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Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest - A Community Festival
If you’re from Waterloo Region, you are sure to know about Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, a long-standing annual tradition that draws people from near and far. This local festival owes its tradition to a rich history dating back to 1810 in Munich, Germany when an extravagant Bavarian wedding was planned for soonto-be King Ludwig I, and his bride, Therese Von SachesenHildenburghausen. The wedding took place in a field near the city gates and included five days of festivities and fanfare, wrapping up with an elaborate horse race. The field was later named Theresienwiese (Therese’s field) to honour the princess and over the last 200 years the festival has evolved into the celebration of German heritage we know today. At the end of each September, Theresienwiese transforms to host the Oktoberfest festival and is filled with large beer halls and tents (festhallen), food and drink vendors, live entertainment, and cultural displays. In 1967 and a little closer to home, a group of passionate residents in Kitchener-Waterloo saw a unique opportunity to bring that same spirit of Gemütlichkeit overseas. They formed a planning committee and, with just $200, created the festival we know today as Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest. The first festival took place in the fall of 1969 and had 70,000 people in attendance! With now over 53 years under our belt (or should we say Gürtel), the festival has grown considerably. In the years since, millions of people have experienced Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest and it has become widely known as one of the greatest Oktoberfest celebrations in the world. Each year, K-W Oktoberfest Inc. works with over 100 local businesses in several industries, including hospitality, retail, food and beverage, and entertainment to make the festival happen. This supports employment in our Region and results in over $10 million in economic benefit annually! The best part is that Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest has evolved to mean more to our community than a great autumn party. The Oktoberfest Cares Fund was established in 2020 as the festival’s way to expand our impact on the community. Through Oktoberfest Cares, the festival supports many local charities and not-for-profit organizations who embody the spirit of community that is at the core of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest and who help to increase the quality of life for residents of Waterloo Region. If you’ve ever lined the streets of Downtown Kitchener or Uptown Waterloo to attend the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade, you’ve seen just one example of how the festival is working hard to give back to the community – the Onkel Hans Food Drive benefitting the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Since the inception of the Food Drive, the equivalent to 1.4 million pounds of food has been raised for people living with food insecurity. The momentum didn’t stop amidst a pandemic – Oktoberfest Cares still managed to donate thousands of meals in 2020 and 2021! This year, the festival is grateful to return to more familiar celebrations. After two years of alternative programming, the Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade is back, featuring classic favourite floats as well as several new additions! Celebrations will also return to the Festhallen where people will be able to share reunions and reconnect, creating new memories together over four weekends from September 23 to October 15. The festival is thrilled to offer some new events and initiatives, expanding when and how Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is celebrated in this great community. The mobile stage experience, the WunderWagen, will be out in the Region bringing the polka to the people, spreading the spirit of Gemütlichkeit in a way that is accessible to everyone! Willkommen Platz will be back in downtown Kitchener, bigger and better than ever, showcasing more entertainment, more food and beverage options and more family friendly activities. The newly expanded KIDtoberfest event will partner with THEMUSEUM as well as with several local child focused businesses and entertainers. This event will be an amazing time for the entire family! Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest continues to focus on reinvigorating the local economy, and is committed to opening doors to all local businesses who want to find their place within the festival. Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is looking forward to seeing what 2022 and beyond will bring for the festival and the community! So, the next time you lace up your lederhosen or dirndl, raise your stein, watch the parade, or polka to those beloved accordion tunes at your favourite Festhalle, remember that Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is more than just a festival, it’s a community initiative benefitting our local economy and providing assistance to those who need it most. Check out the events calendar at oktoberfest.ca and follow on social media to keep up to date. Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest ist Wunderbar!
September 23 October 15, 2022 www.oktoberfest.ca
