Gary Wenzlaff · accordion · British Columbia

BeyondOktoberfest

Polkas and waltzes, Irish and Scottish sets, and the sing-alongs your guests already know. Live accordion for Oktoberfest parties, community halls and retirement residences across British Columbia.

Request a date Call 778-773-4845

Hear a minute of it · or email accordionman007@gmail.com

Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, across BC — and travel by arrangement.

Listen

Have a listen

Four recordings — a polka, a waltz, a tango, and one straight off the Oktoberfest set. The sound stays off until you press play.

Happy Polka

Polka — the one that gets the tables clapping

4:04

La Vie en Rose

Slow waltz — dinner, a first dance, quiet moments

2:36

Besame Mucho

Tango — the Latin end of the evening

3:17

Auf der Autobahn

German — straight off the Oktoberfest set

3:03

Gary Wenzlaff in lederhosen and a felt hat, smiling between two members of the pub staff in dirndls. — A pub Oktoberfest night — the staff dressed for it too.

Events

What I get booked for most

Oktoberfest & beerfests

The full kit, the drinking songs, the chicken dance if you insist. Beer halls, breweries, community clubs and corporate tents.

Retirement homes & seniors’ centres

Afternoon shows of songs people know from their own years — German, Irish, Italian, wartime favourites — at a volume that suits the room. Activity directors book me back through the year.

Irish & Scottish nights

Danny Boy, Irish Eyes, The Wild Rover, Long Way to Tipperary. St. Patrick’s, Robbie Burns, or any night that wants a singalong.

Also: corporate parties, weddings and anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, theme nights and festivals.

Line-up

Solo, or with other musicians

Most bookings are me on my own. An accordion carries the melody, the bass and the rhythm at the same time, so one player never leaves a room sounding empty. When you want a bigger sound for a dance floor, I bring musicians I have played with for years.

Gary Wenzlaff alone on a small stage with a microphone and his accordion.

Solo accordion

The usual booking. Nothing to set up but a corner and a chair, and I can walk through the tables instead of staying on a stage.

Request a solo date

Gary Wenzlaff with three other musicians in Bavarian dress — tuba, snare drum and guitar — at an outdoor festival.

Accordion and a band

A singer, a horn, a drum — usually two or three of us together. Tell me the date and I will let you know who is free.

Request a date with a band

Where I play

Some of the places I've played

Eurofest, Albion FairgroundsMaple Ridge
La Boca RestaurantWhistler
Trading Post BreweryLangley
Vancouver Alpen ClubVancouver
Austrian Vancouver ClubVancouver
UBC Engineering DepartmentVancouver
Cascades, River Rock & Starlight casinosLower Mainland
Scandinavian CentreBurnaby
Edelweiss ClubVictoria
Chilliwack German ClubChilliwack
Steveston Community CentreRichmond
Guildford Seniors CentreSurrey
Anavets Legion #284Richmond
Tsawwassen Rotary ClubDelta

Playing since the 1980s — cruise ships, a season in Australia, and one night on stage with Frankie Yankovic. Co-founder of the Rheinlanders Band; playing across the Lower Mainland today.

Repertoire

The song list

Polkas, waltzes, sing-alongs, pop, international favourites and Christmas. If there is a song your guests will want to hear, mention it when you write to me.

Pop

Bad Moon Rising
Fernando
Let It Be
Don't Bring Me Down
La Bamba
Johnny B. Goode

International

Kalinka (Russian)
Besame Mucho (tango)
La Paloma
Tarantella
Spanish Harlem
Never on Sunday
Vaya Con Dios
The Godfather

Classic Standards

La Vie en Rose
Laura's Theme
Fascination

Waltzes & Polkas

Beer Barrel
Happy Polka
Too Fat Polka
The Happy Wanderer
Tavern in the Town
In Heaven There Is No Beer
Lichtertsteiner
Blue Skirt Waltz
Tennessee Waltz
Fraulein
Wooden Heart (Muss i denn)

Sing-alongs

Country Roads
Sweet Caroline
Edelweiss
Oh Danny Boy
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Wild Rover
Under the Boardwalk

Christmas

Silent Night (English & German)
O Tannenbaum
Winter Wonderland
Sleigh Ride
Blue Christmas
Mele Kalikimaka

…and many more by request.

Guest book

What people said afterwards

A few words from people who were there — at clubs, halls, parties and residences.

Hi Mroktoberfest Com team, This message came in through your contact form. A real customer would now be waiting for a reply. MIT's Lead Response Management study found that contacting a web lead within 5 minutes, not 30, makes you roughly 100x more likely to reach them. When a visitor enters their phone number on your site, we call them in seconds, and you choose who they talk to: 1. You or your staff: your phone rings and you're connected while they're still on your site. 2. An AI voice agent: it answers their questions, finds out what they need and books the appointment into you

Tony Roberts October 2026

Mr. Oktoberfest was punctual, kind, and played a variety of Polk/Bavarian music. He stayed for lunch and the COL.

Astrid At a Celebration Of L · October 2026

Tell me the date

Send me the date and the kind of event. I will tell you whether I am free, and what it costs for your evening — the venue, the hours and the travel all change the price, so there is no single number to put on a page.