it consisted of a celebration of music, dancing, beer and traditional german cuisine - with beer becoming the official drink of the event, complete with even a king and a queen for it.  

in the 1980s, the festival was held near the crystal palace, which marked the arrival of the original pioneers, but in 1990, the festival partnered with the municipality of petrópolis where it became a huge festival and an important tourism event for the small city.

in 2010, it grew to re-include the area of the crystal palace as well as incorporating the former bohemia brewery, the oldest brewery in brazil, as the new point of convergence and another historical site as a part of the landscape of what was the old town.

bauernfest provides a huge economical boost for the community as visitors flooding the city book 95% of the vacancies of hotels and lodges occupied.