Oktoberfest: beer, brats and big moneymaker

October: month of Halloween, falling leaves and Oktoberfest a big moneymaker for some cities.

If you’re someone who likes to celebrate these events, you might consider enjoying Oktoberfest, which is becoming a more and more popular event every year. However, if you plan to visit Germany, it’ll cost you. The average flight from New York to Munich from mid-September to late-October ranges from $1,000-$2,000, but luckily, there may be a place closer to home to celebrate the fun.

A new study entitled, 2018’s Best Places for Oktoberfest Celebrations may help you decide where you’ll put on some Lederhosen and head out for a brat and brew.

For example, did you know Cincinnati hosts the largest Oktoberfest in the United States – it’s called Zinzinnati. In 2017, more than 675,000 people attended the event. While there they munched on 80.5 bratwurst along with 1,875 pounds of German potato salad. Additionally, those who weren’t eating bratwurst were downing sausages – about 56.25 pounds of them washed down with 2,000 barrels of beer – enough to fill a 20 x 40-foot swimming pool over the Oktoberfest weekend.

Of course, Cincinnati isn’t the only place that has beer, in the U.S there are 6,372 breweries throughout the country brewing beer all year long. If you’re curious in 1840, the first lager was brewed by a Bavarian immigrant in Philadelphia.

According to the most recent U.S. Census there are 45.88 million U.S. residents that claim German ancestry. It is considered the most common European ancestry and in America the home ownership rate among German-Americans is 71.9 percent.

So, as you get ready to celebrate Oktoberfest this year, have fun, celebrate, but also be safe and be responsible.

To determine the best cities for partaking in the epic German festival, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 24 key metrics, ranging from share of German population to number of beer gardens per capita to average price for Oktoberfest celebration ticket.

Here are some additional Oktoberfest facts according to the report and website to get you in the mood and ready to join in the festivities wherever you decide that might be:

$5,000: Estimated cost for an American to attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

$1.98 Million: Gallons of beer consumed during Oktoberfest.

700,000: Number of whole roast chickens eaten, plus 60,000 sausages and 59,000 pork knuckles.

$1.53 Billion: Oktoberfest’s annual economic impact on Munich.

$67,306: Median annual income for German-American households ($57,617 for all households).