In April the spring festivals in Munich begin with lots of tradition and beer. At the first flea markets there is haggling and gossiping – and those who need thrills come to the Olympiapark.
It could hardly be more Munich-like: On Mariahilfplatz (square) with its magnificent church and the magnificent view over the city, people meet in traditional costume or in the normal way to the Auer Dult (festival) – or more precisely to the Maidult, which begins in April (just as the Oktoberfest starts in September ...). It is called that because it starts on the Saturday before May 1st. From 27 April to 5 Mai 2024, around 100,000 guests will celebrate spring – everyone to their liking: children love the nostalgic chain carousels, handmade doll's clothes, small furniture for their playhouses at home and the cotton candy. Adults browse through pottery, knitted jackets or practical household goods – and of course don't forget the beer and steamed noodles. Dult is cult!
Auer Dult, 27 April to 5 May 2024, Mariahilfplatz
Also on the Theresienwiese, where the Oktoberfest takes place every autumn, the spring festival invites to a cosy get-together. From 19 April to 5 Mai on the “Frühlingswiesn“ you can find everything from small shooting galleries to ship swings and huge rides like the “XXL Racer“. In the beer tents and beer gardens, the smell of chicken and roasted almonds is accompanied by brass bands and beer.
Frühlingsfest, 19 April to 5 May 2024, Theresienwiese
A highlight of Munich's young theatre scene is the annual Radikal jung festival at the Volkstheater. For the 16th time young directors present their productions here. Young directors show their productions here. The aim of the festival is to promote the new generation of theatre-makers, to show their thematic and aesthetic preferences and to present them to both a professional audience and the general public.
Radikal jung, 18 April to 28 April 2024, Volkstheater
Munich residents and visitors alike also love the legendary flea market on the Theresienwiese – which is why it is worth getting up early. Very early indeed! If you want to make bargains in peace and quiet, then you have a good chance. In the morning at the latest, it gets really crowded here between the almost endless beer and wallpaper tables full of half-measures. The good thing about it: The Bavarian Red Cross flea market supports social projects.
Flea market, 20 April 2024, Theresienwiese
At the “BMW Open Tennis“ tournament from 13. to 21. April, the MTTC Iphitos club on Aumeisterweg will be showing who will be cheering for the winner's cup at the end of many exciting matches.
BMW Open Tennis, 13 to 21 April 2024, Aumeisterweg 10
The 35th Turkish Film Days Munich will take place in March/April 2024. The audience can look forward to the best Turkish films of the year, which will be shown in the two Munich cinemas Rio Filmpalast and Neues Rottmann Kino.
Turkish Film Days Munich, 17 to 21 April 2024, Rio Filmpalast and Neues Rottmann Kino
Test a wide variety of beers and discover the city. This is possible at the Beertasting Challenge Munich on April 20, 2024! The 20-30 breweries, including both large traditional breweries and young craft beer breweries from Munich and the surrounding area, will present their beers in exciting locations throughout the city.
Beertasting Challenge Munich, 20 April 2024, different places in Munich
Riddle fun with a delicious 3-course menu? That's exactly what riddle fans can expect at the Hofbräukeller on April 3, 2024. The Escape Dinner not only involves the task of defeating a virus that threatens humanity and the survival of the planet, but there is also something for the taste buds. The aim of the various teams is to decode hidden messages and thus find the antidote.
Escape Dinner, 3 April 2024, Hofbräukeller
There will be plenty of music and salsa at Gasteig HP8 on April 3, 2024, where a salsa taster course with real professionals will once again take place. Afterwards, you can put what you've learned to the test at the big dance party and dance the night away. Admission to the “Tanz den Gasteig“ salsa night is free.
Free admission
Salsa-Night at HP8 - Gasteig, 3 April 2024, HP8 Gasteig
In the musical show “Ludwig meets Queen“, impersonator Daniel Mladenov as Freddie Mercury meets the Bavarian fairytale king Ludwig II, who is played by Matthias Stockinger. Together with a live band, dancers and acrobats, they bring melodies from the musical “Ludwig2“ and songs from the band “Queen“ to the stage of the Prinzregententheater.
Ludwig meets Queen, 4 April 2024, Prinzregententheater
Haydn's work, the chamber opera "Die wüste Insel", is about nature, culture and coexistence, in which we search for the meaning of life: A couple on their honeymoon, along with the bride's little sister, are swept away to an island by a hurricane. The situation develops dramatically for the stranded couple until there is finally a happy ending.
The recitatives (chants) are not accompanied by a harpsichord as usual, but by an orchestra. A soprano, a mezzo, a tenor and a bass-baritone are accompanied by a chamber ensemble of soloists. The audience experiences a colourful opera spectacle and, thanks to the special situation in the Silver Hall of the Deutsches Theater, is right in the middle of the action.
Die wüste Insel, 24 April to 26 April 2024, Silbersaal of the Deutsches Theater
"ZOOM IN by SOMA" will take place for the first time at Blitz at the end of April - a short film event focussing on films produced by FLINTA* in leading positions or told from FLINTA* perspectives. In addition to an extensive short film programme, there will be talks, discussions and Q&As with the filmmakers as well as the opportunity to get into conversation with each other over snacks and drinks.
Zoom in by SOMA, 27, April 2024 from 1 to 9 pm, Blitz Music Club
Queerness and music are in the centre of attention at this concert series. On 10 April 2024, the Rote Sonne offers Maurice Conrad & Friends a stage for hip hop with lyrics that are political and discuss homosexuality.
Garry Klein #queerconcerts presents Maurice Conrad & Friends, 10 April 2024, Rote Sonne
One of the musical highlights of the year is the rock concert “Rock meets Classic 2023“ in the Olympiahalle (Olympic Hall). On 14 April 2024, a symphony orchestra and a band will play the greatest hits of rock history.
Rock meets Classic, 14 April 2024, Olympiahalle
The ABBAMANIA show in the Olympiahalle (Olympic Hall), which revolves around “50 years of Waterloo“, takes you back to the 70s. The rousing light and stage show and the authentic costumes make you feel like you're in ABBA fever. But it's not just the ABBAMANIA band, but also the sonorous symphonic rock orchestra that takes you back in time.
ABBAMANIA The Show, 17 April 2024, Olympiahalle
“Believe in Magic“ – this is the motto of the Disney Concert in the Olympiahalle (Olympic Hall). Well-known musical theatre actors and actresses perform together with the Hollywood Sound Orchestra and are accompanied by a performance of the corresponding film scenes on the big screen.
Disney in Concert, 23 April 2024, Olympiahalle
You can find a well curated selection of concerts on Munich - City of Music.
You can still use the first week in April to visit the exhibition “This is me, this is you“, as it is only open until April 7. In this exhibition, around 140 works from the last 4 decades are exhibited in 7 thematic chapters. It is about the portrayal of people who are united by a sensitive view of the individual. It is the first insight into the work of internationally significant photographs of people in the most diverse life situations united in one collection.
This is me, this is you. The Eva Felton photo collection, until the 7th of April 2024, Museum Brandhorst
The exhibition “Mix & Match“, which opened on September 14, 2022 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Pinakothek der Moderne, combines painting, sculpture, graphics, photography and video art. The exhibition is a mixture of the founding idea and an awareness of diversity and change. This awakens the rediscovery and rediscovery of art history.
Mix & Match. Rediscover the collection, until the 31st of Dezember 2024, Pinakothek der Moderne
Everything to do with bicycles can be found in the exhibition “The Bicycle. Cult object – design object“ in the Pinakothek der Moderne. Around 70 examples illustrate the cultural and historical significance, as well as the attitude to life of freedom, flexibility, mobility, safety, sport and thus also physical balance. However, these topics are only incidental, as the focus is on design. This focus places the bicycle at the center as a changeable object in form and function. The most unusual and exciting designs are exhibited and presented.
The bicycle. Cult object - design object, until the 22nd of September 2024, Pinakothek der Moderne
The workshop on acting and voice at the Bavarian State Opera is suitable for children aged 8 to 12. The children are introduced to opera in a playful and age-appropriate way.
Workshop - Acting and voice, 27 April 2024, Bayerische Staatsoper
Timmy and music in Europe – a musical fantasy journey
At the Gasteig, children aged 5 to 12 can get to know classical music better with Timmy. Timmy and his friend Phillip are on an adventurous balloon trip through Europe, where they meet lots of different people. However, these people speak a different language and therefore Timmy and Phillip don't understand them. But everyone understands the music, no matter what language they speak. The story is accompanied by the chamber ensemble of the Freies Landestheater Bayern.
Timmy and the music in Europe - a musical fantasy journey, 14 April 2024, Gasteig
Timmy discovers the opera – a look in front of and behind the scenes of the music theater
Here too, children aged 5 to 12 can accompany Timmy through life at the theater and find out what mysterious things happen behind the scenes at the opera house, from the make-up artists to the technicians. The story is accompanied by the chamber ensemble of the Freies Landestheater Bayern.
Timmy discovers the opera - a look in front of and behind the scenes of the music theater, 14 April 2024, Gasteig
The Olympiapark (Olympic Park) offers all kinds of action and excitement for the more adventurous. In the “Spartan Munich“ obstacle course, amateur athletes will rise above themselves when they have to overcome walls and barbed wires, wade through mud or swim in lakes and climb ropes. At the finish line, everyone is a hero!
Spartan Munich 2024, 12 April 2024, Olympiapark
The “Night of Jumps“ offers a breathtaking show and plenty of adrenaline, with stars from the motocross scene flying through the Olympiahalle during the two-wheeled action. Freestyle athletes dare to perform daring stunts such as the no-hand flip or the holygrab. The pros race over the ramps in the hall and perform stunts that send them flying through the air.
Night of Jumps 2024, 13 April 2024, Olympiahalle
Blessing and basking in the sun – the two go hand-in-hand at Heiliger Berg (Holy Mountain). The terrace at Kloster Andechs (Andechs Abbey) boasts an incredible view over the Munich area. The church next door is an important place of Catholic pilgrimage and is also the burial place of several Bavarian dukes. People having been making the pilgrimage to Heiliger Berg in Andechs since the 12th century, making it the oldest pilgrimage in Bavaria. The abbey itself has been around since 1455, when the Benedictine monks moved into the former castle. It is still home to six monks today. Nowadays, pilgrims are also less likely to travel to Heiliger Berg looking for salvation but rather the abbey's excellent food and, above all, beer. Several paths lead up to Heiliger Berg, the two most popular of which start at the train station in nearby Herrsching. One winds its way up from the bottom through the forest while the other follows a ridge to the abbey. The higher path is slightly shorter while the lower is better for pushchairs and bikes. You should plan around one and a half hours for the route.
Chefs love this plant for its taste: reminiscent of garlic, hot yet also somehow mild and fresh. Wild garlic is a true super herb. Its leaves are ideal for salads while its stalks can be chopped down and used for flavouring. Experts in natural healing prescribe wild garlic for gastrointestinal problems. Eating wild garlic is also said to protect against heart attacks and strokes. In the Middle Ages, the plant was therefore regarded as a particularly beneficial medicinal plant that could ward off harm. If you’re lucky, you may find fresh wild garlic in the local supermarket. True wild garlic fans, on the other hand, go hunting for the plant themselves in April. Wild garlic thrives in moist, shady spots in lowland forests and deciduous woods. You’ve got a good chance of finding some in the Englischer Garten, the Isar flood plains or Pasinger Stadtpark on the banks of the Würm River. You may also find it in the Ostfriedhof and Waldfriedhof cemeteries. During your hunt, it's always best to follow your nose. If you can smell garlic then you’re on track for finding wild garlic.
A detailed calendar of events can be found here.
Curious? On this tour over the Auer Dult you will discover the special stalls and rides with an official guide from München Tourismus.