Time to roll out the barrel! K-W Oktoberfest's biggest weekend set to get underway with keg tapping Friday

K-W Oktoberfest has been underway for a few weeks but events are set to kick into high gear this weekend.

The official keg tapping is taking place over the noon hour on Friday with former amateur boxer and Olympian Mandy Bujold and retired competitive boxer Syd Vanderpool wielding the mallet to tap the spigot.

In a media release, Bujold said being chosen to tap the keg is "an incredible honour."

"Tapping the keg at Oktoberfest celebrates not only the culture but also the community that has made this event so special over the years," she said.

Oktoberfest president Allan Cayenne told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition there is free programming all weekend and there's "something for everyone."

That includes a Kidtoberfest event inside Kitchener's city hall, Dogtoberfest on the Gaukel Block and live music in Willkommen Platz in downtown Kitchener. There's also the Mayor's Oktoberfest Market in uptown Waterloo on Sunday and various events happening throughout the region all weekend.

Oktoberfest ambassador Allie Steffler said she loves everything about the annual Bavarian festival.

"It's hard to pick just one thing," she said. "It's something that's been super prevalent in my childhood and as I got older and started going to the fest halls — it just kind of grew and every year it's my favourite time of year."

The annual parade will take place on Monday, but this year it will start one hour later. People should be prepared for the parade to leave its downtown Kitchener staging location at 9 a.m. and make it's way up Weber Street to Waterloo.

Steffler said if people can, they will be accepting donations for The Food Bank of Waterloo Region with trucks taking non-perishable food items at the start and end of the parade.

"Basically anything that you have. We just really want to give back to this amazing community and make sure that everyone feels that support," she said.

Cayenne noted Oktoberfest is something they want everyone in Waterloo region to feel like they can be part of.

"That's really what Oktoberfest is about, is about bringing the community together to celebrate being Bavarian with us for the four weeks that the festival runs," Cayenne said.