Follow the Lanterns Through the Old Town
St. Martin's Day arrives in Munich on 11 November, and the city marks it the way it has for centuries: with lanterns. As dusk falls, children carry handmade Laternen through the streets, and the glow of paper and candlelight moves in slow processions past the Frauenkirche and along the pedestrian lanes of the Altstadt. If you position yourself near Marienplatz in the late afternoon, you will see families gathering before the parades set off, the children clutching their lanterns and rehearsing the songs they will sing. The traditional refrain, "Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne," is the soundtrack of the evening.
Eat Like It's Martinmas: Goose, Dumplings and Sweet Bread
The feast of St. Martin falls in the middle of the goose season, and Munich's kitchens lean into it. The classic Martini-Gans — roast goose with red cabbage and potato or bread dumplings — appears on menus across the city in November. You will find it in the traditional Bavarian restaurants of the Altstadt and in the beer halls, where the dish is served alongside the usual dark beers of the season. Look also for Martinshörnchen, the sweet pastry shaped like a horn or horseshoe that bakers sell around the feast day; the shape recalls the legend of Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. Bakeries throughout the city stock them in the days surrounding 11 November, so buy one in the morning and eat it while it's still warm.
Join a Lantern Procession
The heart of St. Martin's Day in Munich is the lantern parade, and it is a participatory event rather than a spectacle. Parades typically step off from church squares and community centres across the city's neighbourhoods in the early evening, often beginning around 5 p.m. and lasting an hour or so. A rider on horseback dressed as St. Martin frequently leads the procession, reenacting the moment he cut his cloak in two. The route usually ends at a bonfire, where the lanterns are gathered and the children are given Martinswecken, the small sweet bread rolls baked for the occasion. If you are travelling with children, check with your hotel or the local parish for the nearest procession; if you are not, simply follow the lanterns when you see them and you will end up somewhere worth being.
Warm Up at the Markets and in the Beer Halls
Munich's outdoor markets stay busy through November, and the cold makes them more inviting rather than less. At the Viktualienmarkt, you can buy roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and the seasonal produce that fills the stalls in autumn. The market's beer garden may be quieter than in summer, but the surrounding stands keep serving. For a longer sit, the city's beer halls — including the Hofbräuhaus and the Augustiner am Platzl — provide warmth, dark beer and the goose dishes that define the season. If you are in Munich on 11 November itself, expect these places to fill early; book a table if you can, or arrive before the dinner rush.
Take the Feast Day Beyond the Centre
St. Martin's Day is a neighbourhood holiday as much as a citywide one, and the celebrations in Munich's districts are often more intimate than anything in the Altstadt. In Schwabing, Haidhausen and Sendling, local parishes and community groups organise their own lantern walks, often with brass bands and small fires. If you have a day to spare around the feast, consider a trip out to a Bavarian village where the customs are kept even more closely — the lantern processions and the Martinsfeuer are traditions that reach across the region, not just the city. Wherever you go, the pattern is the same: gather at dusk, walk with lights, and eat something warm when you arrive.
St. Martin's Day in Munich is one of the last great outdoor festivals before winter closes in, and it rewards a little planning. Book your table for goose, find out which parish near your hotel is walking with lanterns, and keep the evening of 11 November free. The city will do the rest.