Kocherlball 2026
Details
Please note: To secure your spot, you must join InterNations and sign up for the event there.
ONCE UPON A TIME...
ONE OF MUNICH'S MOST BEAUTIFUL TRADITIONS
The first time people danced at dawn was probably around 1880...
and back then it wasn't just once a year, but every Sunday morning, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.
You didn't know that? Here are more small, fine details from the history of the Kocherlball.
1880
In the 19th century (around 1880), every Sunday morning (5 a.m. to 8 a.m.) in the summer, early in the morning when the weather was nice, up to 5,000 Munich domestic workers (cooks, errand boys, nannies, house servants, etc.) met at the Chinese Tower to dance. In 1904, the event was banned by the authorities due to a "lack of morality".
KOCHERL
The word "Kocherl" also comes from this time. Maids, servants, housekeepers and especially the kitchen staff, the cook, were called this.
1989
As part of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the English Garden, a Kocherlball was held for the first time in 1989. The Municipal Department of Culture and Haberl Gastronomie, the tenant of the beer garden at the Chinese Tower, invited dance bands to take turns playing for free dancing from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Kocherlball also means (and above all) dancing. In Bavarian style.
From the dance stage they show all the steps and dance with you - if you want to practice now: There are virtual dance courses on the Volkskultur München YouTube channel - and dance courses live in the Hofbräuhaus München!
Benefits
- Real Bavarian (not turistic) event
- You can find your dance partner there
- If you have already Dirndl or Lederhosen, this is the best place to use them
This InterNations Activity will be hosted by our local Consul Maurizio Lori.
