Dance with the Market Women at Viktualienmarkt
On Carnival Tuesday, February 9, 2027, the centre of Munich belongs to the market women. At Viktualienmarkt, the vendors who spend the year behind their stalls trade aprons for choreography, performing a synchronised dance to Weißferdl's cult song "Wagen von der Linie 8" — a routine they rehearse in professional dance lessons across the year. Arrive early enough to claim a spot near the stage; the music and dancing run through the day, and the smell of grilled sausage and fresh bread from the surrounding stalls drifts over the crowd.
When the market finally winds down, the celebration does not stop — it moves indoors. The pub carnival on Shrove Tuesday carries the party from Viktualienmarkt into the surrounding city-centre pubs, so follow the costumed crowds into the side streets and keep going.
Follow the Open-Air Carnival from Marienplatz to Stachus
The city's official open-air carnival, "München narrisch," takes over Marienplatz and Stachus from Carnival Sunday, February 7, through Carnival Tuesday, February 9, 2027, with a full stage programme across all three days. Marienplatz is the anchor: it is here, on January 5, 2027, that the Narrhalla prince and princess are enthroned, receiving the golden key of the city from the Mayor as the season opens. Come back on Carnival Tuesday and the same square fills with music, dance and costume.
- Grand carnival procession — Sunday, January 31, 2027, stepping off at 13:13 from Isartor, along Rosental and up Kaufingerstraße, with the Damische Ritter and Narrhalla leading the route. The parade continues into a stage programme at Marienplatz, then into pub carnival for the evening.
- Marienplatz — the ceremonial heart of the season, from the prince's enthronement in January to the closing stage shows in February.
- Stachus — the second stage of the "München narrisch" programme, running alongside Marienplatz through Carnival Tuesday.
Drink Your Way Through the Pub Carnival
Munich's Fasching is not a street party that ends at dusk — it is one that relocates. On Shrove Tuesday the city-centre pubs become the venue, and the roster of regular participants reads like a roll-call of Munich's beer halls. Many of these also host events on other carnival days, so you can spread the festivities across the week.
- Weisses Bräuhaus im Tal
- Augustiner am Platzl
- Hofbräuhaus
- Zum Franziskaner
- Restaurant Donisl
- Andechser am Dom
- Augustiner Klosterwirt
- Augustiner Stammhaus
- Hackerhaus
- Schlagerbar ROY
- Der Pschorr (Partykeller Alice)
Expect costumes, singing and a crowd that has been at this since mid-January, when the season opened with the crowning of the Faschingsprinzenpaar.
Eat Weißwurst Before the Clock Strikes Twelve
On Shrove Monday, selected city-centre restaurants serve a Weißwurst brunch — and the local custom is strict: the sausage must not hear the clock strike twelve. Last season the price ran €1–2 per Weißwurst, with past participants including Augustiner am Platzl, Augustiner Stammhaus, Hofbräuhaus, Alte Hackerhaus, Spöckmeier and Zum Franziskaner. The 2027 participants are to be announced, so check before you commit.
If you want the novelty version, look for the Weißwurstkrapfen, which premiered in 2026: a Weißwurst patty by Thomas Vollmer of Augustiner Stammhaus, wrapped in doughnut dough from Conditorei Kreutzkamm and served with sweet Munich mustard and Düsseldorf Löwensenf. The 2027 offering is likewise to be announced.
Dress the Part, Then Dance Until Ash Wednesday
Munich takes costume seriously, and the city makes it easy to join in.
- Hire — Kostüme Breuer in Schwabing (which also stocks evening wear, dirndls and lederhosen); Halloween Gore Store on Müllerstraße; and Kostümfundus treibstoff in Maxvorstadt, which carries theatre and film pieces.
- Buy — the Gärtnerplatztheater holds an annual sale of handmade stage costumes; the Bayerische Staatsoper runs a year-end wardrobe sale; and the Münchner Theater für Kinder holds a sale in February, timed with carnival.
The ball season runs in parallel, organised by Fasching societies, clubs and associations — foremost among them Narrhalla, founded in 1893 and the first Fasching society in the city. Venues include the Deutsches Theater, Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Löwenbräukeller and Augustiner-Keller, and the range stretches from Künstlerfeste and formal balls to a salsa party at Pasión de Baile and the family-friendly Pumuckl-Ball. A ball overview is available via the Deutsches Theater.
At midnight on Shrove Tuesday, carnival is "laid to rest" with a humorous speech, and Ash Wednesday begins Lent. Munich's own custom follows: empty wallets are washed in the Fischbrunnen fountain on Marienplatz, with the Mayor symbolically dipping the municipal purse in, followed by a fish dinner at traditional restaurants. After that comes Starkbierzeit, the strong beer season — but that is another trip.
Plan Around February 9
Your fixed point is Carnival Tuesday, February 9, 2027, but the week before is when Munich is at full tilt: the open-air programme at Marienplatz and Stachus runs February 7–9, the grand procession rolls on January 31, and the season itself opens in mid-January with the crowning of the prince and princess. The official 2027 programme is published during the year at www.fasching-muenchen.de — check it before you book, confirm which restaurants are running the Weißwurst brunch, and then start looking at trains and rooms. Munich in February is cold, costumed and loud, and it rewards the traveller who arrives with a plan.