Organizers of the 50th edition of Carrousel of the Nations say they are "blown away" by the crowds at this year's festival.
The executive director of the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County Fred Francis says attendance at this past weekend's villages topped 100,000, putting the overall attendance for the two weekends at 150,000.
He says the economic impact from the festival is estimated at well over a million dollars.
Francis says many villages report long lineups and sellouts over the weekend.
"We're really really blown away, 150,000 people over the course of two weekends is a huge number," says Francis. "You can only imagine if each of those people spent $20, or $10, or even more you're talking about over million dollars generated to the local economies of Windsor and surrounding municipalities."
He says Carrousel brings the community together.
"So enjoyable to know that people are enjoying themselves at a festival that brings people together," he says. "Brings people together in harmony, brings people together in understanding and acceptance and getting to know different cultures and learning about different cultures. That's what it's about, how do I learn about something I might not have known about.."
Francis says organizers believe this could be the best Carrousel ever.
"We're a little blown away by the positive comments, the positive posts and just how many people attended Carrousel, took part in Carrousel, engaged in Carrousel online and in person," says Francis.
He says many villages — including the Greek and Polish villages — reported long lineup and sellouts Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Francis says planning is already underway for next year's festival.