Thousands fill Kitchener streets for Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day parade

Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Kitchener to watch the annual Oktoberfest parade on Thanksgiving Monday.

Crowds filled the streets of Kitchener as the Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day parade returned to the city on Monday.

“First of all, we have one of the best days we’ve had in years for the parade,” said Darryl Fletcher, known as “Chef D” to most, who serves as the new board president at Oktoberfest. “My two grandsons and my two granddaughters are on the float with Tante Frieda so it’s just exciting how we’re kind of embracing that as a family as well...it’s great for families and it’s how family traditions start.”

Multiple floats, vehicles and hundreds of people were involved in the 2025 annual parade, bringing music and memories down Weber Street.

The parade began at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Weber Street East and Frederick Street, and ended at Bridgeport Road just a couple of hours later.

In preparation for the parade, Frederick Street closed from Duke Street East to Edna Street. Weber Street was also closed from Scott Street to Noecker Street and reopened as the parade passed by.

Canadian football icon, Michael “Pinball” Clemons, returned as the official grand parade marshal.

“This community feeling, everybody’s out, everybody’s smiling, everybody’s having a good time,” Clemons said on the morning of the parade. “There’s lots going on, a little bit for everybody.”

This wasn’t Clemons’ first time hitting the streets in downtown Kitchener.

The sports executive previously held the parade marshal title.

“This is what it means to be a community, to come together and do these sorts of things. It’s also just so much fun,” he said.

The Onkel Hans Food Drive collected cash and non-perishable food donations for The Food Bank of Waterloo Region right before the parade began.

Generations of families gathered along the parade route to watch the festivities.

“Mom has brought us out since we were kids,” said one Kitchener resident. “For longer than I can remember, we’ve always come to the parade.”

“I mean, the roots of the city are very German and that’s the origin of Oktoberfest,” said one long-time Kitchener resident. “It’s a good celebration of our heritage.”

For others, it was their first time experiencing the local Bavarian celebrations.

“It’s the second biggest [Bavarian festival] outside of Germany which is insane to me,” said one spectator. “Coming from Europe and seeing such a big Oktoberfest that presents itself like this and seeing the same sort of thing here is wild.”

- With reporting by Hannah Schmidt