Watch Munich Crown Its Carnival Monarchs at Marienplatz
Munich's Fasching season opens on January 5, 2027, when the Narrhalla prince and princess are ceremonially enthroned at Marienplatz. The Narrhalla, founded in 1893 as Munich's first Fasching society, calls its royal pair the "Gaudimonarchen" — monarchs of fun — and the season formally begins when the Mayor hands them the golden key to the city. From that moment, the city center turns into a festival area of parades, music and dancing that builds through January and peaks in the week before Ash Wednesday.
The largest single procession comes early. On January 31, 2027 at 13:13, the Damische Ritter and Narrhalla parade from Isartor via Rosental to Kaufinger Straße. The route ends at Marienplatz with a stage programme, and the day spills over into pub carnival afterwards. Claim a spot along Kaufinger Straße well before the 13:13 start — this is the parade that sets the tone for everything that follows.
Three Days of Open-Air Carnival at Marienplatz and Stachus
From Carnival Sunday to Shrove Tuesday — February 7 to 9, 2027 — Munich stages "München narrisch" (Munich goes crazy), an open-air carnival with stage performances at both Marienplatz and Stachus. The two squares anchor the city-center celebration, and you can move between them on foot through the pedestrian core.
On Shrove Tuesday, February 9, the open-air carnival concentrates around Viktualienmarkt, with music and dance performances throughout the day. The market women of Viktualienmarkt are a fixture of the season: they take professional dance lessons year-round and perform a choreography set to "Wagen von der Linie 8," folk singer Weißferdl's humorous hymn to the Munich tram. Arrive early enough to hold your ground near the stage — this is one of the most photographed performances of the Munich season.
Move From Market Square to Wirtshausfasching
As Shrove Tuesday evening comes on, the festivities shift from Viktualienmarkt into the surrounding pubs — the tradition known as Wirtshausfasching. Participating city-center establishments have included Weisses Bräuhaus im Tal, Augustiner am Platzl, Hofbräuhaus, Zum Franziskaner, Restaurant Donisl, Andechser am Dom, Augustiner Klosterwirt, Augustiner Stammhaus, Hackerhaus, Schlagerbar ROY and Der Pschorr (Partykeller Alice). All sit within easy walking distance of Viktualienmarkt and Marienplatz, so you can drift from one to the next as the night goes on.
If you want the daytime counterpart, plan around Shrove Monday, when selected city-center restaurants serve a Weisswurst brunch in the morning. Past participants have included Augustiner am Platzl, Augustiner Stammhaus, Hofbräuhaus, Alte Hackerhaus, Spöckmeier and Zum Franziskaner; in recent seasons the sausages cost €1–2 each. The custom holds that Weisswurst must not hear the clock strike twelve, so the brunch runs early. The 2027 participants are to be announced — check before you commit to a table.
One curiosity worth watching for: the Weisswurstkrapfen, which premiered at the 2026 Wirtshausfasching — a Weisswurst patty by Thomas Vollmer of Augustiner Stammhaus, set in doughnut dough from Conditorei Kreutzkamm, with a mustard mixture of sweet Munich mustard and Düsseldorf Löwensenf. Whether it returns in 2027 is to be announced.
Balls, Costumes and the Schwabing Tradition
Munich's Fasching balls draw on courtly balls and the legendary artists' and studio parties of late 19th-century Schwabing. Every club, guild and fraternity holds its own, ranging from colourful Künstlerfeste to formal evening-dress affairs. The key venues are the Deutsches Theater, Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Löwenbräukeller and Augustiner-Keller, and the Narrhalla itself organizes gala evenings, balls and parties — everything from a salsa party at Pasión de Baile to a family-friendly Pumuckl-Ball.
- Hire a costume: Kostüme Breuer in Schwabing (also evening wear, dirndls, lederhosen); Halloween Gore Store on Müllerstraße (masks, disguises, horror accessories); Kostümfundus treibstoff in Maxvorstadt (new and old unique items from theatre and film productions).
- Buy a costume: the Gärtnerplatztheater holds an annual sale of handmade one-offs and stage costumes; the Bayerische Staatsoper runs a regular end-of-year wardrobe sale; the Münchner Theater für Kinder holds a sale in February to coincide with carnival.
- Trace the history: the Fasching heyday was the late 19th century, when Schwabing's bohemian scene near the Academy of Fine Arts (opened 1886) hosted artists' festivals, parades and jesters' balls. Franz von Lenbach, president of the association Allotria, which organized large Fasching processions, lived in the villa that now houses the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and its Blauer Reiter collection.
Wash Your Wallet on Ash Wednesday
Carnival ends with a humorous speech at midnight on Shrove Tuesday. The next morning — Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027 — Munich residents gather at the Fischbrunnen fountain on Marienplatz to wash their (empty) wallets. The Mayor symbolically dips the municipal purse into the fountain to "fill the coffers." Join the crowd at the fountain, then follow the local habit of a fish dinner at a traditional Munich restaurant to mark the start of Lent. Strong beer season begins immediately after carnival, so the city barely pauses before the next round of celebrating.
The 2027 carnival dates will be published during 2027 at www.fasching-muenchen.de. Book your city-center accommodation early — everything above happens within walking distance of Marienplatz — and build your trip around the week before Ash Wednesday, when Munich is at its loudest.