6.7 million people attended Oktoberfest in 2024

Oktoberfest generates over $1B every year

As one of the largest festivals in the world, Oktoberfest is an economic mainstay for Munich. Analysts estimate the annual beer fest contributes at least $1.4B in revenue to the city alone, accounting for roughly 2% of the city's gross domestic product.

Oktoberfest's beer tents have specific themes

With 17 big tents and 21 small ones, each with a unique personality, there’s one to suit every type of Oktoberfest visitor. The oldest, Augustiner Festhalle, has been a part of the festival since 1898 and can hold 8,500 people.

Oktoberfest, explained

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. It was the surprising prototype of what would become every beer fan's favorite festival. Held in late September and early October, Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world.

Oktoberfests take place all over the world

If you can’t make it to Munich, there are plenty of other places around the world to celebrate Oktoberfest. Cincinnati’s festival, called Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, is the largest in the US, with more than 700,000 visitors eating a (literal) ton of potato salad.

Only six breweries are permitted at Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest’s beer offerings are tightly regulated. Only six breweries are invited to supply the entire festival with drinks. The “youngest” brewery, Paulaner, was founded in 1634.

Oktoberfest has been canceled 26 times

The first time, in 1813, Bavaria was fighting off Napoleon’s army, which left little time for celebration. Years were also lost to the Austro-Prussian War, a worldwide cholera outbreak, and both World Wars. Most recently, the 2020 and 2021 Oktoberfests were canceled due to COVID-19.

Every Oktoberfest starts with a tap

Crowds rush excitedly toward the tents to count down to the ceremonial first tap, with the mayor declaring “O’zapft is!” This short documentary walks you through the tradition at the 2019 festival. Don’t miss the impressive shots of servers carrying dozens of beer steins at once to their thirsty patrons. Prost!

The Oktoberfest taste test

Wondering how the different Oktoberfest beers stack up? This article dives into the six official beers you’ll find at the festival. Each one has a write-up that includes a bit of history, tasting notes, and thoughts on where and when you might enjoy drinking it.

Wander through an Oktoberfest celebration

Feel like you’re in the center of the action with this walk-through video of the modern Oktoberfest experience. A former Munich resident covers everything you could want to know, including how to not anger the locals with boorish behavior. She explains the layout of the grounds, what to wear (hint: not cheap, mass-produced German costumes), and a few vital German phrases. Don’t forget to say "bitte" (thank you) when ordering your next round!

A 1980 Oktoberfest bombing killed 13 people

The event was the country's deadliest domestic terror attack since World War II, killing 13 people and injuring more than 200. The perpetrator was 21-year-old Gundolf Koehler, who hoped to use the attack to usher in a conservative chancellor.

The states in America that drink the most beer

Americans, in 2020, drank on average almost twenty-six gallons of beer per adult aged twenty-one or over, over the course of the pandemic.

Chicken vendors are an integral part of Oktoberfest

Ever since the first roasted chicken stall appeared at Oktoberfest in 1885, this rich, satisfying dish has been a crowd favorite for soaking up all that beer. Some estimates put the number of Wiesenhendl, or Wiesn chickens, served each year at 700,000.

Oktoberfest revelers wear traditional dress

Lederhosen (short leather pants) and dirndls (dresses with lace-up bodices) are found everywhere at Oktoberfest, This short documentary explores the resurgence of traditional clothing in Germany, which extends beyond Oktoberfest.

American beer, by the numbers

This statistics-focused resource breaks down the shape of the beer industry in the US, outlining the amount of beer produced by American breweries, the state cranking out the most beer, and the states with the most breweries per capita.

Brazil's festival has its own mascots

Blumenau, Brazil, has been home to generations of German immigrants who brought the annual Oktoberfest celebration from Europe. Thousands of revelers parade down what was once known as Wurstrasse, or Sausage Street. There, they’ll find the festival’s ubiquitous mascots, Vovó and Vovô Chopão, or Grandma and Grandpa Big Beer.

Stein-holding competitions are popular at American Oktoberfests

Participants must hold out a full stein of beer—weighing at least 3 pounds—for as long as possible without spilling any or bending their arm. Seems simple enough ... at first.

Burning Man initially started with around 30 people on a San Francisco beach in 1986.

The 2020 and 2024 elections ranked among the highest-turnout contests in over a century

Voter turnout reached 66% in 2020—the highest since 1908—and 64% in 2024, tied for second-highest with 1960. In 2024, Trump benefited from higher turnout among his prior voters and new voters.

The traditional parade takes place on the first Sunday of the festival

The parade offers a peek into Oktoberfests of yesteryear, from the Münchner Kindl, a beautiful Munich native who opens the parade, to the Goaßlschnalzen, a float full of men cracking whips.

Burning Man hosts roughly 70k attendees each year

Since 1986, the Burning Man organization has shared a census tracking growth, fluctuations, demographics, and burners' attitudes each year. Part of the organization's motivation is to monitor and reduce carbon emissions at the event.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, making it the largest field in World Cup history.

Super Bowl LIX in 2025 made TV history with over 127 million viewers

Nielsen reported Super Bowl LIX drew an estimated 127.7 million viewers, the largest audience in Super Bowl history, with peak viewership near 138 million. This resource also includes viewership figures for every Super Bowl dating back to Super Bowl I.

The numbers on US wine consumption

Ever wonder how much wine the average American drank in 1949? Wonder no more! The answer is 0.89 gallons. That’s way less than 2022, where the number has quadrupled to 2.86 gallons. Check out this simple table that tracks average United States wine consumption from 1934 through 2022, by individuals and as a whole. American wine consumption peaked during the early pandemic but has lessened since then.

Total per capita US consumption of beer has dropped 30% since the 1980s

Between 2011 and 2021, AB InBev and MolsonCoors (two of the leading beer parent companies in the US) experienced a combined 17% drop in US market share. Budweiser parent company AB InBev has focused on premiumization and diversifying their product offerings in recent years to combat the losses.

Americans spent an estimated $14.8B for the Fourth of July 2025.

The long history of alcohol and sports

Spectators have long enjoyed alcohol at sporting events, dating back at least to ancient Rome. This article unpacks how companies leveraged this history to make beer a central part of sporting events and masculine culture.

The number of cities bidding to host the Olympics has dropped in recent decades

Hosting the Olympics was once an honor and a way to bring people and prestige to a city. But in 2017, only two nations bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. This video walks through how every Olympics since 1960 has run over budget, and how the era of building dozens of new venues for the Games contributed to high cost overruns and corruption.

In 2024, 332 million visitors to America's national parks spent an estimated $29B in local surrounding economies.

Burning Man began as a small gathering on a San Francisco beach

Burning man started in 1986 as a gathering for 20 people. In 2023, more than 74,000 attendees became a part of Black Rock City and got caught in the rain.

Scroll through a Budweiser historical timeline

From Eberhard Anheuser’s purchase of the Bavarian Brewery in 1860 to the Anheuser-Busch and InBev merger that created what became the world’s largest brewer, this historical timeline highlights the most significant moments in Budweiser’s more than 150-year story.

What was the London Beer Flood of 1814?

On this day 209 years ago, a 15-foot-high wave of beer roared through the streets of an impoverished London neighborhood, killing eight people. Read this beer historian's account of the tragedy to learn more. The beer had burst from the nearby...

A German town transforms its entire city hall into a massive Advent calendar

Gengenbach turns its 18th-century town hall into a 24-window Advent calendar attracting up to 220,000 visitors each December. Each night reveals new art, reviving winter tourism in the town.

In 2013, consumers reportedly purchased more beer on Cinco de Mayo than on Super Bowl Sunday or St. Patrick's Day

Beginning in the early 1980s, breweries positioned Cinco de Mayo as a "Mexican St. Patrick's Day," sponsoring events and targeting Latino consumers. Anheuser-Busch and Miller created Hispanic marketing departments, while Coors spent over $60 million marketing to Latino consumers.

People spent more than a billion hours visiting National Park System sites in 2025, which include national parks, monuments, seashores, and more.

San Diego Comic-Con eclipsed 100,000 attendees for the first time in 2005

Step back into July 2005 at San Diego Comic‑Con—when over 100,000 fans roamed crowded halls filled with cosplay, classic sci‑fi exhibits, and early Marvel and Star Wars booths—and witness the electric energy of one of the first major attendance years for the conference.

The 2017 Women's March was one of the largest protests in the Mall's history

Held the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, the 2017 Women's March drew an estimated 470,000 to 500,000 people to Washington, DC, and 3 million to 5 million nationwide. It is widely regarded as the largest single-day protest in US history.

Here's how much money Americans spend on Halloween

In 2024, Americans are expected to spend more than $11B on Halloween, which averages out to roughly $104 per person, according to the National Retail Federation's Halloween Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That $11B number includes an anticipated almost $4B spent on costumes. See the full breakdown here.

More than 100 types of beer are produced around the world

Beer dates back to ancient times, and since then, the fermented drink has taken on many different styles around the globe, depending on the grain and ingredients used. See how pilsners, IPAs, Sours, and other types evolved from the drink's early history.

Cincinnati has its own Oktoberfest tradition: the running of the weiners

A unique aspect of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, in Cincinnati, Ohio, is its dachshund race. Costumed wiener dogs race down a short track for Oktoberfest glory (and treats).

Charting how many Olympic tickets are sold

This chart compares the total number of tickets sold for Summer Olympic sporting events with the number of tickets available. The article sources the data from the International Olympic Committee website and goes back to the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

San Diego Comic-Con will expand internationally in 2025

September 2025 will mark the inaugural global edition of San Diego Comic‑Con—marking the convention’s first expansion outside the US. The event will offer 300 hours of programming and is expected to draw around 60,000 fans.

The marathon is only getting more popular

The marathon has become a part of popular culture, with races in nearly every major city. The largest is the New York City Marathon, which started in 1970. Over 55,000 runners participated in the 2024 race. Its popularity doesn’t appear to be slowing, with younger generations increasingly lacing up their shoes for the race of a lifetime.

Beer companies turned Cinco de Mayo into a mass consumer event in the 1980s

Starting in the early 1980s, breweries including Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors created Hispanic marketing departments and sponsored Cinco de Mayo events. By 2003, American beer companies spent over $5M annually on Cinco de Mayo advertising. Some users may experience a paywall.

Hosting the World Cup requires massive investments in infrastructure

Since the 1990s, those costs have crept into the billions. Cities are able to sell the high price tag with promises of jobs and tourism dollars, but long-term studies showed the promises were often overstated.

Explore why Americans are drinking less alcohol

US alcohol consumption fell 5% in 2025, with beer and wine leading the decline. Economists point to tighter budgets and less face-to-face socializing overall, while younger Americans are increasingly choosing not to drink.

'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' sparked record theme park attendance

A Forbes analysis found Universal’s parks in Florida, Japan, and California saw average attendance growth of 32% after opening Wizarding World attractions, with Orlando’s Islands of Adventure—the home of the Wizarding World—rising 64.5% to 9.8 million visitors.

Fireworks-related ER visits in 2024 increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

Budweiser temporarily changed its name to ‘America’ in 2016

In the run-up to the 2016 United States Presidential Election, Budweiser changed its name as part of a marketing campaign that ran from the end of May through the November election itself.

The first Coachella lost $1M

Coachella is now the premier live music festival in the US, but it almost didn't survive its financially catastrophic first year, which featured extreme heat and attracted only 50,000 attendees. The festival did not return until 2001—thanks to entertainment company AEG, which purchased Goldenvoice and provided the capital needed to continue.

Coachella is one of the largest music festivals in the world

Coachella is one of the largest music festivals in the US, though it almost didn't make it past its tumultuous first year. This overview explores how that show inspired the first Coachella in 1999, its early setbacks, and how it grew into a cultural mainstay.