Sunny, cheerful and peaceful – that is the conclusion for this year’s Oktoberfest. The fairground operators, landladies and landlords, and the security authorities were very satisfied and praised the relaxed, cheerful atmosphere.
The Oktoberfest was overshadowed by the fatal accident involving an employee of the “Hangover” ride, which filled the Oktoberfest family with great consternation and sorrow. Guests, officials, and festival vendors enjoyed a truly magnificent Oktoberfest. With nearly perfect late-summer weather throughout, nearly 25 percent more guests visited the Oide Wiesn in the southern part of the festival grounds.
The 2026 Oktoberfest was a huge draw. According to initial estimates by the festival management, around 7.4 million guests visited the Theresienwiese over the 16 days - making the 2026 Oktoberfest the most visited in its history to date. Despite the high number of visitors, the new security concept and visitor management prevented any overcrowding on the Oktoberfest. As in previous years, the festival audience was highly diverse: families with children, young people, senior citizens, regulars’ tables and groups of friends who went to the Theresienwiese to stroll, try out the rides, eat, drink and celebrate in the beer tents and gardens.
The Oktoberfest is a regional festival with high international attention, with international guests travelled from as far away as the USA, Italy and Austria. Festival management, fairground operators, market traders, landladies and landlords were all satisfied with how the festival went. Festival Director Dr. Christian Scharpf gave an extremely positive assessment of the 2026 Oktoberfest on behalf of the host city, Munich. “Oktoberfest 2026 was the best attended edition in its long history,” he said.
For festival beer, breweries report a 2.7 percent increase. According to the Association of Munich Breweries, consumption of festival beer rose by 2.7 per cent to around 6.7 million litres (2025: 6.5 million), with demand for alcohol-free beer increasing by 10.7 per cent, with, for wheat beer, by 12.6 per cent. Sales of non-alcoholic drinks rose by 10 per cent - the sour Radler (a mix of beer and sparkling water) also met with great approval.
The major Oktoberfest landlords reported an increase in food sales of two to three per cent, with the classic roast chicken back in fashion, after consumption had declined in recent years. According to the city, visitors drank a total of 6.7 million litres of beer, up 2.7% from 2025, when 6.5 million litres were consumed. Food stalls reported revenue growth of 2-3%, which vendors said was partly driven by strong sales of roast chicken.
Of the 7.4 million visitors, 447,000 also went to the Oide Wiesn, a section of the festival designed to recreate what Oktoberfest was like a century ago.
