Oktoberfest, in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of southern Ontario, is the biggest Bavarian festival outside Germany
It was created following the celebration of Canada’s Centennial year in 1967.
Largest “Thanksgiving Day Parade” in Canada
Alfred Lowrick is the executive director of Kitchener-Waterloo Ocktoberfest. I spoke with him at the end of last week as they were putting the finishing touches on this year’s event.
ListenHe says the five German groups that had been established by immigrants to the tri-city region of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, decided to continue the festivities following the Centennial year experience, and next year, in 2018 it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
What began as a one day affair has grown and evolved into a four-day festival that culminates in the largest “Thanksgiving Day Parade” in Canada.
The tri-city area has evolved over the years, growing and changing with the rest of Canada.
It was at one time a manufacturing centre. “There was a lot of food manufacturers, there was breweries, Seagram’s had their head office here, there was also insurance companies that formalized their head office and they were part and parcel of the growth of K-W.” Lowrick explains.
Like many other regions in Canada, much of the manufacturing base has moved away.
“We also have one of the largest Toyota manufacturing locations outside of Japan here, so it’s still a very vibrant site but it has moved more to a high-tech base.” Lowrick says.
This development is due to evolution of the area as a major educational centre, with the University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University and Conestoga College all located in the region.
“Three very strong, very large educational institutions, and there’s certainly a social draw from the young adults that go there, to Oktoberfest.” he says.
“In particular the University of Waterloo with its strong engineering background and organisation, they have certainly spurred on the high tech growth in this community.”
Number of pretzels consumed: 25,000, Number of sausages consumed: 51,750 (in 2013)
Alfred Lowrick says it’s really an “end of summer celebration” with people coming from Toronto, across the border in the United States, and some from as far away as Europe and South America over the years.
The annual parade has become a major draw on the holiday Monday.
“It starts in Kitchener and proceeds to Waterloo, it’s broadcast across the country with probably a hundred and fifty, two hundred thousand people along the route” Lowrick says.
An old industrial site, now known as Lot 42, is a former steel factory that’s been transformed into a new venue for cultural events.
It was the scene of several gatherings this year including the annual Woman of the Year Award which recognises entrepreneurial achievement.
According to CBC tally back in 2013, the number of pretzels consumed: 25,000, the number of sausages consumed: 51,750.
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