Tag: Oktoberfest

In past posts (here and here) I’ve written about how much I enjoy the annual Oktoberfest Parade (and related events) here in Waterloo Region. This year was fun despite a little rain, and my youngest son made for great company. (As did my oldest when he finally joined us, having declined to head over to the parade route early in the morning!)

I don’t really have much to say that I haven’t said in previous years, other than I love that the City of Kitchener included a “Vote and be heard” float in this year’s edition. What a great place to remind people that they can make a meaningful impact by voting in the municipal election on October 27.

I enjoyed another Oktoberfest Parade with my family this year. We live near the parade route, and it’s a short walk for us to get there and set up our lawn chairs. The beautiful weather seemed to bring a out a larger crowd than I’ve sometimes seen in years past. Personal highlights included some sort of precision rake team from the City of Kitchener, the Fergus Pipe Band, an implausibly cool float from the Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin & Grey Building & Construction Trades Council, and a very mobile giant airplane balloon that was helpfully identified as “Inflatable Airplane” on the WestJet sponsorship banner that preceded it. Fun stuff.

Well, it’s that time of year again here in Kitchener-Waterloo. Oktoberfest is a long-running Bavarian festival that celebrates the region’s German heritage. While beer is certainly a well-known part of that heritage and the festival, there’s much more to celebrate than fine German lagers. I have to confess, though, that it wasn’t until I had kids that I took in more events and enjoyed the celebration. My family and I enjoyed two of those events over this Thanksgiving weekend.

Saturday morning was the Oktoberfest Pancake Breakfast at the public square in Uptown Waterloo. The volunteers and organizers do a terrific job preparing and serving breakfast for hundreds of people in a fast and efficient way. My sons and I made sure to drop off our contributions to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

Monday morning we took in the Oktoberfest parade. We’re particularly lucky because the parade route passes by only a block from our home. My kids look forward to this every year, even when there’s rain pouring down. Happily, this year’s edition was free of rain, if more than a little chilly.