The city of Blumenau has a very diverse economy and is currently one of the most important textile centers in Latin America. Commercially the city is known for its excellent table, bed, bath and sports fashion items. Annually celebrate the Beer Festival, the second most important in Brazil and attracts millions of tourists during the 18 days of its duration. This party was born in 1984 with the purpose of making the inhabitants of the city happy after two large floods of the Itajaí-Açú river.