Helen Oktoberfest, Helen Georgia

One of the Longest-Running Oktoberfests in the U.S.

Helen rebuilt its downtown into a Bavarian-style alpine village starting in 1969, and its first Oktoberfest followed in 1970. The town bills it as the longest-running Oktoberfest in the United States (La Crosse, Wisconsin, whose Oktoberfest dates to 1961, makes a similar claim). What began as a small-town nod to German heritage has grown into a roughly seven-week festival, far longer than most Oktoberfests, which wrap up in two or three weeks.

The festival centers on the Helen Festhalle, a dedicated event hall built to feel like a German beer tent, with live oompah bands, German food and beer, and dancing most nights. Outside the Festhalle, the rest of downtown Helen carries the festive atmosphere for free, with its half-timbered buildings and flower boxes already doing a lot of the work.

Key Events During the 2026 Festival

Opening weekend and parade: The festival traditionally opens with a parade through downtown Helen, along with an official keg-tapping ceremony. Helen's sister city of Fussen, Germany, a relationship going back more than 40 years, regularly sends real guests to help tap the keg.

Stein Holding Competition: A stein-holding contest, where competitors hold a full beer stein at arm's length for as long as they can, runs partway through the festival in October.

Halloween finale: Halloween, October 31, falls on the next-to-last night of the festival and typically brings a costume party at the Festhalle before the season wraps up on November 1.

Exact dates for each of these move a little from year to year, so check the Chamber of Commerce link above for the current schedule before planning a trip around a specific event.

Admission: Walking through downtown Helen during the festival is free. The Festhalle itself typically charges a cover, especially on weekend nights with live music.

When to go: Weekday visits in September and October are far less crowded than weekend nights, which draw large crowds from across the Southeast. Early fall also overlaps with peak leaf season in the surrounding mountains.

While you're there: Helen's other signature activity, tubing the Chattahoochee River, typically wraps up by early fall, but the town's shops, restaurants, and nearby waterfalls stay open year-round. See our Helen vs. Dahlonega guide if you're deciding which mountain town to base a trip around, or our Anna Ruby Falls and Dukes Creek Falls pages for nearby hikes.