Thousands of Dutch heading to October Fest despite pricier beer

Despite rising beer prices, thousands of Dutch travelers are heading to Munich this year to celebrate October Fest, according to a survey by the ANP news agency. The festival begins Saturday and runs through Sunday, October 5.

NS International, the Dutch national railway company, said it sees strong demand for German destinations around this period. “We don’t ask travelers for their destination when booking, but from experience we know that Dutch visitors traveling to Germany for October Fest often choose the train,” a spokesperson said. “Tickets are still available, though some trains are already fairly full.”

In the meantime, beer prices at October Fest have risen this year, with one liter costing between 14.50 euros and 15.80 euros, an increase of over 3.5 percent compared with 2024, reportedly due to inflation.

FlixBus expects to transport “several thousand” Dutch visitors to Munich in the coming weeks, slightly more than last year and nearly double the usual numbers during other periods.

Most passengers depart from Amsterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven. A FlixBus spokesperson added, “Many buses will be nearly full around October Fest. We can deploy extra buses if demand continues.”

John Zut, owner of Oktoberfestreizen.nl, told NU.nl that the festival is becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands, with more Dutch traveling to Munich annually. “Sometimes groups come in varying compositions because guests want their other friends to experience it as well,” he said. While he declined to provide exact numbers, Zut stated that his organization has full reservations for the upcoming weekend, with some spots still available for later weekends.