More people checked out the Carrousel of the Nations villages during the second weekend of the event.
The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County (MCC) says an estimated 114,800 visited the villages this past weekend compared to weekend number one, where 111,700 attended the villages.
Speaking on AM800’s The Kyle Horner Show, MCC executive director Fred Francis says in total an estimated 226,500 attended the villages during the two-weekend event, making it the biggest and most successful Carrousel of the Nations.
He says a few years ago, the MCC adjusted the way it tracks attendance numbers.
“I’m confident in saying that this was the biggest Carrousel of the Nations in the 51 years we’ve had Carrousel of the Nations, and I can’t say thank you enough to all the people of Windsor-Essex, just people coming out and supporting it year after year,” he says.
Francis says the community enjoyed the atmosphere at the different villages.
“I know the individual cultural villages are ecstatic; I can’t say thank you enough to them and the thousands of volunteers for making Carrousel 2026 the biggest and most successful ever,” says Francis.
This was the 51st annual Carrousel of the Nations in Windsor-Essex.
42 villages took part in the 2026 event, featuring some new villages, including the Iraqi, Brazilian, and Cambodian villages.
The event highlights authentic food, entertainment, music, dance, art, and traditions from around the world.
Francis says the villages have until July to give their final reports.
“We want to listen to as many of them as we can just to make it better next year, but we heard record-breaking crowds; food was sold out, drinks were sold out,” says Francis. “Some of them had a hard time keeping up with the number of people that were attending.”
The MCC saw 2.2 million social media engagements on its social media platforms during the two weekend event.