Magdalenenfest (Hirschgarten)

What to Expect at the Magdalenenfest

The Magdalenenfest, held every July in the vast beer garden of the Hirschgarten — Munich's oldest and largest beer garden — is a celebration that captures everything locals love about Bavarian summer evenings: cold beer served under ancient chestnut trees, live brass music echoing off stone walls, traditional food, and one of Munich's most magical settings. The Hirschgarten itself is a Munich institution: established in 1791 by Elector Carl Theodor as a hunting ground and beer garden, it can seat 8,000 people at one time and is home to a small deer enclosure, making it the city's most distinctive beer garden — you're quite literally drinking your beer while watching fallow deer stroll among the trees (the park's name translates to "Deer Garden").

The Magdalenenfest kicks off on the Sunday closest to St. Magdalena's Day (July 22nd) and runs for several days. The beer garden transforms into a festive celebration with a massive brass band concert to open the fest, followed by daily live music from traditional Bavarian ensembles. The Augustiner brewery — the most beloved of Munich's Big Six and the only one still using wooden barrels for serving — pours its flagship Helles directly at the festival. Food stalls serve classic Bavarian fare: roast chicken, pork knuckles, sausages, potato salad, and fresh pretzels. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly: locals spread blankets on the grass, children play in the deer enclosure, and the whole experience feels like a giant garden party hosted by the city's most generous neighbor. The Magdalenenfest is not a commercialized tourist attraction — it's a beloved local tradition that represents Munich at its most genuinely Bavarian.

Getting There

The Hirschgarten is located in western Munich (Nymphenburg district), easily reached by S-Bahn. Take lines S1, S2, S3, S4, S6, or S8 to Laim station, then it's a pleasant 10-minute walk through leafy residential streets and parkland to the beer garden entrance. The Hirschgarten is also walkable from the Nymphenburg Palace (about 15 minutes through the park), making it a natural addition to any Nymphenburg day trip. Parking is available near the Laim station and around Hirschgartenstraße.

Nearby Attractions

• Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg): One of the largest royal palaces in Europe, a stunning baroque masterpiece with extensive formal gardens, lakes, and secondary buildings (the Marstall, the Badenburg, and the Pagodenburg). The palace was the summer residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty.
• Hirschgarten Beer Garden (year-round): Even outside of the festival, the Hirschgarten is Munich's best beer garden experience: the largest (8,000 seats), the most atmospheric (deer roaming nearby), and the most beloved by locals. It operates year-round with a beer tent in winter.
• Nymphenburg Canal & Park: A beautiful series of waterways and formal gardens connecting the palace with the surrounding park — ideal for a pre-festival stroll along the water.
• Bavaria Park (Bavariapark): A lovely public park near the Hirschgarten, perfect for a post-fest walk or an afternoon picnic with the city and the Alps in the distance on clear days.

Beer Pricing & Local History

Beer at the Magdalenenfest costs approximately €10–€11 per Maß for Augustiner Helles — the most sought-after beer in Munich, known for its crisp, clean, and subtly sweet character. The Hirschgarten was founded in 1791 by Elector Carl Theodor of Bavaria as a hunting ground stocked with deer and a public beer garden — a revolutionary combination that embodied Bavaria's emerging commitment to public recreational spaces. The name Hirschgarten (literally "Deer Garden") comes from the fallow deer that have been kept here since 1780, long before the beer garden opened. For over 230 years, deer have lived here alongside beer drinkers, making this the world's oldest — and still only — deer beer garden. The Magdalenenfest tradition (named after St. Mary Magdalene, whose feast day falls on July 22nd) grew organically as a summer celebration of this beloved institution — a festival that honors both the beer garden and the neighborhood around it. It is, in every sense, Munich's hidden gem of a summer festival.