Estimates indicate that the event attracts roughly 700,000 visitors to Waterloo Region, Ontario every year.

[1] The twin cities and the surrounding areas of Waterloo Region have a long history of German roots; Kitchener was formerly named Berlin.

The festival's mascot is Onkel Hans, a rotund man in Bavarian dress with a thick moustache, lederhosen, and a traditional felt hat with tassel.

The position is now selected by a closed committee of judges from a panel of local applicants; community involvement and personal character form the main criteria under the new system.

[3] Due to unstable weather patterns, people planning Winterfest found this event to be unreliable and it was quickly removed from the list.

[3] In 1969, Kitchener Chamber of Commerce requested that Concordia Club allow the city to run the event for that year on a trial basis.

[4] On December 29, 1970, K-W Oktoberfest Inc. was formed switching control of the festival from the city of Kitchener and Waterloo, to a private business to ensure the success of the event.

[3] The First Board of Directors: Archie Gillies, Barry Bernstein, Lawrence Bingeman, P. Hubert, Jonas Bingeman, Herb Schneider, Jack Bishop, Bob Wagner, Darwin Clay, Mike Walters, Werner Metzger, Mike Hoesch, Dick Hermansen, Paul Weiner, Richard Nausser, Fred Ryan, Carl Hesse, Bryce Ruhnke, Owen Lackenbauer, Norman Schneider and J.R Zuber.

LLBO commissioner Mackey ordered posters removed from public streets and declared that they could only be posted in drinking establishments.

[3] The expected profit included an assumption that the Heidelberg Haus would bring in a surplus of $7,000 based on the previous year's performance.

[3] The issue became worse for K-W Oktoberfest when their office's lease was canceled due to financial reasons.

[3] The money was charged bank interest rates and also required K-W Oktoberfest to complete an audit of Heilberg Haus to understand what went wrong.

Kitchener Mayor Sid McLennan and Regional Chair Jack Young proceeding with the keg-tapping without issue.

[7] The major festhalls are operated by the German clubs based in the cities: Other festhalls and biergartens are operated out of existing bars, clubs, and other venues in the cities, which take on Germanic names (such as Karlsberghaus, Altes Muenchen Haus, and Ruedesheimer Garten) for the festival events.

Nightly ticketed events take place at festhalls across the region based on the traditional concept of Oktoberfest.

[4] These include an official keg-tapping to start the festival; at Wilkommen Platz, downtown Kitchener (before 2019 at Kitchener City Hall) (Friday) Free breakfast for all comers, in Uptown Waterloo (Saturday) Keg-rolling race in Uptown (Saturday) A family oriented Turkey Trot down the parade route right before the Thanksgiving Day parade.

The same year, The Miss Oktoberfest Ball started with the criteria of participants being from an 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) radius.