Strong beer festivals in some of the traditional taverns of the city and St. Patrick's Day: March in Munich has all kinds of events. And then there is the official start of spring – and with it the time for the first visit to a beer garden of the year!
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Traditionally, strong beer is drunk in Bavaria during Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter. So every year March gets off to a very cheerful, sociable and Munich start, as the Paulaner brewery hosts its legendary Starkbierfest, which expresses the local attitude to life and is as much a part of the city as the Oktoberfest. Together, people drink strong beer to brass music, talk a lot and have fun, simply enjoying life. Since time immemorial, the people of Munich have made a pilgrimage to the “mountain“ during Lent, more precisely to the Nockherberg in Giesing. There are several festivals in and around the city – but this one is cult and the original. Because the strong beer was invented on the Nockherberg and is called “Salvator“, by the way. The highlight of the Starkbier festival is the Salvator rehearsal with the so-called politician derblecken in the form of a Lenten sermon and a musical comedy.
Strong beer festival on the Nockherberg, daily from 27 February to 22 March 2026, Nockherberg
During the strong beer festival the strong beer can be tasted in the Augustiner-Keller storage cellar, where beer was once stored and is drunk today. The vaults made of rough red bricks, the rustic wooden benches and, last but not least, the huge old lager barrels create a unique atmosphere. At strong beer time, the old lager cellar becomes a place of pilgrimage for all friends of the “Augustiner Maximator“, who are already eagerly awaiting the quaffable dark doppelbock from the Augustiner brewery after the winter. Strong beer festivals are also held on the ground floor of the Augustiner-Keller.
Strong beer festival in the Augustiner-Keller, February/March 2026, Augustiner-Keller
You can find the dates for more strong beer festivals in Munich here.
The Munich Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a parade. Flag bearers, sports clubs, traditional costume clubs and folklore societies will start at Münchner Freiheit and march the 2.5 km route along Leopoldstrasse and Ludwigstrasse to Odeonsplatz.
St. Patrick's Day Parade, date follows, Leopold- and Ludwigstrasse, Odeonsplatz
There will be a reunion with Anna, Elsa and snowman Olaf from “The Ice Queen“ and with Mirabel from “Encanto“, with Vaiana, Rapunzel and mermaid Arielle - and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy will also be back. With the “Heroic Adventures“ programme, “Disney on Ice“ returns to the Olympiahalle in March 2026 for six shows as an experience for the whole family.
Disney on Ice, 20 to 21 March 2026, Olympiahalle
André Rieu has been a regular at the Olympiahalle since his debut almost 30 years ago. In more than 25 appearances, the Dutch star violinist has enchanted Munich audiences with his wit and charm, as well as musically with a mixture of pop and Schlager interpretations, film scores and opera melodies.
André Rieu, 13 March 2026, Olympiahalle
More than ten million records sold, numerous gold and platinum awards, plus many millions of enthusiastic fans at her live performances. Sarah Connor has been recognised as one of the outstanding singers in German pop and soul for more than two decades. After a long studio break, the artist is now going on tour again in 2026 with a new album in her luggage.
Sarah Connor, 29 March 2026, Olympiahalle
You can find a well curated selection on Munich - City of Music.
The Written Art Collection is dedicated to artistic positions since 1945 that link language, writing and image in three different cultural areas. The fascination with the phenomenon of writing in images is driven by the desire to uncover intercultural connections between writing, drawing and painting. The focus is on expressive, abstract or spiritual elements of the visual languages of modernity - in Western Europe and the USA, in the Near and Middle East and in East Asia. With works by Etel Adnan, Maliheh Afnan, Siah Armajani, Mohammed Ehsai, Susan Hefuna, Rebecca Horn, Adam Pendleton, Morita Shiryū, Kazuo Shiraga, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Mark Tobey, Qiu Zhijie, Lawrence Weiner, Inoue Yūichi, Charles Hossein Zenderoudi and others.
Sweeter than Honey. A Panorama of Written Art, until 12 April 2026, Pinakothek der Moderne
The collection presentation with works from the fields of Old German, Old Netherlandish and Flemish painting from the 16th and early 17th centuries promises a surprise or two. Different facets of a theme that is one of the core tasks of painting par excellence will be illuminated: the telling of stories. How, what and by whom are stories told? What purpose do artists and patrons pursue at different times, and what audience are they addressing? And is this always clear, or are viewers sometimes even deliberately misled? These and other questions are raised by the presentation, in which often nothing is as it seems at first glance.
How pictures tell stories. Storytelling from Albrecht Altdorfer to Peter Paul Rubens, until 5 July 2026, Alte Pinakothek
What's in store for the little ones at the children's crime festival, which has its “crime scenes“ in the beautiful, winding Seidl Villa in Schwabing, in several city libraries and even in the Munich puppet theatre. What happened? Forensics, an investigation file and a detective's identity card put all crime thrillers on the right track.
Kinder-Krimifest, date follows, Seidl-Villa and other venues
The “Kuckuck – Theaterfestival für Anfänge(r)“, which takes place in the Schauburg in Schwabing district and in the Elly Heuss-Knapp Protestant Family Educational Institution between Karlsplatz-Stachus and Sendlinger Tor, should be similarly exciting. Children up to five years of age experience the fascinating world of theatre with all their senses.
Kuckuck, date follows, Schauburg, Elly Heuss-Knapp Evangelical Family Educational Centre
At “Garten München“, southern Germany's largest indoor garden fair, spring is in full bloom. You'll find lots of highlights to look at and take home and get tips on garden design, garden equipment and design, travel and literature as well as competent advice and information. It makes you want to get started right away and make your garden, balcony or terrace even more beautiful.
Garten München, 4 to 8 March 2026, Trade Fair Center Messe München
At the International Crafts Fair, the meeting place for trade visitors and end consumers, everything revolves around building, modernising and renovating. The topics of living and lifestyle, kitchens and food, crafts and design also take up a lot of space. If you want to be inspired or are looking for concrete tips and information, this is the place to be.
Internationale Handwerksmesse together with Handwerk & Design, 4 to 8 March 2026, Trade Fair Center Messe München
The Isar is not only there for swimming: in fact, the city river is home to many fish such as trout, perch, pike, carp and eel. No wonder that March of all months is Munich's Fish Month. Firstly, this is when the closed season for most species ends, including brown trout and char. Secondly, the weeks before Easter are considered to be Lent, during which one renounces meat according to Catholic custom. Especially on Good Friday, the climax and conclusion of Lent, fish should therefore be put on the plate. Every reputable inn with Bavarian cuisine then has fish on the menu: for example the Bachmair Hofbräu in Leopoldstraße or the Wirtshaus zum Isartal in Brudermühlstraße. If you are looking for traditional fish dishes from Franconia, you will find them at Gasthaus Siebenbrunn at the Tierpark Hellabrunn (zoo): There you can get baked carp. A real speciality.
Just as you sit in street cafés in Paris in spring, you meet the people of Munich in the beer garden. The first cool measure in which the first rays of sunshine break, should not only be photographed, but also heralds a new attitude to life in the city. From now on summer is within reach. Since with so many beautiful beer gardens it is usually hard to decide where to start, our typology will help you find out which one is the right one. Beer garden beginners are well advised with our tips – you can usually bring your own food, but you should not necessarily order a “beer“.
You can find a detailed calendar of events here.
