Best Cities For Oktoberfest: NYC Tops National Ranking

NEW YORK — New Yorkers need not leave the country — or the city — for a top-notch Oktoberfest. New York City tops a new WalletHub list of the nation's best places to celebrate the traditional German event.

The annual folk festival originated in Munich in the 19th century but is celebrated across the United States, which is home to nearly 46 million people of German ancestry. The festivities typically run from mid-September to the first weekend in October.

WalletHub, a personal finance website, ranked the 100 largest U.S. cities based on 24 factors of "Oktoberfest-friendliness" in three categories: Oktoberfest traditions, costs, and safety and accessibility.

New York took the top spot in the traditions category, ranking No. 1 for accessible bars, number of beer gardens per capita and the presence of Oktoberfest festivals.

The city certainly has an abundance of the latter, such as a four-weekend festival at South Street Seaport and East Village mainstay Zum Schneider's annual tent party on the East River.

New York also placed third in the nation for safety and accessibility with the No. 13 crime rate and top rankings for walkability and access to public transportation.

But celebrations in the five boroughs are far pricier than in other cities, according to WalletHub. New York ranked 86th in the costs category, with the nation's highest average beer price and the 15th-highest average sausage price.

Revelers looking to get out of town for Oktoberfest should head for the West Coast or the Midwest. Portland, Oregon took the No. 2 spot on WalletHub's list, with Cincinnati, San Francisco and Chicago rounding out the top five.

See WalletHub's full ranking here.

(Lead image: A view of Samuel Adams at Oktoberfest in New York City in 2014. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for NYCWFF)