Oktoberfest fun by the numbers

Fall is upon us, and that means the beer drinking, sausage eating and pretzel dipping festivities of Oktoberfest are near.

A new ranking from WalletHub lists Wichita above Kansas City for best cities to celebrate Oktoberfest; Wichita ranked 40th compared to Kansas City at 50th out of 100 cities nationwide.

Oktoberfest first started in Munich Oct. 12, 1810, to celebrate a royal Bavarian wedding.

The official Oktoberfest in Munich lasts 2 to 2 1/2 weeks and runs through the first weekend in October.

Lucky for us, Wichita’s “BloktoberFest” party on Oct. 8 is expected to, of course, include tons of eating, in-moderation drinking along with games, competitions, and live music. The event takes place at Union Station noon-11 p.m.

Oktoberfest by the numbers

Here’s a look at some Oktoberfest statistics compiled by WalletHub, an online personal finance site:

▪ 7.1 million: Record Oktoberfest attendance in 1985

▪ $1.2 billion: Oktoberfest’s annual economic impact on Munich

▪ 1.9 million gallons are consumed during Oktoberfest

▪ $12: The cost of one liter of beer at Oktoberfest

▪ 240,000 sausages are eaten during Oktoberfest

▪ 510,000 whole-roasted chickens are consumed each Oktoberfest

▪ 50,000 pork knuckles are eaten each Oktoberfest

▪ 720 people were arrested at Oktoberfest in 2014

▪ 600 people got alcohol poisoning at Oktoberfest in 2014

▪ 19 percent of Oktoberfest visitors in Germany come from abroad

▪ 14 percent of foreign visitors come from the U.S.

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

▪ 1840: The year the first lager was brewed by a Bavarian immigrant in Philadelphia

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Oktoberfest fun by the numbers."