What last year’s Oktoberfest revealed: The most interesting facts and figures

Last year’s Oktoberfest offered organizers a little of everything: record heat at the start, worse weather that reduced visitor flows, major crowds and temporary closures on the busiest days. Even so, the Munich festival drew about 6.5 million guests over 16 days at the Theresienwiese, only slightly below the previous year’s 6.7 million.

The historical and traditional Oide Wiesn section attracted 360,000 visitors, compared with 430,000 in 2024. The festival remained strongly local, with most visitors coming from Munich or nearby areas, but it also drew substantial international interest. On one Saturday in the middle of the festival, about 30% of visitors came from abroad, compared with an average of roughly 21%. The largest overseas groups came from the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, Spain, France, India and Sweden.

Festival hosts estimated that visitors drank about 6.5 million liters of beer, down from 7 million in 2024. Traditional Bavarian dishes remained central, while food outlets also expanded vegetarian, vegan and organic options. Vegetarian Kässpatzen and Rahmschwammerl with dumplings were particularly popular. In some tents, demand for non-alcoholic beer rose by 6% to 10%, while non-alcoholic drinks overall increased by 3%.

Crowds peaked on the three Saturdays and the public holiday. Security staff confiscated about 116,000 stolen beer mugs, compared with 98,000 the previous year. Two songs competed for the festival’s 2025 hit title, Oimara’s “Wackelkontakt” and Roy Bianco and the Abbrunzati Boys’ “Bella Napoli.” “Bierdringa,” the winning song from the A Liad für'd Wiesn contest, also played regularly, with its performer FENZL appearing live on most stages.

On Sept. 27, large crowds formed as visitor reservations changed. Measures quickly brought the situation under control. On Oct. 3, organizers closed the grounds for one hour because of the risk of overcrowding and informed visitors about the situation. After reopening, about 150,000 people entered from 5:30 p.m.