A record Oktoberfest – not just in Germany

Munich had a record 7.4 million Oktoberfest visitors this year. Together, they drank 6.7 million litres of beer, up from 6.5 million in 2025. All that beer also washed down 500,000 chickens.

The record visitor numbers created challenges not just for the catering, but also for crowd management, which was supported by newly installed cameras and AI technology. When high levels of visitor pressure were recorded the entry gates were closed to ease the crush. A visitor management campaign launched by the city to try and spread visitors across the different days of the event also helped. Visitor numbers rose sharply on weekdays – up by nearly 30% in the second week.

Even though the crowds were bigger, there was a fall in the number of lost items found. In 2026, 4,000 lost items were registered, 12% less than last year.  The fact that fewer items were lost might have to do with the 10.7% increase in alcohol-free beer consumption, and also people drinking more water: around 198 cubic meters were drunk from the water fountains in 2026, an increase of 52.3%. The event also seems to be getting more sustainable, with less electricity and gas being used. However, approximately 54 metric tons of trash were collected in 2026.

But Oktoberfest is expanding in other ways as well. There are more and more ‘Oktoberfest’ events being held outside Germany. Some of these have been around for quite a while. The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest in Canada was founded in 1969, as was the Denver Oktoberfest. A Cincinnati version ‘Oktoberfest Zinzinnati’ was launched in 1974, and features the ‘Running of the Wieners’, with one hundred dachshunds competing in a race while dressed in hot dog costumes. These expat Oktoberfest events don’t attract as big a crowd as the original, but they are still pretty busy:  the Blumenau, Cincinnati and Kitchener–Waterloo versions all get around 500,000 visitors a year.

Oktoberfest is also becoming more popular in the Netherlands. A six-day event in Sittard attracts about 200,000 people – the largest in the Benelux. The form is a little different however, as traditional costumes are missing. Perhaps this is why there is also growing demand from the Netherlands for travel to the original Oktoberfest in Munich, with FlixBus reporting a 15% growth in demand for travel to the event.