Alpine Fun at the Annual Helen Georgia Oktoberfest
Did you know that the longest-running Oktoberfest in the United States happens in Helen in the North Georgia mountains each year? Join the town of Helen this Fall to celebrate the annual Helen Oktoberfest!
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest 2025
Helen Oktoberfest 2025 starts on September 4th and lasts over seven weeks! Below are details on how to enjoy Helen’s most popular annual event.
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Helen Georgia Oktoberfest 2025
The 2025 Helen GA Oktoberfest dates are from September 4 through November 2. Make plans now to attend the festivities with the details below.
So, what should you expect at the annual Oktoberfest event in Helen?
Fussen Biergarten Helen GA Oktoberfest
The alpine mountain town of Helen looks like a Bavarian village all year round, but this small town packs extra oomph during Oktoberfest. In addition to the lively German music and attire, expect to find plenty of beer, wine, and traditional German foods, including pretzels, brats, and sauerkraut!
The weather may still be hot as festivities start in September—you may even find yourself sweating in your lederhosen! Take advantage of the warmer temperatures and float down the Chattahoochee River on a sunny afternoon.
Helen GA Things Do Tubing Oktoberfest
As the event nears its close in late October, the weather will be cooler, and the Georgia mountains will burst with gorgeous fall colors. Check the weather forecast in advance and dress accordingly to ensure your comfort.
Traffic can slow down considerably during peak hours, so give yourself extra time for travel. The biggest crowds show up when the fall colors of the leaves in the mountains are at their most colorful peak — this annual display attracts thousands of people to enjoy the natural beauty and coincides with the Oktoberfest schedule. Many hotels and cabins are fully booked during these weekends, so be sure to book your lodging in advance for the best selection.
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Schedule
Helen Oktoberfest Festhalle in Helen GA in 2023
You will find that the entire Helen village gets wrapped up in the spirit of Oktoberfest, but the main event happens at the Helen Festhalle at 1074 Edelweiss Strasse. Check the Helen GA Oktoberfest calendar below and make plans to attend the festivities!
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Dates 2025
Alpine Helen Oktoberfest 2025 Schedule
The 2025 Helen Ga Oktoberfest starts on Thursday, September 4th, and runs through Sunday, November 2nd. The Helen Georgia Oktoberfest schedule is
- September 4 – September 21: open Thursdays – Sundays
- September 25 – September 30: open daily
- October 1 – October 31: open daily
- November 1 – November 2: open daily
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Hours
The official Oktoberfest events run long weekends (Thursdays – Sundays) from September 4th through September 21st. Starting September 25th, the Oktoberfest events are celebrated daily at the Festhalle!
Helen Oktoberfest is a family-friendly event. It offers half-price admission for kids (ages 6 to 12) and free entry for kids aged five and under. Active and retired military personnel receive free admission with a valid military ID. Plus, to top it off, everyone gets FREE admission to Helen Oktoberfest on Sundays! Save $5 on weekend admission with a combo Friday/Saturday pass for $25.
- SUN (FREE) • 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- MON ($10) • 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm
- TUE ($10) • 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm
- WED ($10) • 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm
- THU ($10) • 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm
- FRI ($15) • 6:00 pm – 12:00 am
- SAT ($15) • 1:00 pm – 12:00 am
Purchase your tickets at the door for the Helen Oktoberfest. Groups of 25 or more can request a group package with advance reservation & prepayment only.
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Parade 2025
There is an Oktoberfest parade on the first Saturday of Oktoberfest to kick off the annual festival. The 2025 Oktoberfest parade Helen GA is on Saturday, September 6th, at 12:00 pm.
Get there early to find a great viewing spot along the Helen Oktoberfest parade route:
- Parade starts on Edelweiss Strasse near the Festhalle
- Turns left onto Chattahoochee Strasse
- Turns right onto Main Street
- Ends at Betty’s Country Store
The Oktoberfest parade route in Helen can also be viewed on the map of Helen GA Oktoberfest below.
Immediately following the parade, visitors (ages 21+) can attend the traditional annual keg-tapping events scheduled around town.
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest 2025 Keg Tapping
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest 2023 Keg Tapping Schedule
Visitors aged 21+ are invited to join the Helen Oktoberfest keg-tapping events around town. These events happen on Saturday afternoons during the first half of Oktoberfest. Bring $10 cash for daily participation. The 2023 Keg Tapping schedule was (check back close to the start of Oktoberfest to see updated schedules for 2025):
- Saturday, September 9th
- 1:30 pm – Helen Festhalle
- 3:00 pm – Cafe International
- 3:30 pm – Christoff’s 76
- 4:00 pm – Bodensee
- Saturday, September 16th
- 12:00 pm – Cowboys & Angels
- 12:30 pm – The Troll Tavern
- 1:00 pm – Alpine Brew Deck
- 1:30 pm – King Ludwig Biergarten
- Saturday, September 23rd
- 12:00 pm – Slice of Helen
- 12:30 pm – Bigg Daddy’s
- 1:00 pm – Bangkok
- 1:30 pm – Lacabana
- Saturday, September 30th
- 12:00 pm – Hofbrauhaus
- 1:00 pm – Betty’s Country Store
- 1:30 pm – Alpine Pizza Garden
- 2:00 pm – Two Tire Tavern
- 2:30 pm – Hofer’s Bakery and Cafe
- Saturday, October 7th
- 12:00 pm – McCoyne’s Brewery
- 1:00 pm – Chattahoochee Dog Haus
- 1:30 pm – Sweet Acre Farms Wine
- 2:00 pm – Monday’s Pub
- 2:30 pm – Spice55
See the interactive Helen GA Oktoberfest map below to help plan your trip.
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest 2025 Bands
Enjoy authentic live German music at the Helen Festhalle throughout Oktoberfest. Two great bands perform each week, and the music starts 30 minutes after the doors open each day.
The 2025 Helen Oktoberfest band schedule includes some of the top acts performing Oktoberfest favorites.
- September 4 – 7 with music from Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express and Festhaus Musig
- September 11 – 14 with music from Polka Cola and Bavarski
- September 18 – 21 with music from Martin Gross und sein Sonnenschein Express and Autobahn Karl
- September 25 – 28 with music from Prost and Das Haus
- September 29 – October 5 with music from Zweifel Brothers and The Sauerkrauts (40th reunion)
- October 6 – 12 with music from Alex Meixner Band and Aaron Dussing Band
- October 13 – 19 with music from Alpenmusikanten and Sonnenschnapps
- October 20 – 26 with music from Europa and Mollie B and Friends
- October 27 – November 2 with music from Johnny Koenig Band and duoAlpenEchos
Arrive early for the best seats, or spend the entire time doing traditional dances on the Festhalle dance floor!
You can also find great bands at other places throughout Helen – click here to learn more about the top places for live music in Helen all year long!
Helen Oktoberfest Food Menu
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Food Menu
The Helen Festhalle serves traditional German favorites like bratwurst, sauerkraut, leberkase, and German potato salad. Snackable standards like nachos, hot dogs, and cookies are available for picky eaters in your group.
Outside of the Festhalle, Helen is known for many great restaurants with German food and drink!
Helen Oktoberfest Lodging
There are many different options for lodging in Helen during Oktoberfest, but be sure to book in advance as most Helen hotels and rentals will sell out on peak Oktoberfest dates.
For the best experience, try to find a place within walking distance from downtown Helen. It’s a great time of year to be outside for a walk around town, plus vehicle traffic can be especially busy during Oktoberfest.
Helen Cabin Rentals
Many of the great vacation rentals in Helen are within walking distance of the center of Helen village. Choose from amazing Helen cabins, including riverfront rentals, or find rental houses, condos, and cottages. Find pet-friendly cabins in Helen or something big enough for a large group!
Helen Hotels & Motels
Stay with familiar brands and find perks, including free breakfast, parking, and internet access. Earn free nights or loyalty points with select rates. Find the best prices and search multiple hotel properties/brands with online travel agencies like Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, and Booking.com.
Helen Camping
Get a little closer to nature with a stay at a campground. Find primitive campsites and glamping options, or rent an RV for your camping trip.
Helen Oktoberfest Transportation
Helen Georgia Oktoberfest Main Street
The popular Oktoberfest event sees the small town of Helen (population 543) swell to greet thousands of visitors each year. This can stretch transportation resources like taxi companies, making finding a driver when you need one most challenging. Make plans in advance to ensure you get home safely.
- If possible, book Helen lodging within walking distance of festivities, and don’t drive during Oktoberfest
- If you will be drinking and cannot walk home, designate a sober driver or arrange for other transportation
- Visitors from nearby cities may find tour bus excursions that include transportation to Helen and back
- Local taxi service is available from Alpine Taxi at +1 (706) 969-5311
- For trips within Helen, you can opt for a horse-drawn carriage to take to you into town and back (service area and business hours are very limited)
- Alpine Carriage Company +1 (706) 892-8134
- Pegasus Horse Drawn Carriages +1 (706) 499-1159
- Rideshare apps (Lyft and Uber) do not show Helen as a city that they serve, but drivers may be in the area during peak times (it is not advised to count on this option)
What to Take to the 2025 Helen Oktoberfest
Plan and make sure you have everything you need during the festival.
Oktoberfest Essentials
You need only a festive spirit to enjoy yourself at the Helen Oktoberfest. Carry these essentials to ensure you have everything you need for a memorable trip!
- Take your ID – most places in Helen have a strict policy to check everyone’s ID
- Carry cash – many places do accept credit cards, but cash is often a preferred method to tip servers and musicians
- Wear an easy-to-carry crossbody bag to keep important items close while dining and dancing
- A unique beer stein can be as fun and festive as you’d like – plus, it will always stand out in a crowd!
- Carry a water bottle to make sure you stay hydrated during long days and nights of festivities
Dressing for Oktoberfest
Although dressing up for Oktoberfest is not required, you may find that it helps you to enjoy yourself just a little more. 😉
Oktoberfest Clothing for Men
Men can enjoy getting into the Oktoberfest spirit with a traditional and festive checkered trachten shirt, or add a festive pair of Lederhosen for extra oomph!
Octoberfest Clothing for Women
A dirndl dress is a traditional choice that fits in perfectly at Oktoberfest celebrations. Be aware that the way the knot is tied on the dirndl may signify relationship status — a knot on the left means single, a knot on the right means taken, a knot in the center may signify virginity, and a knot in the back can indicate a widow or a waitress!
- Oktoberfest Accessories – add an extra touch of fun with Oktoberfest-themed accessories like hats, socks, earrings, and glasses
- Oktoberfest Clothing for Children
- Kids can choose to get in on the fun by getting fully dressed up
- Kids can also add a fun accessory to any outfit
- Oktoberfest for Pets – If you are traveling with your dog (note that only documented service dogs are allowed into the Helen Festhalle), you may also want to dress up your pet for Oktoberfest
Additional Helen Oktoberfest Resources
The official events will be held at the Helen Festhalle, 1074 Edelweiss Strasse, Helen, GA, but many other restaurants and places in Helen will also participate in other ways.
Enjoy a beer under the tent at Hofbrauhaus for 2025 Oktoberfest Helen GA
Check with your favorite local businesses to find other interesting Helen GA things do during the weeks of Oktoberfest celebrations. Look for live music performances, extended hours, and more!
Helen Oktoberfest Interactive Map
Use the interactive map of downtown Helen, Georgia, to find the Kickoff Parade route, the Keg Tapping stops, the main festival hall, and more!
Staying Safe at Helen Oktoberfest
While the festive environment usually brings out the best in people, law enforcement officers will help with crowd control and ensure that everyone has a great time.
If someone in your group needs legal advice or assistance, contact Corales Law for a free consultation. This Georgia legal team has years of experience and can answer your questions over the phone at (678) 961-3999. You can reach them at any time.
Helen Georgia Links
Visit these links to learn more about things to do in Helen, GA, in October and all year round!
- Helen, GA – best places to stay
- Helen, GA – best restaurants
- Helen, GA – best places for live music
- Helen Chamber of Commerce – official Oktoberfest website
- Oktoberfest Festhalle Friends, Helen, Georgia – Facebook group
Learn more about this local Oktoberfest event with Helen Oktoberfest videos on TikTok and YouTube.
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Helen Oktoberfest 2025
Have you been to one of the annual Helen Oktoberfest events? What are you looking forward to this year?
I have never heard about Helen Georgia Octoberfest before. It sounds a lot of fun and a wonderful way to meet new people from all around the world. VRBO vacation rentals looks like a wonderful opportunity to rent a cozy wooden cabin. It sounds like a thing I have to explore some time!
Thanks for sharing this awsome guide with us! It makes it much easier to plan the Octoberfest!
Al tthe best,
Fred.
Oktoberfest is a wonderful time to visit the Georgia mountains, and Helen is full of people celebrating the event everywhere.
Having a place to stay in town is the best way to wander around and take in all of the spirit. It’s a great time to plan for this right now as lodging usually gets filled up on the busiest weekends in October / November. VRBO has a great selection of unique owner-leased cabins to choose from!
This is amazing because I love Oktoberfest and I never knew this place existed in Georgia about an hour and a half northeast of where my sister lives in Alpharetta. I will not be able to make it this year but I will definitely make it a point to get there next year. Being so close, I will be able to save money and not need lodging.
I really like the architecture of the town. I find it interesting as to why it all looks like a Bavarian town in the Appalachian Mountains of a southern U.S. state. The prices for admission are very reasonable and the food and drink menu items is making me hungry right now. It’s great how long it runs. Something to look forward to on the weekends.
How cool that you have family so close and that you’ll be able to check it out in 2020. That will be the 50th anniversary of the event so I’m betting it will be even more fun during that milestone!
Oh My Goodness! If I didn’t know any better I would think this was in the heart of Bavaria! Oktoberfest in Helen makes our local Oktoberfest (that lasts only 3 or 4 days) look like a half-baked cake walk.
This destination in definitely going on my future road-trip itinerary.
Thank you for including links to purchase authentic clothing (for people AND pets!) The web cam is a brilliant idea – a majority of us are so visual, this added dimension is a great motivator to visit the Georgia mountains and attend this awesome festival!
Now, back to the web cam!
I’m glad you enjoyed the Oktoberfest clothing links… I figure it’s easier to share a few ideas / options for everyone than to start looking from scratch!
I’ve been enjoying the webcam as well, although it’s too bad it only shows a small area of the overall Oktoberfest festival. When the weather is so nice, most people will stay outside near the Chattahoochee River and move inside later when things cool off.
Hi,
Excellent article about alpine fun at the annual Helen ga Octoberfest. I really enjoyed this post. Although, I don’t tour that much my nephew is a world tour person. Whenever he gets the time and any occasion, he will never miss anything. So I am going to share with him and I am sure he will definitely this post helpful, as you explain everything from accommodation, food everything. Thanks a lot.
Thank you for sharing! One of the best parts of Oktoberfest is getting to meet the wide variety of people who travel from all over the world!!
Oh my goodness I just happened to run accross this and glad I did. This brought back a few memories, I am so glad to see the Oktoberfest is still going strong in Helen. I have been to a few of them over 20 years ago when I was a young un LOL . Boy it has also grown and become quite a festival it looks like. Makes me miss the Ga mountains.
The Georgia mountains have always been beautiful, but they have definitely seen growth in the last 20 years. In addition to the long running Helen Oktoberfest, there are now dozens of vineyards and lots of new, unique attractions to enjoy. I hope you can make it back for a visit soon!!
Oktoberfest is one of my all-time favorite festivals and I’m always looking for great places outside of Munich to visit and celebrate. As such I’m thrilled to come across your post here. That Helen Oktoberfest is in it’s 49th year is really outstanding. Not only does Helen look like an amazing place to visit throughout the year, it’s looks especially inviting during Oktoberfest. The foliage sounds fantastic. I will save your post and try my best to get to Helen this year, but if not definitely next year!
Wonderful – please let me know if I can answer any questions about Helen or the North Georgia Mountains for you as you plan for your trip!
This is one of the longest period of celebration I have ever seen or heard in my entire life and it sounds like fun for me. I would really love to experience this Oktoberfest because of the love I have for German food and eventually they’re would be bear also. I hardly attend festivals or large gatherings like this but with the awesomeness of this colourful festival as described above, I can’t wait to be a part of it. Thanks for this nice article.
The Helen Oktoberfest is definitely a fun event – it’s just started but will continue throughout October so there is still plenty of time to enjoy the festivities!
Hello; Alpine Fun at the Annual Helen “Octoberfest” seems to be very attractive to people from all walks of life. I would like to join in the Fun. Looking at the Cabin image helps me to imagine what fun must be included in the event. I would not mind walking around as much as I can — mostly due to the vehicular traffic.
It would help me to know Helen much better. as also allows me to interact with some local village folks.
Dorcas
Oktoberfest is one of the best times to visit Helen and meet the locals and tourists from all over as well!
Hello,
It’s been some time since I’ve been to an Oktoberfest. I really appreciate the time and effort you’ve put forth here.
I’ll be honest here, I’m not much of a beer guy but I am all about food.
Sadly, this is a bit last-minute for me but I’m seeing what I can find in VRBO and AirBNB and hope to make it work this year. If not, I’ll have to make advanced plans for next year and live vicariously through the live webcam!
Thanks again,
Scott
Hi Scott, the Helen Oktoberfest just kicked off yesterday but continues throughout the month of October. It may be challenging to find lodging in town if you want to stay overnight, but the other nearby towns should still have rooms available. And of course, there is always next year!