Oktoberfest in the Byward Market
October 23, 2010
A co-worker of mine told me about this: http://www.byward-market.com/oktoberfest. so since we were already going into ottawa, we decided that we would head all the way in and check it out. Not sure if this was the first year that the event was being held, but it was a little disorganized. This being said, we did enjoy it and probably would go to it again in future years. we also took advantage of being in the market to enjoy a few other treats... like beaver tails.
the promotional poster
we see the wagon rides going around as we arrive in the market.
people watching is also a fun thing to do in the market... the patch on the jacket says:
"...and free cigarettes for the kids!"
the authentic sausage/schnitzel stand was very busy
the kids checking out some of the giant pumpkins
can you guess its weight?
wheat (I don't see wheat for sale that often, so I had to take a photo)
yup... we are at the right place.
guess which one opa would like?
some other crafts
lots of colourful things to see in the market.
mmm.. free apples!
the kids help themselves.
a face painting tent
although they used crayons instead of paint.
christopher enjoys his apple while waiting for sam to finish getting her face painted.
the final product... a butterfly!
(there were no oktoberfest themed choices, like beer or pretzels)
the dancers trying to keep warm on a cool day.
some live music
a happy looking bunch... or maybe it's just the beer goggles.
hmmm... what's with the beer kegs?
sam is a natural.
sam reached the turn around point....
and heads back the other way
hooray... sam wins the race!
this little boy didn't want to race, he just wanted to see if there was any beer left in the kegs.
we head inside to get the kids changed.
and we come back just in time to see the dancers.
wunderbar!
a traditional miner's dance.
I've included videos after the photos (at the bottom of the page)
clang, clang, clang.
for the next dance, the women join in.
time to start slapping. (schuhplattln)
the dance included using cow bells
next, a dance with whips!
the crowd had to move back for this one.
i wonder what the origin of the whipping dance is....
probably fly fishing ;)
next, giant whips that were very loud when they cracked.
time for the next dance.
lots of going around in circles.
the women sit and enjoy the dance.
next, audience members are invited to join in... and they did very well.
for being dressed up, the kids got some candy, and a prize.
we ended up with two $5 gift certificates to a european deli in the market.
posing
the sausage/schnitzle stand hasn't slowed down all day...
so we went into the sausage kitchen store and ate there since there we no line ups.
and for dessert... beavertails!
people treated to accordion music while on the wagon ride
and now for the video clips:
