Government of Canada supports strong return of Oktoberfest and tourism recovery in Waterloo region

Tapping the first keg of Oktoberfest 2020. (Sept. 25, 2020)

The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is getting some government support to help with the full return of the annual festival.

The festival, dubbed one of Canada’s largest Bavarian events, attracts thousands of visitors and over 40 family and cultural events in Waterloo region every year. But due to the pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 festivals were significantly scaled back, offering smaller and virtual events.

On Friday, the Honourable Fiolomena Tassi, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced an investment of over $2.4 million from the Government of Canada to support the full-scale return of K-W Oktoberfest and three projects in the tourism sector in the region under the Tourism Relief Fund.

“Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is a significant event for the Waterloo region, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and providing economic benefits to the entire community,” said Tassi in a media release. “The Waterloo Region is home to many wonderful attractions and today’s investment in Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest and three local organizations is ensuring our local tourism sector has the support it needs to continue welcoming visitors for years to come.”

K-W Oktoberfest is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $1 million to expand the festival to take place over a one-month period and add new youth, inclusive and culinary events.

The events include Kidtoberfest- three days of family events taking place over the Thanksgiving weekend and the PRIDEtoberfest taking place on Oct. 8. Funding will also support a new stage, vendor huts, accessible bleachers and improved signage.

“On behalf of the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest board of directors, I would like to thank the Government of Canada and FedDev Ontario for their contribution to the festival and community through the Tourism Relief Fund,” said Allan Cayenne, president of the K-W Oktoberfest. “Oktoberfest is a community festival and we strive to contribute to the economic well-being of the community through job creation and tourism. We look forward to helping revitalize the tourism sector in Waterloo Region!”

An additional three tourism businesses in the Waterloo region are receiving over $1.4 million to safely welcome back visitors and prepare for future growth.

“The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will work with businesses and organizations through these challenging times, ensuring they get support to innovate in their products and services as well as to grow and thrive, all while keeping safety as the top priority. The Tourism Relief Fund helps businesses adapt to welcome back guests safely. It also feeds into a broader strategy to help the sector recover from the pandemic and build an economy that works for everyone. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers,” explained the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, minister of tourism and associate minister of finance.