Vankleek Hill Ontario — Tickets are on sale for the 6th Annual Vankleek Hill Oktoberfest, presented by local craft brewery Beau’s All Natural. The two-day festival and signature fundraising event will take place Friday October 3 and Saturday October 4, at the fairgrounds in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. Last year’s festival hosted 12,000 festival goers over the two days.

“We can’t wait to open the gates again this year – there’s so much to look forward to,” says Beau’s cofounder Steve Beauchesne. “Whether you are super-into craft beer or live music, a die-hard foodie, or just a fun-loving kid at heart, you’ve got something to love about Oktoberfest. We’re proud to put on a festival ever year that’s so diverse and yet still totally gels at the same time,” he says.

Adult admission to the festival is $22 taxes in, and includes an Oktoberfest hat, a pretzel and your first beer or other beverage. Two-day passes are $33 for $11 of savings, and kids passes (18 and under) are $5. As in previous years round-trip bus transportation is available from Ottawa, Cornwall and Montreal, at a cost of $15. Tickets are available now for purchase online at www.beausoktoberfest.ca.

Friday’s music line up is headlined by Joel Plaskett Emergency, and also includes Rural Alberta Advantage, Groenland, and Zeus. Saturday is headed up by Tokyo Police Club, and will also feature Radio Radio and another musical guest to be announced in mid-September. Walter Ostanek returns to delight with his traditional Bavarian music both Friday and Saturday during the daytime. A bigger, better stage for this year’s Oktoberfest promises better sightlines and more room up front for fans.

Other festival highlights include:

• 13 Beau’s beers on tap, including 7 brand-new beers
• 25 local restaurants bringing their best Bavarian and seasonally-inspired cuisine
• Cask Haus with cask-conditioned beers from 40+ different local craft breweries
• Activities: Keg toss, sausage-eating contests, malt sack races, spouse-carrying race, and more
• Charity Bike Ride to the brewery – ride back for you and your bike!
• Homebrewing demonstrations and best-recipe competition
• Custom, hand-built midway with Beau’s themed games and prizes
• Kinderfest: a non-licensed family area with activities and entertainment
• Skateramp & skateboard demo area and lounge
• School of Bock tastings and beer education sessions with beer & food experts
• Traditional German dancing and entertainment during the day
• Shuttle from fairgrounds to Beau’s brewery for free tours and tastings
• Evening entertainment kicks off with variety troupe “Blue Mushroom Sirkus Psyshow”

The VKH Oktoberfest will raise money to support the Eastern Ontario Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and local grassroots charity Ottawa Riverkeeper, as well as the Vankleek Hill Agricultural Society, Just Food, Hidden Harvest, Unshaven Mavens, and a number of smaller charities. Last year’s festival raised more than $75,000, for a five-year fundraising total of $242,000 for this event.