Oktoberfest of Blumenau
The Oktoberfest of Blumenau is a festival of German traditions that happens in middle October in the city of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is considered the 2nd biggest German festival in the Americas, and the third biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the world after the original Oktoberfest from Munich.
It takes place at Parque Vila Germânica, located in the Bairro da Velha, and lasts for 18 days.
History
The Oktoberfest of Blumenau was created in 1984, after a big flood of the Itajaí-Açu river, with the objective of recuperating the city's economy and raising the morale of its inhabitants. Even before that, owners of industries and commercial buildings in the city were already planning to start a festival like the original from Munich, but the flood was an important event that set the festival in motion. Since its first edition it has been a success, and today it has an attendance of about than 700,000/year. The event features folk dance , shooting matches, German singing, folk costume and German cuisine. "Fritz" and "Frida" are the typical German characters. The "Vovó e Vovô Chopão''" are the official symbolic characters of the event.In August 2020, officials cited the COVID-19 pandemic as grounds to push back the dates to November. But by early October, they decided to go on hiatus until 2022. The festival returned in October 2022.