Beer, lederhosen, and German culture are taking over the Western Fair District.
London is hosting their first ever Oktoberfest celebration in collaboration with Kitchener-Waterloo.
President of the German-Canadian Club, Juergen Belle, says that Oktoberfest has a lot of history involved with it, “A lot of people don’t know this, but it has to do with a marriage feast. It was when King Ludwig I got married to his darling way back in the early days and they had a five day festival and it was such an extravagant festival, the people celebrated a lot more.”
According to Belle, the tradition is very important. “The German people like to party and that’s why Oktoberfest is a celebration. It has traditional music, food, costumes and of course lots and lots of beer.”
London Mayor Matt Brown helped with tapping the keg at the opening ceremony. He says that it is important for London to have their own Bavarian festival, “It’s a fabulous tradition, and it’s a celebration of culture, dancing and of food. What we can see in the future is growth for festivals like these.”
London Police were also on hand . They did not want to comment, but say they want drinkers to drink responsibly.
Oktoberfest celebrations are set to continue throughout the rest of October. For more information, click here.
