OTTAWA — Dressed in a custom-made traditional German dress plastered with Ottawa Senators logos, Corina Denstedt sipped on a beer Saturday afternoon as she excitedly explained that Oktoberfest is in her blood.
Denstedt said at Ottawa’s second annual Oktoberfest at Clarke Fields Park in Barrhaven that her obsession stems from growing up near Kitchener, Ont., a town that proudly boasts the largest Oktoberfest in North America.
“I have been going to Oktoberfest since I was in the womb,� Denstedt said. “To me, it’s the next best thing other than my birthday. Christmas doesn’t even compare.�
The 21-year-old university student admitted that she counts down the days to Oktoberfest every year — six days, she pointed out, until the party begins in Kitchener, she says.
After several beers on Saturday, Denstedt said she was training herself for the Kitchener Oktoberfest next weekend.
“This is a pre-game warm-up,� Denstedt said. “This is practice.�
Denstedt’s friend, 23-year-old Robert Lalonde, was trying to keep up.
“I’m a drinking buddy,� he joked.
Lalonde was able to keep up after a few pints, winning the beer stein relay.
Denstedt, by now a pro Oktoberfest-goer, said there were only a few differences between the parties in Ottawa and Kitchener — Ottawa had less beer, it was less crowded and no one really got into the music.
“No one is dancing and I can’t just get up and start dancing,� Denstedt said.
Still, she says the organizers of Ottawa’s Oktoberfest pulled together a great event.
Genevieve Mailly and Logan Birch got into the spirit as they held hands and skipped across the field.
Mailly waved her long Oktoberfest-inspired dress she pranced away from the beer tent.
The pair was delighted to discover this year’s Oktoberfest was in their neighbourhood.
“We love our beers,� Birch said with a grin.
Birch has been to Oktoberfest in Germany, and said the “Canadian interpretation� in Ottawa is similar, minus the giant beers and the girls who serve the beer.
The beer was still flowing, though.
By Saturday afternoon, Charlie, who wouldn’t give his last name, was on his third pint as he explained the significance of the chicken hat he was wearing.
The chicken dance, he says, is popular at the Oktoberfest in Kitchener. But that wasn’t the only dance Charlie enjoyed.
“I love the Polka,� he said with a laugh.
Amber Dagenais sat beside Charlie, in a group of several friends. In the Oktoberfest spirit, Dagenais wore bright-coloured glasses with a moustache hanging down from the frames.
“They looked really Oktoberfesty,� Dagenais said. “And we just kind of like moustaches.�
Several others were dressed in German costumes or wore fancy hats. Others, such as a young girl, didn’t dress up for Oktoberfest, but did carl wheels across the field in excitement.
John Beard, the president of the President at Rotary Club of Ottawa Kanata Sunrise and organizer of Oktoberfest, said they expected at least 5,000 people on Saturday. The high turnout was due to the sunny weather, he said.
“We had 2,000 people come out last year in the worst weather you can imagine,� Beard said. “This year, we pre-sold at last 2500 tickets.�