The Oktoberfest of Blumenau is a festival of German traditions that happens in middle October in the city of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. [1] It is considered the 2nd biggest German festival in the Americas, [2] [3] and the third biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the world after the original Oktoberfest from Munich. [4]
It takes place at Parque Vila Germânica (Germanic Village Park), located in the Bairro da Velha (District of the Old Woman), and lasts for 18 days.
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. [1] 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. [2] [3] 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 (Tanzgruppen), shooting matches (Schützenvereine), German singing, folk costume and German cuisine. "Fritz" and "Frida" are the typical German characters. The "Vovó e Vovô Chopão" (Grandma and Grandpa Chopão, "Big Beer") are the official symbolic characters of the event. [5]
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. [6]
A Queen of Oktoberfest is chosen every year. There are 10 candidates, who must compete wearing costumes in the categories of posture, resourcefulness on the catwalk, communication skills, beauty, and friendliness. If there are more than 10 candidates, there is a pre-selection. The first 3 are classified; the 1st place is elected as the Queen of Oktoberfest, followed by the 1st and 2nd Princess of Oktoberfest. [7]
The National Competition of Chopp in Meter Drinkers is a competition that takes place during the event. By its rules, the competitor has to drink one meter of beer (600ml tulip) without drooling or taking the tulip off the mouth, the winner being whoever drinks in the least amount of time. Each night of the competition there is a winner, and at the end of the event it is known who has the fastest time on all days of competition in the two suits, male and female. [8]
Frankenmuth is a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,987 at the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by Frankenmuth Township. Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, which bills itself as "the World's Largest Christmas Store", is located in Frankenmuth.
Santa Catarina is a state in the South Region of Brazil. Of Brazil's 26 states, it is the 7th smallest state in total area and the 11th most populous. Additionally, it is the 9th largest settlement, with 295 municipalities. The state, with 3.4% of the Brazilian population, generates 3.8% of the national GDP.
Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina state, in the South Region of Brazil, 130 km (81 mi) from the state capital Florianópolis.
Pomerode is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the largest cities in the state.
Beer is a major part of German culture. German beer is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, which permits only water, hops, and malt as ingredients; and stipulates that beers not exclusively using barley-malt, such as wheat beer, must be top-fermented.
Augustiner-Bräu is a brewery in Munich, Germany. Established in 1328, it is Munich's oldest independent brewery. The company is owned by the Edith Haberland Wagner Trust 51% and the Inselkammer-Family 49%.
Jaraguá do Sul is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
Paulaner is a German brewery, established in 1634 in Munich by the Paulaner Order of mendicant friars. Now owned by the Schörghuber family, it is one of the six breweries which provides beer for Oktoberfest. Paulaner ranks number six among Germany's best-selling beers.
Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest is an annual nine-day festival in the twin cities of Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Based on the original German Oktoberfest, it is billed as Canada's Greatest Bavarian Festival, and is the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world. It is held every October, starting on the Friday before Canadian Thanksgiving and running until the Saturday after. Estimates indicate that the event attracts roughly 700,000 visitors to Waterloo Region, Ontario every year.
A beer festival is an event at which a variety of beers are available for purchase. There may be a theme, for instance beers from a particular area, or a particular brewing style such as winter ales.
A Volksfest is a large event in German-speaking countries which usually combines a beer festival or wine festival and a travelling funfair. Attractions may include amusement rides, games of chance and skill, and food and merchandise vendors.
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants.
The Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or late-September to around the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event. Locally, it is called d'Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.
Vale do Itajaí also known as Vale Europeu is a mesoregion located in the Northeastern part of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It has about 1.3 million inhabitants and comprises four smaller regions: Blumenau, Itajaí, Ituporanga and Rio do Sul. Most of the population is of German and Italian ancestry.
Lager is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage", as the beer was stored before drinking, traditionally in the same cool caves in which it was fermented.
The National Beer Festival is Argentina's version of the German Oktoberfest. It has taken place every October since 1963, except 2020. This festival attracts thousands of tourists for two consecutive weekends. Today it is the largest in Latin America after Oktoberfest of Blumenau, Brazil.
Bauernfest is a festival of Germanic traditions that takes place in the city of Petrópolis, in highlands region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The festivities occurs since the period of the Germanic colonization, but only gaining form in the 20th century. It occurs annually during the month of July.
There are a series of tents at the Oktoberfest, which are operated by different Wiesn-hosts and in which some come from a long tradition. Some tents belong to the local breweries. The setup work for the tents often begins three months before the start of the festival.
Oktoberfest may refer to:
Miss Santa Catarina is a Brazilian Beauty pageant which selects the representative for the State of Santa Catarina at the Miss Brazil contest. The pageant was created in 1955 and has been held every year since with the exception of 1990–1991, and 1993. The pageant is held annually with representation of several municipalities. Since 2021, the State director of Miss Santa Catarina is, Marcelo Sóes.
Coordinates: 26°54′55.68″S49°5′2.54″W / 26.9154667°S 49.0840389°W