Annual Thanksgiving Day Oktoberfest Parade takes over Weber St.
Posted Oct 13, 2025 06:00:00 AM.
Last Updated Oct 13, 2025 02:07:52 PM.
It’s perhaps the most beloved event of the whole festival, the KW Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Starting at the intersection of Frederick and Weber Street in Kitchener, it will make its way up Weber ending at Bridgeport Street in Waterloo.
It used to begin earlier in the morning, but organizers made the change last year to up the start time to 9:30 a.m. It proved to be a popular change, so they stuck with it this year.
As always, the crowds are expected to be large, so you’ll want to claim your spot early.
Tracy Van Kalsbeek, KW Oktoberfest Executive Director, told 570 NewsRadio the parade means so much to so many people that it’s now part of their holiday weekend.
“There have been generations of family members to enjoy the Thanksgiving Day parade with us,” she said, adding she hears stories every year about how much the parade and the festival mean to them.
“A lot of people have met their significant others at Oktoberfest. And I always know when someone is going to say that to me because they’ll go, ‘You know I have a funny story,’ and I always know it’s going to be, ‘I met my spouse at Oktoberfest.’ So, you know, it does bring people together.”
Van Kalsbeek said visitors can expect to see all the usual parade favourites like floats, bands and entertainment the whole way through.
This year’s Parade Marshall is Mike “Pinball” Clemens.
If you are headed to the parade, you’re encouraged to bring a non-perishable or cash donation for the Onkel Hans Food Drive benefiting the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
