Munich in shopping fever: New opening hours until midnight!

Munich in shopping fever: New opening hours until midnight!

In a groundbreaking decision, the Munich city council has passed a new shop closing regulation that will allow four city-wide shopping evenings until midnight from 2026. How tz.de reports, these sales evenings were chosen to meet the needs of consumers in the city. The dates are the first Friday in April, the Friday before the autumn holidays, the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November (Black Friday) and the third Saturday in Advent.

But that's not all. Shops will also be allowed to open up to four additional evenings per year without having to apply for official approval. Instead, a simple advance notice to the district administration department is sufficient. This option will also be interesting for shopping centers, as they will be able to submit a joint advertisement for all participating stores. That sounds like a great opportunity to stroll through the shops in a relaxed manner and without time pressure.

Regulations for the old town

Particularly noteworthy is the new regulation for Munich's old town. Tourism items may be sold here on Sundays and public holidays, with the exception of Good Friday. This regulation applies from April 1st to October 15th and on the four Sundays in Advent. Food and beverages for immediate consumption, cut flowers, newspapers, magazines and regional goods are permitted. This could be a welcome change for many visitors and locals alike stadt.muenchen.de supplemented.

The background to these changes can be found in the Bavarian Shop Closing Act (BayLadSchlG), which has regulated opening hours for retailers in Bavaria since August 1, 2025. Shops are allowed to open until a maximum of 8 p.m. during the week before they have to close until the next morning. On weekends, however, the doors usually remain closed, which means exceptions have been made for certain points of sale such as gas stations and pharmacies, as shown on stmas.bayern.de is to be read.

Outlook for the future

The city council plans to evaluate the new regulations after one year. In the meantime, discussions with retailers, trade unions and churches have already met with a positive response. It will be exciting to see how the people of Munich react to the extended opening hours. Only time will tell whether shopping until midnight will prevail. The fact is, however, that the city is courageously taking a new path and listening to the needs of its citizens.

In a city that is always changing, this decision shows that there is room for innovation and more flexibility in the retail landscape. So we can be excited to see what will happen on the streets of Munich in the coming years.