Kaiserhof der Residenz München, Residenzstraße 1 — one of the Residenz's ten courtyards.

Yes, every day. Wine and food are sold separately by each winery pavilion — a glass runs roughly €4–8, food about €8–15.

Which wineries participate?

Eight core Palatinate producers from the Deutsche Weinstraße's Mittelhaardt sub-region, including Forster Winzerverein and Weingut Gehrig. Some years' organizer materials have listed up to ten names — check on-site signage for the definitive current roster.

What's the best day to go?

Either of the two Jazz-Brunch Sundays (26 July, 2 August), which open earlier (11:00) with a distinct musical format from the regular weekday evenings.

27. Pfälzer Weinfest München

Next dates

2027 dates not yet announced — typically around July. We're watching and will update this page when they land.

Quick answer

The 27. Pfälzer Weinfest München runs 24 July to 2 August 2026 in the Kaiserhof of Munich's Residenz — the flagship event of the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube, founded in 1950 by Munich's exiled Palatinate community to campaign for reuniting the Palatinate with Bavaria after WWII. The Weinfest itself began in 1998. Eight core Palatinate wineries serve more than 80 wines with free courtyard admission Mon–Sat from 15:00 and Sundays from 11:00; wine and food are sold separately by each pavilion.

Best for: Munich visitors curious why a Rhineland-Palatinate wine region has a permanent home inside the Bavarian royal Residenz — the answer is a genuinely political history, not an incidental booking. A strong fit for Altstadt wine crawlers pairing it with the overlapping Fränkisches Weinfest im Alten Hof a few minutes' walk away, and for the two Jazz-Brunch Sundays specifically, which regulars treat as the calmer, more distinctive alternative to the weekday evening band scene.
Booking urgency: Low — free entry, no reservation needed for the courtyard itself. The main planning point is weather: this is a fully open-air event with no indoor fallback, and the organizer has flagged past editions as rain-affected. The two Jazz-Brunch Sundays (26 July, 2 August) have a distinct, earlier-opening format and are worth timing a visit around specifically.

27th edition since 1998 of Munich's Palatinate wine festival in the Residenz Kaiserhof — eight core Palatinate wineries, free entry, 24 July to 2 August 2026.

Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube hosts the 27. Pfälzer Weinfest in the Kaiserhof of Munich's Residenz from 24 July to 2 August 2026 — running since 1998. Eight core Palatinate wineries pour more than 80 wines at the courtyard event Mon–Sat 15:00–23:00 and Sun 11:00–23:00, with live music most days and a dedicated Jazz-Brunch format on the two Sundays. Courtyard admission is free every day; wine and food are sold à la carte by each winery pavilion. Some organizer materials have listed up to ten participating wineries in a given year rather than the usual eight — treat the current-year roster on-site signage as the definitive count.

The full story

Each summer, one of the Munich Residenz's ten courtyards — the Kaiserhof, described by regional press as arguably the most representative of them all — fills with wine pavilions for the Pfälzer Weinfest. The 2026 edition, the 27th, runs 24 July to 2 August, with eight core Palatinate wineries pouring more than 80 wines to a free-entry crowd. Regular days run 15:00–23:00 Monday through Saturday with live music; the two Sundays instead open early, at 11:00, for a distinct Jazz-Brunch format with different acts at midday and in the late afternoon.

The festival's real story is more political than culinary. The Palatinate was Bavarian territory for 130 years, from 1816 until the aftermath of WWII, when it was folded into the newly created state of Rheinland-Pfalz rather than returned to Bavaria. Munich's exiled Palatinate community organized in 1949 specifically to keep the reunification case alive, and in 1950 opened the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube inside the Residenz to fund that campaign with Palatinate wine and food. A 1956 popular petition to rejoin Bavaria failed, but the Weinstube endured as a showcase for Palatinate identity in the Bavarian capital — and the open-air Weinfest in the adjoining Kaiserhof courtyard grew out of that institution decades later, with its first edition in 1998.

Entry to the courtyard is free every day; wine and food are bought separately from each winery's own pavilion, at roughly €4–8 a glass and €8–15 for food. The eight core producers travel from the Palatinate's Mittelhaardt sub-region — none of them Bavarian, which makes this one of the only non-Bavarian regional wine showcases with a permanent annual home in central Munich. For visitors building a wine-focused Altstadt evening, the Fränkisches Weinfest im Alten Hof runs a short walk away during the festival's final days, making a two-region wine crawl easy to combine. See Pfälzer Weinfest or explore Upper Bavaria.

History

The Pfälzer Weinfest in the Kaiserhof traces to 1998, opened by then-Bavarian state minister Reinhold Bocklet — but the institution behind it is older and more political than the festival itself. In 1950, Munich's exiled Palatinate community founded the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube inside the Residenz specifically to keep alive the case for reuniting the Palatinate — a former Bavarian territory lost to the newly created state of Rheinland-Pfalz after WWII — with Bavaria. A 1956 popular petition for reunification failed, but the Weinstube endured as a showcase for Palatinate wine and culture in the Bavarian capital, and the open-air Weinfest in the adjoining Kaiserhof courtyard grew out of it decades later. Since 2009, the festival has run in cooperation with Deutsche Weinstraße e.V. – Mittelhaardt, the wine-route association for the Palatinate's Mittelhaardt sub-region.

On Tap

Local focus: Eight Palatinate wineries pouring in the Kaiserhof courtyard of Munich's Residenz.
What to try: Sample across the eight wineries — admission is free, so there's no cost barrier to tasting around.
Best for: Wine travelers in Munich who want a courtyard setting instead of a beer garden.
Bavaria On Tap take: The 27th edition of a free wine fest inside one of Munich's grandest courtyards.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Pfälzer Weinfest in Munich 2026?: 24 July to 2 August 2026, in the Kaiserhof of Munich's Residenz.
Where is it held?: Kaiserhof der Residenz München, Residenzstraße 1 — one of the Residenz's ten courtyards.
Is admission free?: Yes, every day. Wine and food are sold separately by each winery pavilion — a glass runs roughly €4–8, food about €8–15.
Why is there a Palatinate wine festival inside Munich's royal Residenz?: The Palatinate (Pfalz) was Bavarian territory from 1816 until WWII, when it was folded into the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz instead of returning to Bavaria. In 1950, Munich's exiled Palatinate community founded the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube specifically to campaign for reunification — a 1956 petition failed, but the Weinstube endured, and the open-air Weinfest grew out of it decades later, in 1998.
Which wineries participate?: Eight core Palatinate producers from the Deutsche Weinstraße's Mittelhaardt sub-region, including Forster Winzerverein and Weingut Gehrig. Some years' organizer materials have listed up to ten names — check on-site signage for the definitive current roster.
What's the best day to go?: Either of the two Jazz-Brunch Sundays (26 July, 2 August), which open earlier (11:00) with a distinct musical format from the regular weekday evenings.