Oktoberfest

Helen, GA, is located 1 hour and 5 minutes from Blue Ridge, GA, or 49 miles through beautiful North GA Mountain country.

The banks of the Chattahoochee River come to life in Helen, Georgia, during the fall with ompah music and Bavarian bier. For 50 years, Georgia's famous Oktoberfest transformed Alpine Helen into the ultimate North Georgia party town. Polka with dancers in native costume, eat Bavarian food and enjoy the festival into the wee hours of the morning. Beer, brats, bands, and Lederhosen - the Helen Oktoberfest has them all.

Helen, Georgia, became known as a tourist capital shortly after changing its appearance to look like a town in the Bavarian Alps. Good-natured Pete Hodkinson, one of the four men responsible for revitalizing Helen, also created Oktoberfest, copied from the Bavarian town of Munich.

In 1810, Munich, the capital of Bavaria, hosted a royal wedding, and the two-week-long party filled the streets with revelers. The party continued through the years, growing bigger with time. People at the Oktoberfest would drink a unique Bavarian bier called Marzen. This thick brew, which is traditionally served during the autumn, is noted for its high alcohol content and full flavor.

Although the entire town participates in the Oktoberfest, Oompah-central is the Festhalle, where the bands play throughout the day. It is here that cold beer and hot off-the-grill German-style wursts (sausages) are served. A parade, normally on the first Saturday of the festival, kicks off the celebration. 

Visit Blue Ridge during the fall and plan your daytrip excursion to nearby Helen!