Tollwood winter festival returns on 24 November

Munich's alternative Christmas market is about to return. The Tollwood winter festival opens on Tuesday, 24 November, on the Theresienwiese, the large open field best known for the Oktoberfest, and runs until Wednesday, 23 December. Entry to the grounds is free, and organisers say that more than 90 percent of the events need no ticket. A New Year's Eve party on 31 December closes the season.

Tollwood mixes a crafts market, organic food from around the world, live music, circus and talks on environmental topics. According to the festival directory festivalsindeutschland.de, the festival was founded in 1991, and its winter edition has been held on the Theresienwiese since 2000. This year's motto is "All in fürs Klima - das Spiel Deines Lebens" (all in for the climate - the game of your life), t-online München reported.

Dates and opening hours of the Tollwood winter festival

The Markt der Ideen (market of ideas), the heart of the festival, opens at 14:00 from Monday to Friday and at 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. It closes at 22:30 on Sundays and Mondays and at 23:30 from Tuesday to Saturday, according to the city portal muenchen.de and the Munich blog muc-blog. On the final day, 23 December, the whole festival shuts at 22:00. Some food stalls and the Hexenkessel music stage may stay open longer on individual evenings.

The city portal points out that the market is already dismantled by New Year's Eve, so the party on 31 December takes place without the stalls. Visitors who want to shop for presents should plan their visit before 23 December. Construction on the Theresienwiese is already well advanced: t-online München reported on 9 November that the Bazar tent, the EssZimmer and the Food-Plaza were standing, while the second market tent, the Mercato, and the Hexenkessel stage were still being prepared.

Circus, dance and climate talks

The paid highlights take place in the Grand Chapiteau, the festival's big top, under the title "Made to move you". From 25 to 29 November, the Australian company Gravity & Other Myths presents "Ten Thousand Hours", an acrobatics show with eight performers and a live musician. From 2 to 9 December, the contemporary dance piece "Triptych" by the Australian choreographer Lewis Major has its German premiere, combining movement, light and music. From 12 to 20 December, Galapiat Cirque shows "Mad in Finland", a mix of circus, aerial acts, clowning and rock music performed by eight Finnish artists. According to muenchen.de, there is no performance on 14 December.

Tickets for the shows start at 38 euros, both t-online and muc-blog report. According to muc-blog, children under six are not admitted to the Grand Chapiteau, and anyone under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

On Monday evenings, the series "Die Welt zu Gast im Zelt" (the world as a guest in the tent) brings well-known speakers to the stage. Climate activist Luisa Neubauer opens it on 30 November, followed by marine biologist and TV presenter Uli Kunz on 7 December, ARD weather presenter Sven Plöger together with environmental ethicist Uta Eser on 14 December, and former Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck on 21 December. These evenings also need tickets. Muc-blog writes that the organisers pass the ticket proceeds on to projects chosen by the speakers.

Market, organic food and art at the Tollwood winter festival

The Markt der Ideen brings together about 200 exhibitors selling international crafts, clothing, jewellery, ceramics, decorations and gifts. A large share of the goods is fair trade, and many stalls focus on recycling and upcycling. The market is spread across several tents, including the Bazar and the Mercato. Food is a big part of the experience: all gastronomy at the festival is certified organic, and muenchen.de counts more than 50 food stalls. The EssZimmer tent serves vegetarian and vegan dishes, and the Food-Plaza offers international cuisine, from small snacks to full warm meals. The festival directory festivalsindeutschland.de mentions Indian curry, couscous and African dishes alongside classics such as mulled wine and bratwurst, so it is easy to eat your way around the world in one evening.

The climate theme also shapes the grounds. According to t-online München, visitors enter through a walk-through house of cards eight metres high, meant to make people think about what is at stake in climate protection. A new central stage called the Cube hosts acrobatics and fire shows, while walk acts move across the whole site. Free concerts by Munich and visiting bands take place on the Hexenkessel stage. According to muc-blog, Edwin Kimmler at 16:30 and Club27plus at 19:30 open the stage on 24 November, followed on 25 November by Black Patti and Dr. Will & The Wizards.

Children's tent and New Year's Eve party

Families get a free children's programme aimed mainly at children aged four to twelve, with crafts, stories and concerts in the children's tent next to the Hexenkessel. Muc-blog gives its opening hours as 14:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 12:00 to 19:00 at weekends. Groups such as day-care and after-school groups need to register in advance. A free comic workshop on 25 November at 16:00 also requires registration, muc-blog notes.

The New Year's Eve party on 31 December requires a ticket. Doors open at 19:00, live music starts at 19:30 and there is no fixed end time. The line-up includes Jamaram meets Jahcoustix, Botticelli Baby and DJ Karotte in the Harry Klein area, and at midnight guests dance the traditional Mitternachtswalzer (midnight waltz). According to muenchen.de, there is no fireworks display on the site, and visitors may not bring their own fireworks or sparklers. The city portal also lists Ezé, Falschgeld and the electro-pop band Fliegende Haie among the acts, says food will be served at the Food-Plaza and drinks at the bars in the event tents, and notes that there is no separate New Year's gala this year.

Visiting the Tollwood winter festival: tips for expats

The simplest way to get there is the U4 or U5 underground line to the Theresienwiese station. Festivalsindeutschland.de also suggests the U3 and U6 lines to Goetheplatz or Poccistraße, a short walk away. Parking around the festival is limited, so public transport is the better choice; holders of a disabled parking permit can use reserved spaces in the paid car park of the Bavarian Red Cross on the Theresienwiese, according to muenchen.de. A useful bonus: tickets for paid Tollwood events also count as a ticket for the MVV, Munich's public transport network, on the day printed on them, according to both muenchen.de and muc-blog. The tents, toilets and many food stalls are wheelchair accessible, and leashed dogs are allowed on the free grounds, but not at paid events.

For newcomers to Munich, Tollwood is an easy introduction to the city's winter season. Because entry is free, you can drop in after work, eat something warm, listen to a band and leave without spending much. Muc-blog advises checking the current list of stalls before a visit, because the exhibitors change from year to year. If you know Tollwood only from summer, our Munich summer weekend report covers the summer edition, and our overview of Christmas markets 2026 lists the opening dates of Munich's traditional markets.