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 ubiquitous 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.
