Private, Bavarian, cobbled
Eight acres of live-work Bavarian village with cobbled lanes too narrow for a truck — and an Oktoberfest that runs for weeks.
What it is
A privately owned eight-acre Bavarian-themed live-work village at 7561 Center Ave, founded in 1978 by German immigrant Josef Bischof and modeled on Oberammergau. About 53 live-work units — proprietors commonly live above their shops — governed by a homeowners association, with roughly 150 residents. On site: the Old World German Restaurant and biergarten, a deli, bakery, market, shops, salons, a chapel, a small hotel, cobblestone lanes and hand-painted murals of eighteen European cities. It is the only site of its kind in Orange County, and it is a private venue rather than a public park.
Center Avenue just off Beach Boulevard, immediately north of the 405 near Bella Terra. Private surface parking surrounds the village and the interior lanes are narrow cobblestone pedestrian streets — which is the whole logistics story. A service truck works the perimeter lot, not the inner lanes. Nearest cross streets are Beach Blvd, Center Ave, Edinger Ave and Gothard St.
What happens here
Oktoberfest is the anchor, running multiple weekends across September, October and into November with oom-pah bands, biergarten seating and the well-known dachshund races. Beyond that: Greek, Irish, Scottish and South American cultural festivals, car shows, art exhibits and boutique vendor markets, a nativity play at Christmas, and private weddings and quinceaneras using the chapel and the lanes. Because it is private property, the calendar is set by the owners and the HOA rather than by a city.
The practical part
Permanent restrooms exist inside the restaurant, the biergarten and the individual businesses, sized for normal retail trade and not for an Oktoberfest weekend. That gap is exactly why supplemental units appear.
Placement is the perimeter parking lot edges, the back-of-house area behind the restaurant and biergarten, and the outer ends of the lanes where a lane meets the lot. Constraints that matter: the narrow cobbled interior and the overhead architectural detail limit truck maneuvering, so plan on perimeter placement; residents live above the businesses, so siting has to keep units away from their windows and doorways; the themed streetscape means appearance counts, and screened or trailer-style units read far better than a bare bank of standards; beer service pushes the units-per-guest ratio well above a daytime retail event; and an accessible route across cobblestone needs a firm mat run from the accessible stalls.
This is private property, so approval starts with the property owner, the Old World Village HOA and the event promoter. City of Huntington Beach involvement runs through Community Development for special events on private property — typically a temporary use permit plus fire department review for tents, occupancy and egress — with ABC licensing for beer service. The city's Community & Library Services special event permit only applies if the event spills onto public streets or lots.
Quotes by phone · Mon-Sat 4am-4pm
On the map
Site questions
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Tell us the date and the headcount and we will work the placement out with you on the call.
