By Daniel Schulz, residir GmbH · Last updated: 13 October 2026
Tollwood Munich is a cultural festival that takes place twice a year: in winter on the Theresienwiese and in summer in Olympiapark Süd. Winter Tollwood 2026 runs from 24 November to 23 December, followed by the New Year’s Eve party on 31 December. Entry to the festival grounds is free; you only need tickets for shows, concerts and New Year’s Eve.
We run a boarding house with 54 apartments at Ländstraße 6 in Lehel, opening in autumn 2027. For many visitors who come to Munich in December, Tollwood is the reason to spend an evening on the Theresienwiese. This guide brings together dates, opening times, the programme and how to get there, and shows you how to plan the festival from central accommodation in Munich.
In this article:
- Tollwood 2026 and 2027 at a glance
- What is the Tollwood Festival?
- Winter Tollwood 2026: dates and opening times
- Markt der Ideen
- The winter programme
- Organic food
- Tollwood New Year’s Eve
- Summer Tollwood 2027 in the Olympiapark
- Concerts and tickets
- Getting there from Lehel and parking
- Tips for your visit
- Conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
Tollwood Munich 2026 and 2027 at a glance
The table sums up the key facts about both festivals. The information comes from tollwood.de and muenchen.de. Programmes and times can change, so please check the official website before you go.
| Winter Tollwood 2026 | Summer Tollwood 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Theresienwiese | Olympiapark Süd |
| Dates | 24 November to 23 December 2026 | expected mid-June to mid-July 2027 |
| Opening times | Mon to Fri from 2 pm, Sat and Sun from 11 am | 2026: Mon to Fri from 2 pm, Sat and Sun from 11 am |
| Entry to the grounds | free | free |
| Ticket required | Shows in the Grand Chapiteau, New Year’s Eve party | Concerts in the Musik-Arena, theatre |
| U-Bahn | U4/U5 Theresienwiese | U3 Olympiazentrum |
What is the Tollwood Festival?
The Tollwood Festival in Munich has been around since the late 1980s. It combines a large market selling arts and crafts with organic food, theatre, acrobatics and concerts. It is organised by Tollwood GmbH, which, according to its website, has championed environmental and social causes from day one.
More than 90 per cent of the cultural events are free, and the children’s programme for 4- to 12-year-olds costs nothing either. That is what sets Tollwood apart from a traditional Volksfest (funfair): there are no rides, but plenty of tents with stages, bars and stalls. English-language information is available from Munich’s tourist office on munich.travel, among others.
Winter Tollwood 2026 on the Theresienwiese: dates and opening times
Winter Tollwood 2026 runs from 24 November to 23 December on the Theresienwiese under the motto “Made to move you”. On the very spot where the Wiesn (Oktoberfest) stands in autumn, the organisers put up a village of tents with illuminated roofs. The grounds are free to enter every day.
Winter Tollwood opening times
Tollwood opening times according to muenchen.de (as of October 2026):
- Monday: 2 pm to 10.30 pm
- Tuesday to Friday: 2 pm to 11.30 pm
- Saturday: 11 am to 11.30 pm
- Sunday: 11 am to 10.30 pm
- 23 December: last market day, closes at 10 pm
If you want to browse the market in peace, come on a weekday right at 2 pm. At weekends and on the evenings before Christmas, the walkways between the tents get crowded. What’s on at Tollwood today is listed in the daily programme on tollwood.de.
A note on terminology: many people look for the “Tollwood Christmas market”, and the Markt der Ideen does indeed have a festive feel in winter. If you would also like to visit the traditional Christkindlmärkte (Christmas markets) in the old town, you will find dates and locations in our guide to the Munich Christmas markets.
Markt der Ideen: arts, crafts and gifts
The Markt der Ideen (Market of Ideas) is the heart of the winter festival. According to muenchen.de, around 200 exhibitors sell international arts and crafts, clothing, jewellery, decorations and gift ideas, a large share of them fair trade. The stalls are spread across several tents and the open-air area.
Bands, walkabout acts and performers entertain between the stalls. The market is worth a visit for Christmas shopping if you are after something handmade. Expect prices closer to those of a specialist shop than a flea market or the Auer Dult, though.
For business travellers, Tollwood makes a good evening out after a meeting, as the grounds stay open until 11.30 pm on weekdays. If you are staying for a few days in November or December in serviced apartments in Munich, you can easily fit in the market after work.
Straight from Lehel to the Theresienwiese, no changes
From our building on Ländstraße it is just a few minutes’ walk to Lehel U-Bahn station, where the U4 and U5 run directly to Theresienwiese. Our 54 apartments have their own kitchen, fast Wi-Fi and 24/7 safe check-in, so getting in late after a long festival evening is no problem. We open in autumn 2027, and you can see all our holiday apartments in Munich on our homepage.
The Tollwood winter programme: Grand Chapiteau, talks and music
In winter, the Tollwood programme 2026 focuses mainly on acrobatics and dance in the Grand Chapiteau, a tent with numbered seats. You need tickets for these shows; all other stages are free.
- “Ten Thousand Hours” by Gravity & Other Myths: 25 to 29 November 2026
- “Triptych” by Lewis Major, German premiere: 2 to 9 December 2026
- “Mad in Finland” by Galapiat Cirque: 12 to 20 December 2026, no performance on 14 December
There is also the talk series “Die Welt zu Gast im Zelt” (The World as a Guest in the Tent), each at 8 pm: on 30 November with Luisa Neubauer, on 7 December with Uli Kunz and on 14 December with Uta Eser and Sven Plöger (as of October 2026, source: tollwood.de). Local bands also play in other tents such as the Andechser Zelt and the Hexenkessel, with their own application rounds.
A nice extra: tickets for paid Tollwood events also count as an MVV public transport ticket across the entire network on the date printed. According to the FAQ, this applies from three hours before the event starts.
Organic food: eating at Tollwood
All the food at Tollwood is certified organic. In winter, according to muenchen.de, more than 50 stalls serve dishes from around the world, from curries and stews to sweet treats and hot drinks. In summer, Munich’s tourist office counts around 50 street food stalls, almost all of them organic.
Organic comes at a price: a meal at Tollwood usually costs a little more than at a snack bar in town. We recommend not walking the whole market on an empty stomach, but eating early in the evening before the queues build up at the popular stalls. Drinks are also available at the bars in the event tents.
Tollwood New Year’s Eve 2026: a party without fireworks
On 31 December 2026, Tollwood holds its New Year’s Eve party on the Theresienwiese. Doors open and the party begins at 7 pm, live music starts at 7.30 pm, and at midnight guests dance the traditional midnight waltz. There is no fixed end time.
According to muenchen.de, the line-up includes Ezé, Botticelli Baby, Jamaram meets Jahcoustix, Falschgeld and the Fliegenden Haie. The Harry Klein club hosts its own area with a DJ. There is no New Year’s Eve gala in 2026.
Important if you are hoping for Tollwood fireworks in 2026: there are no fireworks on the grounds, and you may not bring fireworks or sparklers with you. By New Year’s Eve the Markt der Ideen has already been dismantled; food is available at the Food Plaza. The festival box office on the Theresienwiese sells any remaining tickets while stocks last. Where to get a good view of the midnight fireworks and which bans apply is covered in our guide to New Year’s Eve in Munich.
If you are staying in the city for longer over the holidays, say for a project in January, temporary housing in Munich with your own kitchen is a better plan than a string of hotel nights.
Summer Tollwood 2027 in Olympiapark Süd
In summer, Tollwood moves to Olympiapark Süd. According to Munich’s tourist office, Summer Tollwood 2026 ran from 19 June to 19 July 2026, opening from 2 pm on weekdays and from 11 am at weekends. The organiser has not yet published official dates for the whole of 2027 (as of October 2026).
The 2027 summer festival is expected to run from mid-June to mid-July again, as the first concerts have been announced for 19 June to 17 July 2027. As in winter, the grounds and the Markt der Ideen are free to enter. In summer there is also a free youth programme for 12- to 17-year-olds. Munich Pride (CSD) usually takes place in the city centre during the same period, at the end of June.
Around the festival, a stroll up the Olympiaberg or along the Olympiasee is well worth it. What else is open in the park and where renovation work is under way is covered in our guide to the Olympiapark Munich.
Tollwood concerts in the Musik-Arena: tickets and presale
The big Tollwood concerts take place in summer in the Musik-Arena, a covered tent in the Olympiapark. According to Munich’s tourist office, 32 concerts were on the bill there in 2026. Presale for the first 2027 dates is already under way.
| Date | Concert |
|---|---|
| 19 June 2027 | Kool Savas |
| 2 July 2027 | dicht & ergreifend |
| 3 July 2027 | Querbeat |
| 9 July 2027 | Sarah Connor |
| 12 July 2027 | Joe Bonamassa & Marc Broussard |
| 14 July 2027 | Matthias Reim |
| 17 July 2027 | MEUTE |
Tollwood tickets are available from the München Ticket online shop, at presale outlets and by phone on 089 38 38 50 0. Tickets ordered by phone can be paid for by bank transfer, but only up to ten days before the event. Popular concerts often sell out weeks in advance.
For concert-goers from other cities, accommodation on the U-Bahn line is a better bet than a hotel out by the park. If you are staying for several weeks in summer for an internship or a project, you can also opt for furnished apartments in Munich and enjoy several festival evenings.
Getting to Tollwood from Lehel and parking
The organiser explicitly asks visitors to come by public transport. All times below are approximate, from our front door on Ländstraße, excluding waiting time. Up-to-date connections are shown in the MVG app.
To Winter Tollwood on the Theresienwiese
- U4 or U5 from Lehel: a few minutes’ walk to Lehel U-Bahn station, then without changing via Odeonsplatz, Karlsplatz and Hauptbahnhof to Theresienwiese. Around 15 minutes in total.
- Get off at Theresienwiese: the station is right by the main entrance. According to Tollwood, trains run every five minutes in the evening and until 2 am at weekends.
- Alternatives: U3/U6 to Goetheplatz, tram 18 or 19 to Holzapfelstraße, or the S-Bahn to Hackerbrücke.
Watch out on the S-Bahn: according to tollwood.de, the Stammstrecke (main city-centre line) is closed from 28 November (10 pm) to 1 December (4 am) and from 5 December (10 pm) to 8 December (4 am). This hardly affects you from Lehel, as the U4 and U5 run directly.
To Summer Tollwood in Olympiapark Süd
From Lehel, take the U4 or U5 to Odeonsplatz and change to the U3 to Olympiazentrum. The journey takes around 25 minutes, plus the walk through the park to the southern section. Guests at our boarding house in Munich should therefore allow just under 45 minutes for the trip.
Parking at Tollwood
If you come by car, you will find only a limited number of paid parking spaces on the Theresienwiese, run by the Bavarian Red Cross. There are dedicated spaces for holders of a blue disabled parking badge. Tollwood advises against driving, and coaches may neither park nor drive on the Theresienwiese.
A little side note: the very same field hosts Oktoberfest 2027 in September. If you want to experience both festivals, you will already know the way.
Tips for your visit: weather, payment, dogs and children
- Dress for the weather: in winter you are outdoors between the tents, and the Theresienwiese can be draughty. Warm shoes matter more than a smart jacket.
- Cash: the organiser does not say consistently which stalls accept cards. There is a Stadtsparkasse München cash machine on site.
- Dogs: dogs on a lead are allowed on the grounds, but not at paid events.
- Children: the children’s programme is free and aimed at 4- to 12-year-olds.
- Accessibility: according to muenchen.de, the tents, toilets and many food stalls are wheelchair accessible.
- Time: two to three hours are enough for the market and a meal; with a show in the Grand Chapiteau, plan a whole evening.
Our suggestion for a weekday in December: take the U-Bahn from Lehel to the Theresienwiese at around 4 pm, do a round of the market while it is still light, then eat and head to a show or a talk in the tent at 8 pm. At around 11 pm you will be back in Lehel within a quarter of an hour.
Conclusion: Tollwood in winter for the market, in summer for the concerts
In winter, Tollwood is worth it above all for the Markt der Ideen, organic food and acrobatics; in summer, for the concerts in the Musik-Arena in the Olympiapark. Entry to the grounds is free both times; you only need tickets for shows, concerts and New Year’s Eve. From Lehel you can reach the Theresienwiese without changing trains.
Frequently asked questions about Tollwood
When is Tollwood 2026?
Winter Tollwood 2026 takes place from 24 November to 23 December 2026 on the Theresienwiese. The New Year’s Eve party follows on 31 December 2026.
How much does it cost to get into Tollwood?
Entry to the Tollwood grounds and the Markt der Ideen is free. You only need tickets for shows in the Grand Chapiteau, concerts, theatre and the New Year’s Eve party.
What are the opening times of Winter Tollwood?
Winter Tollwood opens at 2 pm Monday to Friday and at 11 am at weekends. It closes at 10.30 pm on Mondays and Sundays, at 11.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday, and at 10 pm on 23 December (as of October 2026).
When is Summer Tollwood 2027?
Summer Tollwood 2027 is expected to take place from mid-June to mid-July in Olympiapark Süd. So far, the first concerts have been confirmed from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Are there fireworks at Tollwood on New Year’s Eve?
No, there are no fireworks on the Tollwood grounds on New Year’s Eve, and you may not bring fireworks or sparklers. The New Year’s Eve party starts at 7 pm, and at midnight there is the midnight waltz.
How do I get to Tollwood on the Theresienwiese?
The easiest way is the U4 or U5 to Theresienwiese station, right by the main entrance. From Lehel, both lines run without changing, taking around 15 minutes in total.
Can you park at Tollwood?
There are only a few paid parking spaces on the Theresienwiese, run by the Bavarian Red Cross. The organiser advises against arriving by car.
Are dogs allowed at Tollwood?
Yes, dogs on a lead are allowed on the festival grounds. They are not permitted at paid events.
Daniel Schulz · Managing Director of residir GmbH
He has eight years of experience in letting and managing serviced apartments and has looked after more than 80,000 guest stays. More about Daniel Schulz