Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest - Events

Events

Single events that take place over the week include:

• Opening ceremonies - include an official keg-tapping to start the festival; at Kitchener City Hall (Friday)
• Pancake breakfast - free breakfast for all comers, in Uptown Waterloo (Saturday)
• Barrel Race - keg-rolling race in Uptown (Saturday)
• Rocktoberfest - major concert featuring rock acts, as well as more traditional music; Queensmount Arena (Altes Muenchen Haus), Kitchener (Sunday)
• Hip-Hoptoberfest - a spinoff of Rocktoberfest featuring Canadian hip-hop acts that takes place at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (Karlsberghaus)
• University Nights - a night for local University students run by the local Sigma Chi fraternities. Buses run all night from University Avenue in Waterloo to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, where the event takes place. Traditionally, Wilfrid Laurier University's night is on Thursday and University of Waterloo's is on the Friday of the second weekend, however both nights attract students from both schools, as well as other nearby colleges.
• Oktoberfest Parade - bands, traditional dancers, floats and revelry, down King Street in both cities; broadcast nationally by CTV (Thanksgiving Monday)
• "Dogtoberfest" - games and competitions for families with dogs, operated by the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society.
• "Pridetoberfest" - the first in an annual activity held in 2006. The event is to celebrate the Gay Pride of Kitchener-Waterloo with Oktoberfest, hosted at The Aud.
• "Muchtoberfest" - an event promoted by Conestoga College in association with Much Music television, for college Oktoberfest night. Held on the Thursday of Oktoberfest.