Carrousel of the Nations organizers 'blown away' with this year's event

CTV News

5 days ago

Organizers of the 50th edition of Carrousel of the Nations said 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, said attendance at this past weekend's villages topped 100,000, putting the overall attendance for the two weekends at 150,000.
He said the economic impact from the festival is estimated at well over $1 million.
Francis said many villages reported 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,' said 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 said Carrousel brings the community together.
'So enjoyable to know that people are enjoying themselves at a festival that brings people together,' he said.
'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 said 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,' said Francis.
He added many villages — including the Greek and Polish villages — reported long lineups and sellouts Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Francis said planning is already underway for next year's festival.
- Written by Paul McDonald and Rob Hindi/AM800 News.