Munich Krampuslauf

On the second Sunday of December — December 13, 2026 — Munich's old-town pedestrian zone becomes a stage for one of Bavaria's most photogenic folk-tradition spectacles. Roughly 25 Krampus, Perchten, and Klause groups from Bavaria, Austria, and South Tyrol, more than 300 costumed participants in all, march a fixed route from Frauenplatz and Augustinerstraße through the pedestrian zone to Viktualienmarkt and the Altes Rathaus between 3 and 5 p.m. The parade is organized by the City of Munich's Department of Labor and Economic Affairs together with Sparifankerl-Pass, Munich's own Krampus troupe founded by Tom Bierbaumer — making it a genuinely local institution woven into the city's Christkindlmarkt calendar rather than a rural import. Admission is free and no ticket is required. Organizers describe crowds in the tens of thousands, though the City of Munich's own event page more cautiously notes "thousands" lining the route — worth keeping in mind as an estimate rather than an audited count.

The procession opens with a slower-moving Saint Nicholas figure before the louder Krampus, Perchten, and Klause groups follow, announced by cowbells, rattling chains, and cracking whips. Performers are known to engage the crowd directly — approaching, mock-growling, and posing for photos — which is part of the appeal for photographers and folklore-curious visitors, but also means this isn't a hands-off spectator event. Sparifankerl-Pass's founder has repeatedly described the Munich Krampus as a "playful devil" rather than the switch-wielding figure found in some rural Alpine runs, though guidance on whether spectators may touch costumed performers is mixed across sources — it's best to follow whatever marshals and security post on the day rather than assume either way. Bring warm layers, since this is an entirely outdoor, unheated event with no indoor viewing option, and expect the area near the Frauenplatz assembly point to fill up fastest; Färbergraben and Rosental tend to be calmer places to stand.

The Krampuslauf's underlying folklore runs deep — costumed Alpine winter figures like these are generally traced back roughly 500 years, to the 16th century — but Munich's own staged parade is a newer civic addition, first held on December 12, 2004, and now into its third decade. It's best treated as a single-afternoon block layered onto a broader Munich Christmas-market visit rather than a trip in its own right, and the route's endpoint at Viktualienmarkt and the Altes Rathaus sets up naturally for Glühwein at the Marienplatz market or a Maß at a Viktualienmarkt beer garden afterward. The route sits a 5–7 minute walk from Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz, Karlsplatz/Stachus, or Sendlinger Tor stations — plan to exit away from Marienplatz once the parade lets out, since that station gets the most crowded. Browse Upper Bavaria events for more winter traditions in the region.