The Carrousel des Nations returns to the festivities in person

Good news for festival-goers and anyone interested in discovering the diverse cultures of our region.

The Carousel of Nations will return to its traditional format as an in-person festival across the region in June. This is after the past two years of virtual celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s festival will feature nearly 20 villages, ranging from Polish to Italian to Lebanese. Festival-goers will have the chance to visit several villages in the region during two weekends of festivities.

Windsor-Essex Multicultural Council Executive Director Fred Francis says it’s the perfect event for someone planning a trip abroad.

“Carousel of the Nations gives you the opportunity to travel around the world without leaving your city, and it saves you a lot of money in travel costs,” he began. “It kind of allows you to experience different cultures, and different foods, dances and parties.

Francis added that the willingness of so many groups to participate shows that people want to share their culture.

“It’s how important their culture is to them, and not just how important it is to them, but it’s important to them to share their culture with other members of the community, so people can learn about German culture, Italian culture, Chinese culture.”

The festival would have taken place had the COVID restrictions remained, but the team are thrilled to be back in person.

“We were also ready to go virtual, so we were trying to prepare it both ways. We hoped for the best but prepared for the worst. As the months progressed, we were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to be able to do this in person,’” Francis said.

This year’s theme is “Discover the Carrousel”. The festival dates are June 17-19 and June 24-26.

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