Oktoberfest 2026 Beer Prices Reached €15.90 a Mass as a Record 7.4 Million Visitors Came

The 191st Oktoberfest ended last Sunday, October 4, after 16 days on the Theresienwiese. Munich's mayor Dominik Krause tapped the first keg at noon on September 19, and by the city's preliminary count about 7.4 million people came through. That's a record, up from 6.5 million in 2025, a jump of around 14%.

They drank about 6.7 million Mass, the one-litre glass that's the only size in the big tents. Last year it was 6.5 million. The city gave no figure in hectolitres this time.

A pretzel held up against the Neues Rathaus on Marienplatz. The festival grounds are a twenty-minute walk from here, but this is where most visitors start. The Glockenspiel in the tower plays at 11:00, 12:00 and 17:00 from March to October, with its knights and coopers going round. In winter it drops the 17:00 show.

What a Mass cost

In 2026 a litre of beer in the tents cost between €14.80 and €15.90. In 2025 the range was €14.50 to €15.80. The Hofbräu-Festzelt went from €15.40 to €15.80.

That price is a festival price. Munich does a survey of city-centre beer halls every spring, and in May 2026 the Hofbräuhaus charged €11.60 a litre. Augustiner am Dom was €9.80. The Pschorr at the Viktualienmarkt was €13.40. The same brewers, the same glass, a few euros less, any day of the year.

Was it worth the crowd?

That's the question a record year raises. Weekends at the Wiesn now mean closed tents by mid-morning and long waits at the gates. The quieter route is the Oide Wiesn, the historic section at the south end of the grounds, with older rides, brass music and a small entry fee. It drew 447,000 visitors this year, up from 360,000.

If you're planning 2027, the city's own pages point to September 18 to October 3 for the 192nd festival. Treat those as provisional until hotels confirm. Book rooms now, aim for a weekday lunchtime in the first week, and sit outside the tents in the beer gardens, where you don't need a reservation.

Or skip the festival entirely and go to the Hofbräuhaus in November. The brewery dates to 1589. It can wait for you.