Oktoberfest served 6.7 million liters of beer in 2026

Munich’s Oktoberfest served about 6.7 million liters of beer this year, a 2.7% increase from the 6.5 million liters recorded in 2025, according to a preliminary balance released by the City of Munich on Sunday.

The increase came even as beer served per visitor appears to have fallen. The city said 7.4 million people attended the festival in 2026, up from 6.5 million a year earlier. Based on those rounded totals, beer served worked out to about 0.91 liters per visitor, down from roughly 1 liter in 2025. That suggests the rise in total beer volume was driven by a record crowd rather than heavier drinking by individual guests. The city did not publish an official per-visitor consumption figure, and the rough calculation does not separate beer drinkers from visitors who did not consume alcohol.

The clearest shifts inside the beer market were in categories outside the traditional Festbier. Nonalcoholic beer consumption rose 10.7%, while wheat beer consumption increased 12.6%, both well above the pace of growth for overall beer served at the festival. The city did not provide category-by-category volumes in liters, so it did not say how much of the 6.7 million liters came from each segment. Even so, the figures point to stronger demand for alcohol-free options and specialty beer styles alongside the main festival beer.

The overall increase of about 200,000 liters from last year is approximate because both annual totals were published as rounded figures. Even with that limitation, the direction of travel is clear: Oktoberfest drew many more visitors, total beer sales rose, and the fastest growth came in products outside the standard beer offering.

The attendance figure marked a sharp jump of 13.8% from last year, or roughly 900,000 additional visitors. That rise helps explain why beer volumes increased despite lower estimated consumption per person. For Munich, the combination reinforces the festival’s economic importance as a mass event that can still expand in total sales while demand patterns change inside the beer market.

The preliminary report did not include brewery revenue, average prices actually paid by visitors, or a full breakdown of liters sold by beer type. Without those numbers, it is not possible to measure how much of the year’s growth was tied to price, product mix, or changes in spending across tents and brands. The city’s figures therefore show the direction of demand more clearly than the value of the beer business itself.

Municipal officials also used the report to describe public safety, medical and security operations during the festival. Authorities said the revised security concept paid off and credited visitors for what they called calm and cooperative behavior. Public announcements across the festival grounds also helped manage crowd flows, the city said.

Police reported about 1,600 operations during the festival, a level they said was in line with expectations given the larger number of visitors and above last year’s total. Drug-related violations were a main focus among offenses. As of Oct. 3, authorities had collected €607,000 in security deposits.

The Aicher ambulance service said patient numbers rose 18.5%, which it also linked to the larger crowds. Medical activity shifted more heavily toward weekdays this year, and the busiest day was the middle Saturday of the festival. Only 1.1% of patients treated had to be transported to nearby Munich hospitals, the city said.

The fire department described the festival as generally calm. As of Oct. 3, it had handled 13 operations, the same number as last year, most of them assistance calls. The biggest incidents were the response to a fatal accident at an amusement ride and to a container fire on the first festival Sunday, Sept. 27.

Private security companies working in the beer tents and fairground businesses also reported a positive year. The city said crowds in the tents were heavy from the start but were spread more evenly than last year, with tents filling earlier in the day and therefore needing to close less often. Eight large tents were set up as SafeNow zones, and some security firms again used body cameras. Around 1,400 security workers were deployed, with shifts of as many as 730 people.

Youth protection teams said they cared for six lost children between infancy and age 13 during the festival. They also recorded around 160 youth protection violations. The most common cases involved parents still moving around the festival grounds with strollers well after 6 p.m. and being told to leave. Officials also arranged safe trips home for 20 intoxicated minors and for five intoxicated parents along with their children.