•Updated
12:56
The closure, followed by searches by emergency services for booby traps and an increased security presence, had a knock on effect on the festival’s financial impact.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 2025 Oktoberfest, the world’s largest folk festival, closed in the southern German city of Munich on Sunday but in addition to the music, funfair and the ubiquetous beer, this year’s event was notable for another reason; it was one of the rare instances of Oktoberfest running at a financial loss.
While the event usually generates around €1.57 billion for the city, this year saw an economic hit after the festival grounds on the Theresienwiese only partly opening to a smaller number of visitors, prompted by a bomb scare earlier in October.
The grounds were closed for hours on the morning of 1 October following the threat of a bomb attack on the festival by a suspect linked to an explosion at a residential building in the north of the city, according to authorities.
The closure, followed by searches by emergency services for booby traps and an increased security presence, had a knock on effect on the festival’s financial impact.
The economic factor
Shopping, city tours, taxis and overnight stays by out-of-town visitors generally account for the lion’s share of Oktoberfest’s usually healthy turnover. According to Munich authorities, that comes in at around €937 million.
The remaining €634 million is limited to the 16 days of the festival proper, with people spending big on food, fairground rides, souvenirs and of course beer. The price of drinks this year was between €10-15.
Beer cost the most, with a pint priced at between €14.50-15.80.
One day of Oktoberfest
If these numbers are calculated as a daily figure, it amounts to around €39.63 million. This does not take into account the different opening times, which vary by two hours at the weekend.
Assuming average opening times of 14 hours, €2.83 million flow through the beer tents, shooting ranges and food stalls every hour.
As a result of the closure caused by the bomb scare, Oktoberfest this year is on course to lose €21.2 million.
The current operator of the festival tents, Peter Inselkammer, also estimates a financial hit of around 50% on the day of the closure. The loss could be covered by some insurance companies, he said.
It’s thought that the closure over the lucrative lunchtime period will lead the pack when it comes to losses. For example, tables come with a reservation fee of several hundred euros. The tent landlords are now offering guests compensation for money paid for bookings they couldn’t attend.
But the total financial impact won’t be clear until all the receipts are in and counted now the festival has closed. But it’s almost certain to be a far cry from the record-setting 2023 event which saw 7.2Â million people visit and get through 7.4Â million litres of beer.
