Munich's Oktoberfest heads into its final weekend after an estimated 3.8 million visitors by midpoint

Munich's Oktoberfest, popularly known as the Wiesn, had passed its halfway point by the end of September 2026, according to Deutsche Welle (DW) and Euronews. Both outlets describe a festival that draws large numbers of international visitors, with Italians among the most prominent groups.

DW reported that the festival ends on 4 October 2026 after 16 days. Organisers estimated attendance at the halfway point at around 3.8 million, according to DW. The outlet said some 6.5 million people attend each year. It described the event as the world's largest beer festival or folk festival, with 35 beer tents holding a combined 120,000 people.

The 'Italian weekend'

The so-called "Italian weekend" is one of the festival's busiest periods for visitors from abroad. Euronews reported that it fell on 26-27 September this year and marked the halfway point. Statistics cited by DW put the share of foreign visitors at around 20%, mostly from the US, the UK and Italy. On days such as the Italian weekend, that share can rise to around 30%. Euronews reported that Italian Carabinieri and fire crews from Bolzano support Munich police with patrols and communication.

Crowds and security

On the middle Saturday of the 2025 festival, access to the Theresienwiese grounds was temporarily closed because of overcrowding, according to Euronews. The outlet reported that the city is increasingly relying on surveillance cameras and AI-based crowd-tracking software. It also reported that an analysis of mobile phone data showed visitors staying an average of 15 minutes longer than in 2025. Euronews separately said the absolute peak period in the first week was between 17:00 and 18:00 each day. The reports do not identify who analysed the data. They also do not describe whether access was restricted this year.

According to DW, 56 police CCTV cameras monitor the festival, with around 600 police officers and thousands of private security staff. By the halfway point, police had recorded around 470 offences; reports were also filed for assault, sexual harassment and upskirting. Police still gave a positive halfway assessment, DW reported.

What each side says

"The first week went by peacefully," festival director Christian Scharpf said, according to DW. Deputy mayor Verena Dietl praised the "good, harmonious atmosphere," DW reported. The official Oktoberfest website said more than 1,550 children from 73 municipal daycare centres joined a city-organised stroll through the grounds. City officials said the outing helps children feel they belong to their hometown's festival.

Separately, DW reported that a group of service staff launched a "Staff Against the Right" initiative over discriminatory comments. A vendors' spokesperson said in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk, as reported by DW, that the Oktoberfest community rejects all discrimination, racism and sexism.

Analysis

The halfway figures suggest the festival is again drawing attendance on the scale DW describes for a typical year. The final count and end-of-festival police statistics are not yet included in the reports. According to Euronews, the city's growing reliance on surveillance cameras and AI-based crowd-tracking is intended to prevent critical overcrowding like that of 2025. These tools may help organisers manage peak hours and busy periods such as the Italian weekend. They may also raise questions about data use that the reports do not address. How well these measures work will be clearer once full-festival data is available.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.