K-W Oktoberfest to move into former BMO building on King Street

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest will soon move into the former Bank of Montreal building at 2 King St. W in Kitchener, the festival announced in a Monday news release.

TheMuseum had originally intended to purchase the building and expand into the space. But last March the property was purchased by the City of Kitchener, which agreed to hold the building for up to 10 years to give TheMuseum time to raise enough money for the project. The cost was $3,000,000.

"As we plan for our expansion the space will be used temporarily [three] or so years by Oktoberfest and we welcome them as neighbours!" said The Museum CEO David Marskell in an email to CBC News.

Meanwhile, the iconic Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest office at 17 Benton St. in downtown Kitchener will soon be purchased by Hans Haus Inc. in a joint redevelopment venture between Woodhouse Group and Brightpath Capital Corporation.

Woodhouse Grouphas previously worked on other redevelopment projects in downtown Kitchener,such as the former Schreiter's furniture building and Schlichter's automotive shop, which are now occupied by Google and by a tech hub, respectively.

The 2021 K-W Oktoberfest festival will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 11 and is expected to be mostly virtual.