Magdalenenfest Munich

A favourite among locals and visitors alike, the Magdalenenfest is the annual summer festival in Munich. Named after Mary Magdalene, this folk festival is nestled in the middle of the Hirschgarten (next to one of the city’s best beer gardens!).

Featuring everything from funfair rides to market stalls and food tents, this festival promises a bustling, family-fun excursion for all.

Family fun for all at Magdalenenfest

Underneath the shadow of the large, old chestnut trees, dozens of local merchants set up their stalls, selling a variety of goods, from jewellery to household goods, clothing and more. Children will be kept busy all day long riding the carousels, car scooters, ferris wheel or trying out the bungee trampoline.

If festival-goers get a bit hungry, then there are plenty of local Bavarian delicacies to be tasted at the beer garden, such as Weisswurst, a traditional sausage, Kartoffelkäse, a sort of potato and sour cream paste, and Brezeln, pretzels next to servings of German beer. 

The history behind Magdalenenfest

The Magdalenenfest in Munich actually dates all the way back to 1728, the year in which the Magdalenenklause opened in the palace garden, Schlosspark Nymphenburg. Built under the order of Elector Max Emanuel, heir to the throne, the Magdalenenklause was designed to be a hermitage and dedicated to Mary Magdalene. A small spring next to the Magdalenenklause was said to help cure eye diseases, turning the location into a place of pilgrimage.

Both the palace garden and the Magdalenenklause would open to the public every year on the patron saint’s name day, July 22, and when the Schlosspark was opened to the public permanently in 1790, this tradition of marking the day continued in the form of an annual folk festival. In 1958, the festival was moved to its current location at the Hirschgarten.

Visiting Magdalenenfest

If you happen to be in Munich this summer then why not combine some sightseeing with a visit to Magdalenenfest? For more details visit Munich’s official tourist website.

Photos: © Katy Spichal