Featured Events in Munich in July, 2025 (July Updated)

Great music, great theatre, great entertainment In summer, Torwood invites visitors to the Olympiapark for music and culture or just a stroll through the colorful "Creative Market". On the festival grounds, visitors can enjoy wonderful theatre and performance groups and hear live music from all over the world in the tents. Time at Torwood means time for concerts. In the Musik-Arena, the Torwood Festival presents newcomers and legends of German and international music. From the craft market and the international food market to many other venues where visitors can enjoy themselves, there is a lot to explore. From music and theatre to environmental events or children's entertainment, more than 90% of the performances are unticketed and free.

After four decades of museum and exhibition operations, the Neue Pinakothek is undergoing fundamental refurbishment. The museum is therefore closed for several years. During this time, selected major works of 19th century painting and sculpture are exhibited in the Alte Pinakothek and in the Sammlung Schack. The selection ranges from classicism and Romanticism to the beginning of modernism. Under the title ‘From Turner to van Gogh’, the 19th century is now being relaunched in a different form. The works of the Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich, the French Impressionists and the pioneers of modernism from Édouard Manet and Claude Monet to Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh will continue to be on display. Newly exhibited are groups of works by the important Realists Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Adolph Menzel, which could not be shown in previous years. One cabinet brings together intimate interior depictions from the Symbolist and fin de siècle eras.

The sun at the beach, the scanner at the supermarket checkout or the signal in a fibre optic cable: when light encounters matter – or matter encounters light – exciting things happen!

The first institutional survey exhibition of Shu Lea Cheang (b. 1954, Tainan, Taiwan) takes the taiwanese-american artist’s first feature film Fresh Kill (1994) as a starting point, presenting the artist and filmmaker’s world-building practices and updating works from the past three decades. Cheang moved to New York City in the 1980s, where she joined the vibrant scene of independent cinema and started experimenting with video, live TV, and network technologies. Since the 1990s, her work has challenged and furthered our understanding of digital culture. Cheang anticipated the advance of alternative currencies, investigated gamified societies, and probed biotechnologies. Her works often develop over several years through different stages and media, including video, installation, performance, and various forms of cinema. The exhibition updates works and artefacts into new landscape formations extending through four gallery spaces. Trash appears as a primary theme that leads Cheang’s investigation into the entanglement of biosphere and technosphere. Each gallery is its own world in which internet-based installation and software interaction invite the audience to explore and play.

For the first time, the exhibition “Five Friends” focuses on a circle of artists who had a decisive influence on post-war art in the fields of music, dance, painting, sculpture and drawing. John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly created a special connection between the artistic genres and media through their intimate exchange.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Rauschenberg, an important contemporary American artist. The Artists Foundation will present a series of exhibitions, the most special of which is the "Five Friends". The "Five Friends" exhibition focuses for the first time on Rauschenberg and his four friends and collaborators - John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly, who are artists who have had a decisive influence in the fields of music, dance, painting, sculpture and drawing after the war. Their creations transcend media, connecting and influencing each other. The exhibition will display more than 150 paintings, scores, stage props, costumes, photographs and documents, and will also host a series of dance performances and concerts to reproduce the dialogue between the works of the five artists.

A re-encounter with old acquaintances such as rarely displayed discoveries in the Alte Pinakothek! The presentation of works from the collection of Early German, Early Netherlandish and Flemish paintings of the 16th and early 17th century promises a surprise or two. Different facets of a theme that is one of the core tasks of painting are examined: namely storytelling. How and by whom are stories told and what do they relate? What aims have artists and patrons pursued at different times, and what audiences do they address? And is this always obvious at all or are those looking at a work sometimes even deliberately misled? These and other questions are raised in this presentation in which often nothing appears to be as it seems at first glance.

The exhibition connects to our previous show, “Inside other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956–76,” and highlights the influence of newly developed art forms, such as the “environment,” on subsequent generations of artists. Until the mid-20th century, artworks for children primarily involved designing toys, building sets, and children's furniture. However, from the late 1950s onwards, artists around the world began to create works that invited children to collaborate, treated them as equal and capable recipients, and encouraged autonomy and responsibility for their own actions. The exhibition follows this mindset and raises questions such as: “What is today’s understanding of childhood?” and “How can children actively participate in world affairs and help shape the reality in which they will live as adults?”

On July 19, 2025, the "Midsummer Night's Dream" festival in Munich's Olympic Park will open with a spectacular fireworks display. Before that, open-air concerts with top stars will take place on two stages. For the 20th anniversary, Max Giesinger, Asdis and Nico Laska have been confirmed as musicians on the Main Stage, while the world-class band Altin Gün will also perform on the Peninsula Stage. Before the fireworks in the evening, live music on the Main Stage at Hans-Jochen-Vogel-Platz and the Peninsula Stage will create a festive atmosphere, while a rich cultural programme will take place on other stages and international specialities will be served at numerous food stalls, including a cosy beer garden.

The exhibition "Colors of Japan – Woodcuts from the Collection of the Bavarian State Library" presents masterpieces of Japanese color woodblock prints from three centuries: from the beginnings of multi-color printing in the mid-18th century to shin-hanga, the so-called "New Prints" of the 20th century. In Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868), these "pictures of the floating world" (ukiyo-e), as these prints are also called, were an integral part of urban life and entertainment culture. Popular motifs included beauties, stage stars, and landscapes. What distinguishes Japanese color woodblock prints is the combination of artistic excellence and craftsmanship. The special stylistic characteristics and diverse cultural and historical references of this art form are evident in works by artists such as Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi, and Hasui. Originating as a commercial art form and produced in large numbers, many prints are now considered works of art of the highest rank.

Judas Priest Munich is set to electrify the iconic Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany on July 13, 2025, at 19:00. Known for their legendary heavy metal sound, Judas Priest is expected to deliver an unforgettable performance that will resonate with fans old and new. The Olympiahalle, renowned for its state-of-the-art acoustics and vibrant atmosphere, provides the perfect backdrop for this monumental event. With a storied career spanning decades, Judas Priest has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music, and their Munich concert promises to be no exception. Attendees can anticipate a night filled with powerful riffs, soaring vocals, and a setlist that includes both classic hits and new material. This event is a must-see for any heavy metal enthusiast, offering a rare opportunity to witness one of the genre's most influential bands in a premier venue. Ticket prices vary, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of fans eager to experience the raw energy and unparalleled showmanship of Judas Priest live in Munich.

The exhibition Love, Maybe – Intimacy and Desire in Contemporary Art, curated by Dr Jana Johanna Haeckel is dedicated to the possibilities and challenges of depicting love in contemporary art. What ideas and prejudices shape our understanding of love and intimacy? Which images are missing from collective memory, especially with regard to empathic forms of togetherness? Inspired by the eponymous poem by Afro-American writer Audre Lorde, Love, Maybe is dedicated to the possibilities and challenges of depicting love in contemporary art.

Get involved, discover your sport – this is the motto of the Munich Sports Festival, and on July 6, 2025, the Olympic-style Königsplatz will be transformed into a huge sports arena for the 14th time, where you will be able to experience more than 70 sports, from classic, unique to inclusive. Relax, watch exciting matches and refuel in the beer garden. Organized by the Munich's Ministry of Education and Sports, the Munich Sports Festival has been one of the most popular outdoor events for many years: Around 50 clubs and organizations hold workshops and shows at the Königsplatz, showcasing their respective sports. Whether you have good physical fitness and skills or are trying it for the first time, you can join in and try out various sports. There is something for everyone, young and old!