Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Kitchener briefly on Friday to participate in Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest. During his time at the Schwaben Club in Breslau, just outside Kitchener, he used a wooden mallet to tap a keg at the fest hall and enjoyed a mug of beer while conversing with local politicians. This stop was squeezed in between a morning event in the Niagara region and an evening celebration in Brampton for Diwali.
K-W Oktoberfest, known as the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside Munich, Germany, has hosted previous prime ministers. Justin Trudeau, in 2016, tapped the keg at the opening ceremonies and attended again in 2023 but did not perform the keg-tapping that year. In 2015, Stephen Harper participated in the K-W Oktoberfest parade, although he did not march due to an ongoing federal election at the time.
This year, Canadian musician Steven Page tapped the keg, and former Canadian Football League player and current Toronto Argonauts general manager Michael Pinball Clemons served as the parade marshal.