Oktoberfest draws record 7.4 million visitors

Munich’s Oktoberfest drew an estimated 7.4 million visitors over 16 days, setting a new attendance record, festival management said, according to BR.

The Oide Wiesn, a section of the festival grounds, welcomed 447,000 people, up from 360,000 last year. The previous overall record was 7.2 million visitors in 2023, when the festival ran for 18 days.

Attendance had already reached 3.8 million after the first week this year, 300,000 more than at the same point last year and 400,000 above the 2023 figure.

Festival beer consumption also set a record, rising 2.7% to around 6.7 million Maß, according to the Association of Munich Breweries. Sales of non-alcoholic drinks increased 10%. Large festival tent operators reported food sales up 2% to 3%, with roast chicken becoming more popular again.

Warm, sunny late-summer weather brought large crowds. On Saturday, the organiser asked visitors to stay away temporarily as the grounds filled up. Several large tents and the beer gardens were packed, and entrances were closed at times. Festival director Christian Scharpf said an updated security plan had worked during the crowding.

A suspected workplace accident on the final Sunday left a 47-year-old ride employee seriously injured on the Oide Wiesn. He was reportedly struck by a swing boat shortly after the grounds opened at 10 a.m. The circumstances remain unclear, and the ride was closed. It was the second serious suspected workplace accident at this year’s festival: on Sept. 21, an employee at the Hangover free-fall tower was struck by a gondola and died.

The Oktoberfest traditionally ends with a midday salute by 60 powder-charge marksmen, accompanied by brass music and the Bavarian anthem. Celebrations were set to continue in the tents until shortly before midnight. The final day’s forecast called for a mix of sun and cloud, with possible showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon and temperatures no higher than 22 degrees.