Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stops by K-W Oktoberfest opening

The 55th Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is officially underway.

Assisted by Virgin Radio’s Laura Geddes, festival president Allan Cayenne tapped the Oktoberfest Keg Friday on stage at Willkomen Platz – kicking off a week of events for the 2023 edition of the big Bavarian festival.

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest president Allan Cayenne taps the Oktoberfest keg to open the 2023 festival on Oct. 6. (CTV Kitchener)

"I've been talking to people already that are here from Norway, Las Vegas, California – all over the world,” Cayenne told CTV News. “We've had people from Germany, so we really do draw people to this region.”

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Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped by the festivities Friday, shaking hands and posing for selfies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with people during a stop in downtown Kitchener, Ont., for the start of Oktoberfest, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

Cayenne said the event pulls in crowds from across the globe and it’s a huge boost to the local economy.

“That's something we really pride ourselves on because we're a community festival and we really want to make sure our community is benefitting from everything that we do. We see that year in and year out and it's just so awesome to see."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets a vendor during a stop in downtown Kitchener, Ont., for the start of Oktoberfest, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

This year Willkomen Platz has been moved from in front of Kitchener City Hall to Gaukel Street. The pop-up Bavarian village will host a craft biergarten, food, vendors and live music throughout the weekend.

In addition, events are being held all week in downtown Kitchener and in Festhallen throughout the region.