The 2024 edition of Windsor-Essex’s biggest multicultural festival of the year is being described as one of the best ever.
The 49th annual Carrousel of the Nations festival was held Jun. 14-16 and Jun. 21-23 and wrapped on Sunday.
Seven new villages were added to the Carrousel of the Nations festival for 2024, including the Canadian Village, Croatian Village, Dutch Village, Mexican Village,
Middle Eastern Village, Persian Village, and the Portuguese Village.
Fred Francis, executive director for the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County says new villages speaks to the popularity of Carrousel and the willingness of different groups and volunteers to come together to showcase their culture.
"The hope is that after the two weekends of Carrousel people know more about each other. People know about each others cultures a little bit more. Perhaps there's less misunderstanding and more understanding, and obviously when we have more communication, more understanding, that usually leads to positive things."
He says over the two weekends, 30 villages were open and very popular among attendees.
"Based on the numbers in real time without final confirmation, we had over 200,000 visits to all the villages. It was a really really tremendous two weekends and one of the best Carrousel's we've ever had."
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Carrousel and Francis says planning already began three weeks ago but they're looking for feedback from this year...
"We'll be debriefing the next couple weeks and then we'll make our notes when everything is fresh to see what we can do better, where we can improve things. And obviously leading up to next June, June 2025, we'll see what's available. What new options are available to us and then we'll try to make the 50th anniversary of Carrousel of Nations the best one yet."
Since 1974, Carrousel has offered residents and visitors a unique opportunity to explore a diverse array of traditions and customs they may not encounter otherwise.