A record number of villages will take part in the 51st annual Carrousel of the Nations across Windsor-Essex.
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County (MCC) announced the line-up Thursday for the 2026 event this June that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the region through food, music, dance, and storytelling.
The 2026 festival will feature 42 cultural villages located throughout the region, each offering authentic food, entertainment, music, dance, art, and traditions from around the world.
There were 37 villages in 2025 in Windsor, Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington, including the Greek, Caribbean, Polish, Mexican, and Middle Eastern villages.
The new villages this year include the Iraqi, Brazilian, and Cambodian villages.
Last year’s event attracted featured an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 visits to the various villages, generating an estimated $1 million for the local economy.
It was also named Top Festival and Event in Ontario by Attractions Ontario for the third year in a row.
Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County Executive Director Fred Francis says this is not just for people across the area, we also see people from London, Toronto, and Michigan.
“It’s certainly a regional event, a provincial event, and three years in a row based on Attractions Ontario, Carrousel of the Nations, a Windsor-Essex festival has been named the top festival and event in all of Ontario. That’s something we’re very proud of, and we’re going to go for a four-peat this year,” he says.
Francis says this festival is always about the people.
“It’s about people from different walks of life, different religions, different creeds, different countries, and different cultures coming together in a common place. Understanding one another, celebrating one another, learning about each other’s culture, seeing each other as people, and really breaking down any potential barriers and differences, seeing each other as people, and getting to know one another on a human level,” he says.
Carrousel of the Nations 2026 will take place over two weekends: Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14, and Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21.
Click here to find more information on the festival schedule.
