The Oktoberfest keg has been tapped
The sounds, sights and smells of Oktoberfest were spread across downtown Kitchener Friday morning as the official Oktoberfest keg tapping was underway.
On Friday at noon, the official keg tapping for this year’s 54th annual Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest was held as crowds were welcomed back.
“The 54th celebration of Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo is here and we’re so excited to be bringing the spirit of Gemütlichkeit back to the community,” said Allan Cayenne, president of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest in a media release. “There are so many new ways to experience the festival this year, it’s going to be great to see the community back together again!”
K-W Oktoberfest officials say this day has been a long time coming and are happy to have locals and visitors gather and watch the beer flow.
Kitchener resident Gordon Thomas said he feels excited to be back at Oktoberfest again after so long.
Another Kitchener resident, Bridget Lewis said: “we have such a rich German heritage here in Kitchener that we should be out celebrating whether you’re German or not.”
Hundreds of locals and visitors from all over were in Kitchener to participate in the festivities.
Downtown Kitchener was filled with not only familiar sights of Oktoberfest.
“It lifts my heart when I hear Oktoberfest and when I hear that music when they’re singing, it’s delightful,” said Cecilia Piller, Kitchener resident.
CTV News spoke to a couple who travelled from Missouri who drove 14 hours for the festivities and said they’re happy to be back and celebrating Oktoberfest like they did years before.
“Wander around and see the people and enjoy the crowd and event, looking forward to the keg tap and the music and the dancing and just a really fun event,” said Ray and Marilyn Heidbrink, from Missouri.
Others travelled for a taste of Bavarian food.
“I got an Oktoberfest sausage with sauerkraut and it tastes wonderful, it’s great,” said Waterloo region resident Bridget Lewis.
The celebrations didn’t stop there, the Schwaben Club hosted an Oktoberfest buffet and then will open up the hall and their Biergarten for more festivities.
“Our band will be here after that, the bars are fully flowing and people are dancing and having a good time,” said Tracey Hanke, vice-president of the Schwaben Club in Kitchener.
Though they recently downsized from their Kitchener location to Breslau, they said their celebrations would be just as significant.
“It is nice to be back in person to see people to dance, to enjoy the camaraderie with everyone,” said Hanke.
Another Oktoberfest tradition, the Thanksgiving parade is set for Oct. 10 beginning at 8 a.m.
CTV Kitchener will air the parade at noon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.