Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around July. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Jakobidult München — the oldest of Munich's three annual Auer Dults, tracing to 1310 — runs 25 July to 2 August 2026 on Mariahilfplatz. Roughly 250 stalls sell housewares, antiques, and crafts alongside historic rides including the 1925 Riesenrad and 1919 Kettenflieger; grounds entry is free. The Jakobidult itself predates the "Auer Dult" name (1799) and its Mariahilfplatz home (1905) by centuries.
- Best for
- History-minded Munich visitors who want the city's genuinely oldest continuously-referenced market tradition rather than a generic flea market — plus antique hunters, families on Family Day (28 July 2026, discounted rides), and anyone wanting a calmer, more traditional alternative to Oktoberfest-scale crowds.
- Booking urgency
- Low — free grounds entry, no ticket needed. Weekdays and mornings are noticeably calmer than weekends. Guided 120-minute history tours (with tastings and a Riesenrad ride) run on select dates and can be booked separately via the organizer's partner site if desired.
Summer Auer Dult — nine-day Jakobidult market and fair at Mariahilfplatz with antiques, housewares, and rides, 25 July to 2 August 2026.
Jakobidult is Munich's summer Auer Dult on Mariahilfplatz, running 25 July to 2 August 2026. Roughly 250 stalls sell housewares, antiques, and crafts while the historic 1925 Riesenrad Ferris wheel and 1919 Kettenflieger chain carousel entertain families; the city's Referat für Arbeit und Wirtschaft organizes all three annual Dults. Two free Trinkwasserbrunnen drinking-water fountains stand on the fairground — one opposite Mariahilfkirche, one at the Dult-Büro.
The full story
Every summer, roughly 250 stalls fill Mariahilfplatz for the Jakobidult, the oldest of Munich's three annual Auer Dults. The 2026 edition runs 25 July to 2 August, daily 10:00–20:00 with rides from 10:30, and admission to the market and fairground is free throughout — visitors pay only for goods, food, and rides. Stalls cluster into themed lanes: antiques and junk in the Schatzsuchergasse and Tandlergasse, dishware and ceramics around Liesl-Karlstadt-Platz, and theatrical kitchen-gadget demonstrations in the Neuheitengasse. Two historic, family-operated rides anchor the fairground section — the 1925 Riesenrad Ferris wheel and the 1919 Kettenflieger chain carousel — alongside three beer gardens.
The Jakobidult's history runs deeper than the generic "Auer Dult" branding suggests. A market honoring St. James's Day (Jakobitag, 25 July) is documented at the Anger — today's Sankt-Jakobs-Platz — as far back as 1310, making it one of Munich's oldest continuously-referenced commercial traditions, predating the Christkindlmarkt and the city's other markets by centuries; Munich marked its 700th anniversary in 2010. The "Auer Dult" name and its now-shared Mariahilfplatz venue are considerably younger constructs: the market moved to Kaufinger-/Neuhauser Straße in 1791, the village of Au was granted its own biannual Dult rights in 1796, the name "Auer Dult" took hold after the market settled at Mariahilfplatz around the Mariahilf pilgrimage church in 1799, and the Jakobidult specifically didn't join the other two Dults at that site until 1905.
Today's Jakobidult keeps that old-market character while adding modern touches: vegetarian and vegan food options alongside classics like Steckerlfisch and Brathendl, a Family Day (28 July 2026) with discounted rides, and two free public drinking-water fountains for a summer event that can run hot. It stays deliberately quieter than Oktoberfest-scale festivals — there's no beer-tent Bieranstich ceremony, just the lanes opening for business — which is exactly the pitch local press makes for visiting: real Bavarian market atmosphere, minus the crowds. See Jakobidult or explore Upper Bavaria.
History
The Jakobidult is the oldest of Munich's three Auer Dults, tracing to 1310, when a market honoring St. James's Day (Jakobitag, 25 July) was first held at the Anger — today's Sankt-Jakobs-Platz. The 'Auer Dult' name and the shared Mariahilfplatz venue are much younger: the name dates only to 1799, when the market moved to Kaufinger-/Neuhauser Straße and the village of Au was granted the right to hold its own biannual Dult, and the Jakobidult itself didn't relocate to Mariahilfplatz — joining the other two Dults there — until 1905. Munich marked the Jakobidult's 700th anniversary in 2010.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Munich's summer Auer Dult — a nine-day household-goods market with rides and beer gardens on Mariahilfplatz.
- What to try
- Browse the market stalls, then cool off in one of the on-site beer gardens.
- Best for
- Bargain hunters and market browsers who want a Munich tradition beyond Oktoberfest.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- Free grounds entry to one of Munich's three annual Dults, market and beer garden together.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Jakobidult 2026?
- 25 July to 2 August 2026, daily 10:00–20:00 (rides from 10:30).
- Where is it?
- Mariahilfplatz, in Munich's Au district.
- Is admission free?
- Yes — open market and fairground; pay for goods, food, and rides.
- How old is the Jakobidult, really?
- It traces to 1310, as a St. James's Day market at the Anger — making it the oldest of Munich's three Auer Dults, older than the "Auer Dult" collective name (1799) and its Mariahilfplatz venue (1905).
- What else happens at Mariahilfplatz in 2026?
- Maidult (25 Apr–3 May) and Kirchweihdult (17–25 Oct) complete the year's three Dults at the same site.
- Is there free water on-site?
- Yes — two free Trinkwasserbrunnen drinking fountains, one opposite Mariahilfkirche and one at the Dult-Büro.
More in Munich
Other festivals and markets in Munich — or see the full Munich guide.
- Free entry
- Reservation recommended