The 25th International AIDS Congress will take place in Munich from July 22 to 26, 2024. This is a great success for the state capital of Munich and we are delighted to have the opportunity to host the congress here. We have put together a guide with ideas for your visit.
In a few days, the 25th International AIDS Congress will start at Messe München. Clemens Baumgärtner and Prof. Dr. Spinner are delighted that the congress is being held here in Munich.
The Spectacular in front of City Hall, a dachshund (Dackel) with a red AIDS ribbon, welcomes participants to the upcoming World AIDS Congress, starting on Monday at Messe München.
The dachshund has been a symbol of Munich and a popular figure not only since the 1972 Olympics.
We had the great pleasure of getting together in front of the Spectacular with some of the figures that made the congress possible here in town.
Pictures of the spectacular in front of New Town Hall at Marienplatz can be downloaded here or as zip-file here (12mb).
#PutPeopleFirst! This is the motto of this year's congress, which will take place from July 22 to 26, 2024. You can look forward to a varied and diverse supporting programme.
The Global Village is a diverse and vibrant space where communities from all over the world connect, share and learn from each other. We curate the programme from public applications from individuals, groups and organizations working across the response to HIV. Interest is high: this year, we accepted about a third of 650-plus strong submissions.
In the Global Village, communities demonstrate the application of science and good leadership. Both delegates and the public in Munich are invited to see how science translates into community action and intervention.
Entrance, as always, is free!
Location
Messe München, Hall A1 and A2
Opening
July 21, 2024, 10:30 to 6pm
July 22, 2024, 10:30 to 5pm
July 23 to 25, 2024, 10:30 to 6pm
View the Global Village programme.
The Münchener Kammerorchester (Munich Chamber Orchestra), in cooperation with the Bavarian State Opera and the Department of Labor and Economic Development, invites you to a top class benefit concert for the Munich AIDS–Hilfe on Wednesday, July 24, 8 p.m. in the Prinzregententheater. The concert is being held as part of the 25th International AIDS Conference, which is taking place in Munich from July 22 to 26.
Internationally renowned soloists from the State Opera will perform with the MKO for a good cause. Under the direction of Ivor Bolton, soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, tenor Pavol Breslik and violinist Arabella Steinbacher will perform a varied program with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice Ravel and Astor Piazzolla.
The subsequent event in the theater's Gartensaal offers concertgoers the opportunity to talk about the concert and donate to AIDS-Hilfe. The event is supported by ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences.
All proceeds from the concert will go to Munich AIDS–Hilfe, which has been committed to solidarity, diversity, self-determination and holistic health in the city for 40 years. The concert follows on from the successful series of AIDS concerts that the MKO performed in the Prinzregententheater between 2007 and 2019 for the benefit of Münchner AIDS-Hilfe.
Tickets
Tickets cost between 22 and 94 euros and are available here.
Location
Prinzregententheater
Date
July 24, 2024, 8pm
Together with the Global Black Gay Men Connect Organisation, the Harry Klein and Rote Sonne clubs are organising a charity event. Queer artists from the BIPOC scene will provide musical and acrobatic entertainment! Admission is free and all visitors receive a free drink, but donations are requested, 100% of which will go to the organisation, which campaigns for equality, visibility and justice for BIPOC people worldwide.
Tickets:
Free event, but tickets in the form of donations can be purchased in advance here.
Location:
Rote Sonne
Date:
24 July 2024
The best way to get to the 25th International AIDS Conference at Messe München is by public transport: U-Bahn line 2 and several buses run to Messestadt West. On-site parking spaces are limited: The multi-storey car park at Messe München has around 4,650 parking spaces, with an additional 9,000 parking spaces on the outdoor exhibition grounds.
Further information: Verkehrs-Verbund-München (MVV).
There are numerous ways for holidaymakers and visitors to get around Munich. But what is the easiest and quickest way to get from A to B? We have collected important tips and information on mobility in Munich.
If you are travelling to Munich for the International AIDS Congress, you should combine your stay with a visit to the sights or a guided city tour. On this overview page you will find the 20 most important sights in Munich. Many of them are located in the city centre and can be easily discovered on foot.
Anyone travelling to Marienplatz has the world-famous Frauenkirche (cathedral), the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) and the Viktualienmarkt just around the corner. One stop further on, at Odeonsplatz, you will find the Residenz (city palace), the Feldherrnhalle and the Theatinerkirche (church). It is also worth making a detour to Schwabing and Maxvorstadt – here you will find the Englischer Garten, one of the largest parks in the world, and the Kunstareal with its dozens of museums and galleries.
On a city tour, a certified guide will tell you all about the highlights of Munich. You can do this on foot, by bike or by rickshaw. The Old Town tour, the guided tour of the Hofbräuhaus or a tasting tour of the Viktualienmarkt are particularly popular. However, you can also discover Munich on a sightseeing tour: On the hop-on hop-off tour, a blue double-decker bus takes you from one major sight to the next.
August in Munich also means midsummer: the city is emptier than usual because the whole of Bavaria is on summer holidays. This is another reason why the month is particularly suitable for a visit. You can spontaneously find a place everywhere – in the outdoor pool, in the beer garden or on one of the fantastic roof terraces. If you don't want to pay admission, you can also go swimming in the Isar or in one of the beautiful bathing lakes in and around Munich.
The best way to explore Munich in summer is by bike. In the city centre and neighbourhoods close to the centre, such as Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and the Glockenbachviertel, you can get everywhere quickly. It's a sustainable way to get from one ice cream parlour to the next park, from the open-air cinema to the courtyard flea market.
Munich's surrounding area is worth a visit at any time of year. In summer, of course, the swimming lakes, cycle tours or a few easy hikes are worthwhile. The most popular destinations in the warmer months include the lakes Starnberger See, Ammersee, Walchensee and Chiemsee. If you want to stop for a bite to eat on the mountain, you will find what you are looking for in our mountain hut guide.
The LGBTQ* scene in Munich has a long history: as well as being one of the first cities to hold Christopher Street Day celebrations (the German and Swiss equivalent to Gay Pride), the Munich-based political party Rosa Liste was the first gay and lesbian electoral group in Europe to take up seats on a local council, in the 90s. But much earlier than that even, at the end of the 60s, the Ochsengarten opened here: one of Germany's first leather bars. Its visitors since then have included Freddie Mercury, who would go there for impromptu birthday celebrations and drag parties. Many LGBTQ* events and venues were and still are based in the Glockenbachviertel district, though a number of queer locations and events can also be found in other areas of Munich.
If you're looking to start your evening in a cosy bar, the Glockenbachviertel is still the best place to go. Although there are not as many specifically gay bars and clubs here as there were in the 1980s and '90s, there are several venues in the area which always attract a good crowd. Younger revellers in particular are very comfortable partying in mixed bars these days. Wednesday is generally known as “gay day”, when the area is buzzing with young people and the bar is open for the evening at the Diversity Café, a queer meeting place for young people and adults aged up to 27.
Another popular meeting spot for pre-drinks is Kraftwerk, as happy hour drinkers can grab a €1 beer or enjoy a cocktail offer. Located at the corner of Müllerstrasse and Thalkirchner Strasse, this cafe-bar is particularly lively in summer – clientele come for coffee, cake and snacks during the day, and drinks and burgers in the evenings. If it’s too busy for you there though, you could try your luck at the Ksar Bar on Müllerstrasse – a pub that always brings in a lot of gay patrons on Wednesdays. For the slightly older crowd, gay bar Café Nil is a comfortable spot which opens at noon and offers a menu featuring simple dishes such as schnitzel, alongside its drinks offering.
The Edelheiss in Glockenbachviertel is all about traditional Bavarian dress and an older crowd. It gets crowded during Oktoberfest, though for the rest of the year it's a fine place to enjoy a relaxed drink at the bar and the traditional ambience. It's worth knowing that bearded punters get their second beer on the house here, every Thursday after 8.00 pm! Visitors are drawn to Bar Rendezvous on Müllerstrasse for its summer terrace and soundtrack of cheery pop “schlager” music. Though it's not a particularly big place, when the karaoke gets going the atmosphere here is like no other!
Anyone who lives for happy hour and a breakfast of Weißwurst (Bavarian veal sausage) should definitely pay a visit to Bar Zur Feuerwache. Bar Ochsengarten has survived through the gentrification of the neighbourhood, having opened as Germany’s first leather fetish bar for men in 1967 – and you can still have a great evening here! Munich's largest dark room, Camp bar, is located beside Ochsengarten.
If you want to go dancing, you should head to lively Club Prosecco, which you'll find on a side street off Müllerstrasse. There are regular Gay Schlager music parties here, but the venue also draws a crowd for its After-Oktoberfest, Easter and Christmas events. The Blitz Music Club, found on the same island as the Deutsches Museum, is very LGBTQ*-friendly – and its top-notch line-up makes it one of the most popular techno clubs in the city, where revellers can party until dawn. There are no limits on the outrageousness of outfits at the Blitz – you can even go topless if you like. Though there are always gay and lesbian clubbers here, the venue also holds two monthly events which are especially geared towards the LGBTQ* scene: Playground and Cruise.
As well as the many clubs which are part of Munich's LGBTQ* scene, there are also various regular club nights which take place in different venues around the city. One relative newcomer to the scene is Lovers Munich, a young party collective whose regular balls – which include dance contests and dressing-up events – are very popular. If the Lovers aren't in residence at the Senatore Bar or Utopia, you can probably spot these living works of art wandering around the Kunst Block Balve art and cultural venue. This is where the collective organises its regular CREAM event, Munich’s first sex-positive party. The drag scene is also well represented in Munich. The performances of Vicky Voyage, Ruby Tuesday and other drag artists, who entertain the audience with comedy, revues, drag shows and readings, have become legendary.
The NY Club is another firm fixture on the gay club scene, as it is Munich's only exclusively gay club. Freddie Mercury has danced here! The crowd is very young, especially on Fridays, and the music is poppy. Saturdays draw a somewhat older crowd, as the DJ plays house and electro music. Just a stone's throw away, LGBTQ* parties are held every first Friday of the month at the Palais Bar & Club. For after-hours drinks, you can head to Pimpernel, which is open daily and plays house and techno. Although it is not explicitly a gay venue, the club is extremely LGBTQ*-friendly.
If you're looking for lesbian club nights, you could head to DJanes Delight, for example – though the crowd here is a little older. A younger, more eccentric crowd can be found at the regular She-La night, which takes place in the G3 Club & Lounge. Other key events for gay women include the Amazonas party nights and 8below's regular Uschi Einhorn nights and Pink Heaven parties for very young guests. The Harry Klein also organises the Marry Klein feminist club festival every year: an entire month during which there are exclusively women on the turntables, and which is very lesbian-friendly. For regular updates, you can subscribe to the mailing list for the events organised by the feminist WUT collective or the LeZ centre (lesbian and queer centre).
