Vila Germânica

Vila Germânica is the center of Blumenau's Oktoberfest — a purpose-built park designed as a Bavarian village, complete with half-timbered buildings, beer halls, and folkloric architecture. During the festival in October it holds tens of thousands of people; outside festival season it functions as a pleasant park with restaurants, craft shops, and a year-round German atmosphere.

Even if you are not visiting during Oktoberfest, a walk through Vila Germânica gives the clearest sense of what Blumenau is celebrating about itself. The kitsch is knowing and good-humored; the beer is genuine. The park is about 2 km from the historic center.

things to do sight
A story
The park was built in the 1980s specifically to host Oktoberfest, which had outgrown its original downtown venue. The half-timbered buildings were constructed as a permanent Bavarian village backdrop — a deliberate act of cultural theatre. During the 10 months of the year when the festival is not running, locals come here for the restaurants, the souvenir shops, and the quietly surreal experience of a Bavarian marketplace in subtropical Brazil.