Munich Entertainment

There are many pubs, bars, clubs, cafés and restaurants located throughout the city. Clubs and discos are open very late, many until 04:00. Live music of all types is featured at many venues and there is ample opportunity to attend live theatre, opera and classical music performances.

Nightlife

Munich’s nightlife is plentiful and continues until quite late, with many of the clubs and discos staying open until 04:00. There are clubs such as the Bongo Bar, which is an elegant venue with live entertainment, attracting a 30-something clientele. More informal is the Keller, a good place to see up-and-coming rock bands. Nachtkantine is probably the best choice for house and techno music, and well-known DJs make guest appearances here.

Other discos include the trendy Atomic Café on Neuturmstrasse, which doesn’t get started until at least 23:30, and Soul City on Maximilianplatz, a gay-and-mixed disco in the heart of the city that has various closing times, depending on the night of the week.

The Muffathalle on Zellstrasse is the city’s major live music venue, and it also features theatre and dance performances. At the Schwabinger Podium on Wagnerstrasse, you can listen to laid-back blues, while at the Rattlesnake Saloon on Schneeglöckchenstrasse, country and western is the scene. International sounds such as Latin and reggae are featured at the Mainstreet Club on Albert Rosshaupter strasse, and for live jazz, blues and soul, Soul Jazzbar Vogler on Rumfordstrasse is the place to go.

Theatre and music

Munich is an important city for live theatre and musical performances. There are around 60 theatres of all sizes, offering both traditional and contemporary theatrical performances, operas and concerts. The Max Joseph Platz area is the centre of the Munich theatre scene, where you will find the more classical theatres including the Nationaltheater, Residenztheater and the Kammerspiele.

The annual highlight is Munich’s Opera Festival in July, attracting more than half a million patrons. There are excellent venues for musical events, with many orchestra performances and concerts featuring visiting artists. The Gasteig is one of the main arts venues in the city, located just south of the Isar. Olympia Park also hosts many of the larger concerts held in the city.

Festivals

There is only one major festival you need concern yourself with in Munich, with all other events being overshadowed by this one celebration. Munich Oktoberfest is one of the most well-known and largest festivals in the world, and is the major attraction for visitors to the city. This folk and beer festival starts on the third Saturday of September with a colourful traditional ceremony. That morning, the ‘Wies’n’ publicans, on their elaborately decorated horse-drawn floats, make their way to the Theresienwiese, along Schwanthaler strasse. Following the parade, the Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel of beer at 12:00.

On Sunday, starting at 10:00, groups from countries throughout Europe, in traditional garb, march to the Theresienwiese. The festival begins and the party lasts for a total of 16 days of beer drinking and enjoyment, with an average of six million people participating each year.

This ‘Wies’n’ festival originated in 1810, with the wedding feast of Crown Prince Ludwig and his bride Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. It has developed into an extravaganza requiring 14 giant tents to seat 100,000 people simultaneously, with over five million litres of the potent ‘March beer’ served. The commercial value of the event to the city is estimated to be at least 0.7 billion euros annually.

It is recommended that you arrive early in the day to make sure you can find a good spot, and also that you take care with the amount of beer you consume. Oktoberfest beer is a strong brew, with an alcohol content of eight per cent.