The Frühlingsfest on the Theresienwiese heralds the start of the Munich folk festival season with fast and leisurely rides, colourful fairground stalls and a wide range of culinary delights.
- Programme Frühlingsfest 2024
- Opening hours Frühlingsfest 2024
- How to get to the festival site
How does one come to call the Munich Spring Festival the “little sister of the Oktoberfest“ or even the “little Wiesn“? Well, because the Frühlingsfest basically offers the same amusements as the Oktoberfest, just a bit smaller: a parade for the entry of the breweries and showmen to the Theresienwiese to kick off the festival, the tapping of the barrel to open the festival, two large beer tents and an amusement park with traditional and modern rides. More than 100 showmen – mainly from the Munich area – jointly organise the spring festival.
Unlike the Oktoberfest, the Spring Festival is not a royal wedding, but was first held in 1964 to provide a source of income for the showmen and women after the long winter months.
The festival lasts two weeks and always begins in mid-April. In over 50 years, a fixed supporting programme has become established. In addition to the parade of horse-drawn carriages and the opening ceremony on the opening day, there are two fireworks displays on the two Fridays, the giant flea market organised by the Bavarian Red Cross on the first Saturday, a vintage car parade and the Day of Customs with authentic Bavarian music and Bavarian dances. In the two festival halls, Bayernland (Augustiner) and Hippodrom (Spaten), there will be plenty of toasting and celebrating. In addition to brass bands and pub music, the programme also includes hits, oldies and evergreens by numerous artists. Many spring festival fans like to use the occasion to show up in dirndl or lederhosen again.
from 19 April to 5 May 2024
Friday, 19 April
From 3 pm: the breweries and showmen move into the Theresienwiese
4 pm: Tapping in the traditional festival hall Bayernland
Saturday, 20 April
from 7 am: Flea market of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK)
The BRK flea market has been held at the Spring Festival for over thirty years. The traders set up their stalls at dawn and from 7 am the first bargain hunters flock to the area. The popular flea market is one of the largest in southern Germany.
Sunday, 21 April
Vintage car meeting of the Automobil Club München (ACM)
Since 2006, the ACM has been organising the traditional classic car meeting at the Spring Festival below the Bavaria on the Theresienwiese. The proud owners arrive there with their vehicles until around 2 pm. At the Oldtimer Corso starting at 10 am, particularly valuable classic cars will be presented. In the car exhibition on the Theresienwiese you can discover historic vehicles from pre-war models to the VW Beetle to the Opel Manta, but also noble sports cars and American chrome sleighs.
Sunday, 28 April
From 11 am: Day of Customs with Bavarian Music
On this day, Bavarian and Munich groups perform the Schuhplattler at the Spring Festival, as well as Goaßlschnalzen, brass band music and typical Munich songs.
Monday to Friday, 11 am to 11 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 11 pm
The festival tents are open until 11 pm. The last drinks will be served at 10.30 pm.
The Spring Festival Munich takes place at the Theresienwiese. The most convenient way to get there is to take the U4 or U5 underground lines and get off at Theresienwiese station. You can also take any of the S-Bahns and get off at Hackerbrücke. From there it is a 10-minute walk to the Spring Festival grounds. It takes about the same amount of time if you take the U3 or U6 underground lines and get off at Goetheplatz. The stop for tram lines 18 and 19 on Hermann-Lingg-Strasse is within sight of the festival grounds.
www.fruehlingsfest-muenchen.bayern
