Rua XV de Novembro is Blumenau's main commercial street and the best walk in the historic center. The mix of genuine 19th-century German colonial architecture and later half-timbered replicas creates a streetscape unlike anything else in Brazil. The Beer Museum, the Hering Museum, and several of the best cafes and pastry shops are all on or near this street.
On Oktoberfest weekends the street hosts the main parade, with folkloric groups, marching bands, and school groups in traditional costume processing past the old buildings. It is loud and joyful and nothing like Munich — which is the point.