Munich Climate Week: The Countdown Starts Now

From 19 to 25 October 2026, Munich will turn into a living showcase of what's possible when a city channels its collective energy into climate action, as it hosts the first-ever Munich Climate Week: a week-long, city-wide initiative bringing together hundreds of partners and events, and drawing a wide range of participants from business, academia, government, start-ups, and civil society.

The countdown has begun, and with it, an invitation: to every company, research institution, NGO, and citizen in Munich to be part of building a climate-neutral city. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to take part, from newcomers to the topic of climate, those wanting to learn how the city is preparing for a climate-resilient future, to practitioners looking to build their network in the field, and of course everyone in-between!

Why Climate Events Matter

Every year, cities around the world pause and ask themselves a version of the same question: what are we actually doing about climate change, and is it enough? Climate weeks have become one of the clearest answers. They aren't conferences behind closed doors, policy documents, or ceremonies; they're open, city-wide events: lectures, workshops, neighbourhood conversations, exhibitions, and business forums that bring climate action out of the conference hall and into the streets, offices, universities, and community centres where people actually live and work. Cities like London, New York, and Zurich have demonstrated that making climate action visible and accessible can drive greater public engagement by helping people see themselves as part of the solution.

Munich has all the ingredients to make its own climate week count. Bavaria is home to some of Europe's most ambitious climate legislation, and Munich has committed to carbon neutrality by 2035, which is fifteen years ahead of Germany's national timeline, and among the most ambitious targets of any major European city. The city's universities are producing world-class climate research, its businesses are navigating the shift to sustainable operations, and its neighbourhoods are already adapting, in how people move, what they eat, and how the city builds. The knowledge, the commitment, and the momentum are already here. What Munich hasn't had, until now, is a moment to bring all of it into one place: for the university researcher, the city planner, the small business owner, and the secondary school student to recognise each other as part of the same effort. Climate change is a new challenge for all of us; that’s why it’s so important to have a big conversation together, regardless of your level of expertise, age, or background. Munich Climate Week is open to all!

A City Comes Together

Munich Climate Week isn't built around one stage or one audience. It's dozens of neighborhoods, institutions, and industries all pursuing the same opportunity from different angles and coming together to share what's working and what’s still needed. Each event across the week is independently organised, reflecting the priorities of the organisation running it. Together, they make the case that Munich isn't waiting to be told what to do about climate change; it's already doing it.

Anyone can host an event, offer a venue, or apply to speak, which is what allows the programme to grow from hundreds of individual contributions rather than a single curated agenda. Since the initiative launched in April, its partner network has grown from 60 founding partners to over 150. It includes many of Munich's NGOs, the organisations that were working on climate before it had a seat at the table, through advocacy, conservation, community action, and holding institutions to account. Their presence is part of what makes this week impactful.

As Munich's Mayor Dominik Krause – who serves as patron of Munich Climate Week – puts it, reaching the city's goal of becoming climate-neutral and resilient depends on close cooperation between many partners. Munich Climate Week exists to celebrate exactly that: the dedication and creativity with which stakeholders across sectors are already building concrete climate solutions.

Energy connects to mobility, mobility connects to health, finance shapes what gets built in the first place; climate is a systems challenge, and no single sector or technology solves it alone. That's why Munich Climate Week welcomes businesses, governments, academia, start-ups, finance, civil society, and citizens alike: every actor has a role to play in a city-wide effort that only works when it's genuinely city-wide.

This spirit is captured in Munich Climate Week's manifesto, which frames climate action as a chance to build stronger economies, healthier communities, more resilient cities, and a better quality of life for everyone. Rather than expecting perfection, it invites everyone taking part – from a founder-led start-up to an environmental NGO to members of the general public – to share their own story: the impact they're making today, and the next step they're excited to take.

The programme spans 14 themes in total, each one a different perspective on how a city turns climate ambition into climate action: from technology and finance to governance, mobility, health, and beyond. Over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring each of these themes in turn, outlining why they matter in light of climate change and how they relate to life in Munich and the city’s future. Alongside this, we will be sharing interviews with our partners, as well as detailed insights into some of the planned events.

Join the Countdown

Munich Climate Week takes place for the first time from 19 to 25 October 2026. Whether you want to host an event, offer a venue, speak, or simply attend, there's a place for you in the programme. The organising team is also looking for volunteers to help bring the very first Munich Climate Week to life, and if you know someone who runs an organisation that could host an event, works in sustainability, or simply cares about what Munich does next, pass this along. The more people who know about Munich Climate Week before October, the bigger the conversation will be when the week arrives.

Learn more and get involved at munichclimateweek.com