The flea-market format has long been part of summer leisure in the Bavarian capital: for some it’s a way to find a rare item at a reasonable price, for others simply an excuse for an unhurried walk through the city and a chat with the sellers. Each of the three days offers its own set of venues, so a route around the city can be planned with almost no repeats.
Main events of the weekend
On Friday evening, the Midnightbazar night market will open at the Old Parcel Post Office on the grounds of Pineapple Park. Besides the market stalls, visitors can expect street food and live music — a format aimed at those who want to combine an evening stroll with a search for good bargains, without giving up the atmosphere of a city festival.
Those who prefer a more intimate format and enjoy wandering through courtyards should take note of the M-net courtyard flea markets. This weekend there will be three of them, one on each day in a different part of the city:
- Friday — Lehel
- Saturday — Laim
- Sunday — Austrian Quarter
On Saturday afternoon, Green City e.V., an organisation that has run urban environmental initiatives for many years, will hold an “Upcycle Your Style” clothing-swap party at the Neue Ziegelei cultural centre. Participants can bring items in good condition and exchange them for new-to-them pieces, while in the creative zone craftspeople will show how to rework clothing using upcycling techniques — that is, extending the life of items instead of sending them to a landfill. Weather permitting, the fashion show tied to the event will take place outdoors at Maria-Nindl-Platz.
Flea market schedule by day
Friday, 24 July
7:00 — antiques and flea market at Daglfing, Daglfing Racecourse
7:00 — flea market in the Olympic Park
17:00 — M-net courtyard market in Lehel, various addresses across the city
17:00 — Midnightbazar night market, Old Parcel Post Office, Pineapple Park
Saturday, 25 July
6:00 — flea market at Riem, Riem exhibition grounds
6:00 — antiques and flea market at Daglfing, Daglfing Racecourse
7:00 — flea market in the Olympic Park
9:00 — Saufiese flea market, Freising-Weihenstephan
10:00 — M-net courtyard market in Laim, various addresses across the city
13:00 — market at the animal shelter, Tierheim München
17:00 — “Upcycle Your Style” clothing-swap party and fashion show, Neue Ziegelei cultural centre
18:00 — children’s and adults’ flea market, Taufkirchen community centre, Eschenpassage
Sunday, 26 July
11:00 — M-net courtyard market in the Austrian Quarter, various addresses across the city
11:00 — market at Neuperland, Neuperlach district
12:00 — Kulturstrand flea market, Vater Rhein Fountain
Saturday’s market at the Tierheim München animal shelter deserves special mention: the proceeds from such events traditionally go towards the upkeep of animals awaiting new owners, which makes a visit there not just shopping but also a way of supporting the local shelter.
Tips for buyers and sellers
For the flea-market weekend to go well for both buyers and sellers, a couple of simple rules are worth bearing in mind.
Buyers looking for a specific item — a particular brand, an antique, or a vintage piece — would do well to check the realistic price range in advance: knowing the going market rate helps avoid overpaying and looking unsure when talking to a seller. A quick search for the item on a smartphone right there on the spot provides a good basis for haggling and makes it possible to judge how well the asking price matches the market rate.
Sellers, in turn, need to assess the value of their items soberly. A brief comparison with similar goods on online marketplaces will help avoid selling grandmother’s porcelain for next to nothing — while also not pricing it so high as to scare buyers off.
Three days of flea markets at the end of July give Munich residents a rare chance to choose a format to their taste: from brisk antiques trading early in the morning at the racecourse to an evening stroll with a fashion show on Saturday. For a city where interest in second-hand goods and reuse grows year on year, such events remain not only a source of lucky finds but also an occasion for neighbours to meet and talk about how to extend the life of old things.
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