Munich's two-week Oktoberfest drew to a close Monday, and organizers said more people visited this year but they drank less beer than in 2004.
Director Gabriele Weishaeupl said some 6.1 million people came to the festival's 172th edition, up from last year's 5.9 million. The festival ran for 17 days this year, one longer than usual, running on into Monday _ the annual Unity Day holiday, marking German reunification in 1990.
Weishaeupl said this year's visitors downed about 6 million liters (12.7 million pints) of beer, a drop of about 5 percent from 2004. However, partygoers washed down more food this time, with the number of roast oxen rising to 95 from 89.
That change, Weishaeupl said, appeared to have been helped by new rules stipulating that quiet, traditional music be played until 6 p.m.
The festival director said about 70 percent of this year's visitors came from Munich and elsewhere in Bavaria, with 15 percent each coming from the rest of Germany and abroad. AM
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