Month by Month
Top Events
Oktoberfest, September
Tollwood Festival, July
Munich Marathon, September
Maidult, May
Christkindlmarkt, December
January
With the last corks of New Year popped, Munich folk go to clear their heads on the ski slopes of the Alps. Winter bites coldest in January, so wrap up snug while sightseeing.
February
The skiing season in the Alps reaches its zenith with clogged pistes and ski-lift queues. However, in Munich you can usually kiss goodbye to the snow as the very first hints of spring appear.
Fasching
During the six-week pre-Lent period (January to February) preceding Ash Wednesday, Munich celebrates with its version of carnival, involving silly costumes, waving parades, incomprehensible satirical shows and drunken revelry. Rio it ain't.
Starkbierzeit
During Lent, most of Munich's breweries produce very strong beer – up to 8% alcohol content – for the so-called Strong Beer Time. The tradition originated in the monasteries where the monks would make up for fasting with alcohol consumption.
April
The city's thousands of chestnut trees start to blossom, the weather warms up and the locals finally cast off their padded winter coats. If the weather is good enough, some beer gardens reappear.
Frühlingsfest
A kind of mini-Oktoberfest held at the same venue, the Theresienwiese, the Frühlingsfest is a two-week-long beer festival.
May
The beer gardens reopen like spring blossom, it’s Spargel (asparagus) time in the city’s restaurants and life returns to the streets cafes after the winter hiatus. The Viktualienmarkt receives its first fruit from Italy.
Maidult
The first of Munich's traditional Dult fairs, which take place three times a year on Mariahilfplatz, the Maidult takes place around May 1.
June
Summer is on the way and this is one of the most comfortable months in which to travel before the worst of the heat hits. The first big influx of tourists arrives and accommodation fills up.
Filmfest Munich
Held at the Gasteig and cinemas around the city centre, this is the Bavarian capital's top film event. Expect top-notch cinematography from both old hands and new names on the local and international scene.
Stustaculum
A giant open-air festival in Europe's largest student quarter, the Studentenstadt Freimann in northern Schwabing, Stustaculum consists of four days of theatre, music and general merriment.
July
Fleeing the city heat is as easy as buying a train ticket to the cooler air of the Alps. Return to an urban setting in the evenings as the festival season swings into action.
Jakobidult
The second of the thrice-annual Dult fairs, the Jakobidult kicks off on Mariahilfplatz on the Saturday following 25 July and continues for one week.
Opernfestspiele
Munich's top opera event, the Opernfestspiele runs throughout July at numerous venues around the city. Its organised by the Bavarian State Opera.
Christopher Street Day
Gay, lesbian, straight or transgender – everybody comes out to party at Munich's flashy gay parade, held over two days in mid-July and attracting 50,000 revellers. Provocative costumes, rainbow flags, techno music and naked torsos guaranteed.
Tollwood Festival
Crowds flock to Munich’s Olympiapark for this popular month-long world-culture festival featuring concerts, theatre, circus acts, readings and other fun events. It's held from late June to late July, and attracts huge international acts.
August
Summer is at its peak, the kids are off school, the Isar's banks are packed with sunbathers and many Münchners head out of the city on well-earned holidays, leaving the city to the tourists.
Tanzwerkstatt Europa
In August the annual Tanzwerkstatt Europa, the city's biggest dance and drama event, takes place over 10 days.
Hans Sachs Strassenfest
Second only to the Christopher Street Day, the Hans Sachs Strassenfest fills a street of the same name in the Glockenbachviertel with a LGBT street party.
September
Autumn shows the first hints of colour, though the warm weather usually continues well into the month. Pupils return to school and students to uni, and Bavarian life reverts to its reassuringly predictable central European normality.
Munich Marathon
The Munich Marathon, Bavaria's top mass-participation running event, wisely takes place just after Oktoberfest, keeping at least the runners sober in the weeks leading up to the race. Ends in a grandstand finish at the Olympic Stadium.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest should be under October, right? Wrong. It actually takes place more in September than October. The world's most celebrated guzzle fest is Bavaria's top event with five million raising a tankard or 10. Book a year in advance then all that's left to say is Prost!
October
The last of the Oktoberfest tents are taken down and the outdoor drunken revelry comes to an end across the city as it gets too nippy to sit outdoors in beer gardens.
Kirchweihdult
The last of the Dult fairs, Kirchweihdult happens at the same location, the Mariahilfplatz, on the third Saturday in October with fairground rides, lots of food and, of course, beer.
November
The cold begins to bite, the snow is already falling on the high Alps and Munich gathers in the taverns and beer halls for cosy nights in.
Tollwood Winter Festival
Tollwood has a winter version, which begins roughly in the last week of November and takes place at the Theresienwiese. The event includes a Christmas market that runs until December 23.
December
An eventful month with the ski season beginning in earnest and the 5 December visit by St Nick. Munich's New Year's Eve celebrations see fireworks launched by thousands of amateur (pyro)maniacs.
Christmas Markets
During Advent the Marienplatz is taken over by a large Christkindlmarkt, one of Germany's most attractive. Expect lots of sausages, mulled wine and hearty Bavarian cheer.