Oktoberfest is back at Canada’s Wonderland so I made sure to check it out on Sunday, plus a bunch of other smaller updates around the park.
Razing the Stakes
Just last week I plotted out all the stakes I could see. And this week? They’re gone. From what I could tell, there are no more orange stakes on Time Warp’s plot of land nor any on the hill between The DareDeviler’s queue and the external entrance to Kingswood Music Theatre.
Nothing by Time Warp’s entrance either.
But if you look closely, some flags in front of the Kingswood building are still there.
Leave your theories about why they were removed so quickly in the comment section below.
Halloween Approaches
As I ponder the reason for the stakes being pulled up, I have to wonder if this may be the last year for Necropolis in this location. Regardless, the scare zone is coming together pretty nicely!
The setup for Head Bangers is mostly in place now.
Inferno has its stairs and devil mouth up on the Arthur’s Baye lighthouse.
Trick or Treat Street is set up with its houses.
Tricks and Treats has three of its Trick or Treat Adventure houses put in place as well. (Without photos, this would be a very confusing update thanks to the Camp Spooky rebranding.)
Wicked Hollow’s fairy houses are still behind the scenes. I think it’s odd the park installed the Trick or Treat Street houses before moving these out in front of Vortex.
The stage is almost set for Monster Bash!
The Conjuring: Beyond Fear is open already as a special preview, which is a great way to get more people to experience this incredible (but very limited capacity) attraction!
New this year, The Conjuring: Beyond Fear has a photo booth.
The Mullins Workshop Bar is also already open.
As is the Archive of Artifacts merchandise stall. (Sadly I didn’t play Farbspiel yet so I’ll have to wait for next year to give it a try.)
Annabelle is comfortably locked away in her case… for now.
Oktoberfest
As usual, tables, tents, and polka music fill the plaza just inside the castle gates. The Medieval theme and castle theatre fits Oktoberfest so well for some reason.
Station one has the meals.
Station two and three have the snacks and desserts.
Station four serves the beer.
And station five is inside Castle Trader, currently going by the name Biergarten.
I didn’t see any of The Ziggie Zaggies Band, but The Happy Wanderer’s is a great fit for the event.
I’m thrilled to see times listed for the stein holding contest! I’m not sure what “Keg Tapping” is, but my friend suggested it may be an opening ceremonies of sorts. I’ll have to check it out next weekend.
Chicken Schnitzel with Perogies
I asked for some onions, lots of sauerkraut, tomatoes, mustard, and (I believe new this year) sour cream. The sour cream is probably intended for the perogies, but it worked really well on the schnitzel!
The chicken is a little thin and doesn’t have a ton of flavour, but the robust toppings made this an absolutely delicious meal I’m hoping to get again this coming weekend!
Toronto Ty Taste Tier: A
Merchandise
I’m delighted to see some Oktoberfest merchandise being offered in Wonderland Store this year! There are a couple shirts I’m not too fond of…
And this delightful hat (which I won’t be getting, but I appreciate nonetheless). I think this hat should be available in AlpenFest, sold in Alpine Outfitters the rest of the year.
Even better, there’s a collector’s pin and a mini-stein shot glass! I bought both with plans to use the stein as a toothpick holder. Each was $11.99 before tax and discount.
This orange and blue varsity design must have been pretty popular as the line has continued to grow. Now you can get it in women’s sizes, as a long-sleeve shirt, as shorts, or as sweatpants.
For those who missed out on the Christmas in July Sale, some of the remaining items have made their way to Thrills Are Wonderland.
Other Updates
Sweet Spot now has automatic doors, with a button installed on a new post just outside the east doors. This seems odd to me since these doors are always propped open from what I can remember. Perhaps the park would like to keep them closed them for WinterFest?
I-Street Hot Dog has a nice new sign on the hood above the grill.
For the first time in years, I noticed an actual cotton candy machine in the park, offering freshly made cotton candy at School House Snacks! (It and some samples are hidden behind a rack of chips.)
The KidZville Refresh Centre had stanchions out front to direct guests to either the fountain drinks or ICEE side, though there was still one cashier operating both sides. I truly can’t understand how this location didn’t have a queue railings as part of its design.
On that note, Taxi Jam has a slight queue extension with stanchions, including a custom sign informing guests not to bring strollers into the queue.
KidZville Station is even worse with a switchback made out of stanchions. As with Vortex, I hope the park is able to build a longer proper queue in the near future.
Rides
I got on Tundra Twister, The DareDeviler, Wilde Beast, and Leviathan. Tundra Twister didn’t have the best cycle, The DareDeviler wasn’t the smoothest I’ve experienced, and Wilde Beast definitely needs some work (which I’m told park management is looking to address soon). But Leviathan had a short wait and delivered a great ride!
If You Want the Rainbow…
After a few sprinkles of rain, a rainbow took shape all across the sky. Hearing the guests in awe, especially those children to whom rainbows are especially unfamiliar, truly made the experience that much grander.
While a true double rainbow did start to form, this one was far more fun in my opinion.
Until Next Time…
Rainbows remind me of so many things: God’s promise spoken to Noah; 2SLGBTQI+ Pride; Kermit singing Rainbow Connection.… But in light of the past couple weeks, the now-departed Dolly Parton (may she rest in peace) came to mind: “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Last year at Canada’s Wonderland was rough from my perspective, but I’m starting to see something bright on the horizon.
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