Experiences
Can’t-Miss Oktoberfest Celebrations Across Canada
Soaking up the festive atmosphere at Oktoberfest events across Canada is a great way to make fall feel more welcoming.
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Put on your dirndl or your Lederhosen and enjoy brimming pints of beer, huge pretzels, and mouthwatering Bavarian sausages. Sing along with vintage oompah and polka numbers or more recent tunes like “Hey! Baby” or “Seven Nations Army.”
Oktoberfest debuted in 1810 to celebrate the crown prince of Bavaria’s wedding, but today it enjoys global appeal. So let’s check out four can’t-miss Oktoberfest celebrations in four different Canadian cities across the country.
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest
Long billed as the world’s second-largest Oktoberfest after Munich, this multi-week Ontario extravaganza features six different festival halls, keg tapping ceremonies, a “Dogtoberfest” event, a golf tournament, and much more.
L’Okto de Repentigny
This Montreal-area Oktoberfest highlights craft beer culture with some 40 microbreweries on site, delivering a fun September weekend party. Comedians and musical acts add to the upbeat vibe.
Oktoberfest @ Ice District
Staged next to Rogers Place, the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, this huge Oktoberfest party runs more than two weeks in September in the northern Alberta capital. Organizers tout its blend of authentic Bavarian cuisine, live entertainment, and family-friendly games.
Harvest Haus
From Erdinger Weissbier to Pilsner Urquell, the world’s best-known beers are represented along with local brews at this lively Vancouver Oktoberfest event in early October at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE).
Lucas Aykroyd
Contributor
Lucas Aykroyd is an award-winning Canadian travel and sports journalist who's written about polar bears in Manitoba, Viking history in Newfoundland, and Indigenous culture in Haida Gwaii. He's covered six Winter Olympics and close to 50 men's & women's world hockey championships. Born in Victoria and based in Vancouver, Lucas also contributes to publications like the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and Explore Magazine.
