOURCES:
Event details and tickets
The Ledge Amphitheater, LEDGEtober Flannel Fest event details — $35 early bird rate through Aug. 31, $40 tickets from Sept. 1, lineup and Oct. 3, 2026 date.
The Ledge Amphitheater, Flannel Fest — Schedule, band bios, beverage and vendor lists, contest times and sponsors, apparel details.
The Ledge Amphitheater, FAQ — Rain-or-shine policy, no re-entry, no tailgating, digital tickets, cashless bars, purse size limit, Friday box office hours.
The Ledge Amphitheater, Parking & Directions — Free parking and the 17th Avenue South turn restriction.
Festival history
WJON, LedgeTober Flannel Fest: A Day Of Fun, Beer, And Music — 2025 attendance of over 1,300, Thorn’s Best Beard repeat and Ness’s seven-minute stein win.
WJON, The Ledge’s 3rd Annual Flannel Fest Was A Wooly Wooly Good Time — 2024 attendance of over 1,200, up about 400, and the 2024 contest winners including Einyk’s five-plus-minute stein hold.
WJON, Ledgetober Flannel Fest Going to “Another Level” in 2024 — Yard games and the flannel-or-German-attire encouragement.
River 96.7, Unique Festival In Waite Park, Get Out Your Finest Flannel! — 2023 date and the “EPIC Beer-Portions” billing.
The venue
The Ledge Amphitheater, About — Location between two quarries, 6,000-guest capacity and the Transformer Quarry walking path.
Star Tribune, New Waite Park amphitheater to finally open this summer — 25-acre site and the $5 million in 2018 state bonding.
Star Tribune, The Ledge is Minnesota’s over-the-top new music venue near St. Cloud — Martin Marietta land donation and the nearly $15 million cost.
KSTP, Waite Park to open The Ledge Amphitheater this week — Design meant to complement the granite and mining history.
St. Cloud Live, With Ledge Amphitheater, Waite Park is becoming an entertainment destination — 2021 opening and the “fairy dust” quote from Chris Fritz.
The bands
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, Jay Ernest / Church of Cash — New Ulm roots, 4,000-plus shows and prior bands.
Flip Your Script, Ep. 98 Jay Ernest — Baling hay for his first guitar at 13.
Grand Rapids Herald-Review, Church of Cash embody the mystique and resonance of Johnny Cash — Band lineup, Folsom Prison Experience and the 2009 founding date.
The Journal (New Ulm), Church of Cash closes out Bavarian Blast — 2022 Hall of Fame induction date that conflicts with other sources.
Reif Center, Born on the Bayou / Mason Dixon Line — Two-set show format.
Minnesota’s New Country, The Hard Road Home: Justin Ploof Turns Life Into Music — Justin Ploof’s other name and his family band.
Tammy Jo Music, Home — “Takin’ Shots” and its widows weekend subject.
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