The Carassauga Festival of Cultures, founded in 1986, is the largest multicultural Festival in Ontario and the 2nd largest cultural Festival in Canada.  Celebrating its 28th year, Carassauga promotes understanding, respect and cooperation amoung Canadians of different heritages.

Over three days visitors can experience the cuisine, culture and entertainment from 72 cultures at 28 pavilions in 13 locations across Mississauga. Carassauga is an important event in Mississauga’s calendar and is also recognized in Festivals and Events Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals.

Festival dates for 2013 are May 24, 25 and 26.
May 24 7:30pm – 12:00am
May 25 1:00pm – 12:00am
May 26 1:00pm – 7:00pm

Friday, May 24th         7:30 PM – 12:00 midnight
Saturday, May 25th     1:00 PM – 12:00 midnight
Sunday, May 26th       1:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Carassauga Pavilions are located in various locations in Mississauga made accessible by transit links.  Pavilion locations for 2013:

AFRICA: Hershey Centre Community Rinks Main Bowl, 5500 Rose Cherry Place
BRAZIL: Grace Community Church, 6670 Campobello Road
CANADA: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
CARIBBEAN: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
CHINA: Mckechnie C.C., 310 Bristol Road West
CROATIA: Sport Zone Gym, 5600 Rose Cherry Blvd.
CYPRUS: Carman Corbassen Community Centre (formerly known as Cawthra Community Centre) – East Arena, 4495 Tomken Road
EGYPT: Canadian Coptic Centre, 1245 Eglinton Ave. West
GREECE: Burnhamthorpe C.C.,1600 Gulleden Drive
HAWAII: Tomken Twin Rinks – East Rink, 4985 Tomken Road
INDIA: Hershey Centre Community Rinks 3, 5500 Rose Cherry Place
INDONESIA: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
IRAQ: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
ITALY: Carman Corbassen Community Centre (formerly known as Cawthra Community Centre) – West Arena, 4495 Tomken Road
KOREA: Hershey Centre, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
JAMAICA: Mississauga Valley Auditorium, 1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd.
LATIN AMERICA: Hershey Centre Community Rinks 2, 5500 Rose Cherry Place
LEBANON: Tomken Twin Rinks – West Rink, 4985 Tomken Road
MALTA: Malta Band Club, 5745 Coopers Avenue
PAKISTAN: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
PHILIPPINES: Hershey Centre Community Rinks 4, 5500 Rose Cherry Place
POLAND: Mississauga Valley Arena, 1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd.
PORTUGAL: Portuguese Culture Centre, 53 Queen Street North
SERBIA: St. Sava Serbian Church, 2520 Dixie Road
SLOVAKIA: Sts. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church, 5255 Thornwood Drive
THAILAND: Hershey Centre, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
TURKEY: Hershey Centre – Tent, 5600 Rose Cherry Place
UKRAINE: St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 3625 Cawthra Road

Advance Passports are $10.00 and at-door Passports are $12.00. A passport entitles the visitor to unlimited access to all Pavilions throughout the Festival weekend. Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an Adult Passport holder.  The passport also allows you to hop aboard  MiWay and ride for free on regularly scheduled routes to the Pavilions during the Festival’s operating hours. Advance Passports will be sold until Friday, May 24 @ 6:00 pm.

Yes. Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an Adult Passport holder.

Passports are available through this website and will be available various Passport Outlets.

Once inside a Pavilion, visitors are surrounded by the sights, sounds, and tastes of the country in which they are visiting.  Each Pavilion depicts culture of the country of origin and provides a line up of entertainment that is offered throughout the three days.  Interactive entertainment including dance classes and performances, story telling, skits, fashions shows, games, music, theatre and film allows each visitor opportunity to create their own personal idea of a “great” time.  There are activities in which children participate including music, story telling and arts and crafts.  Cooking classes and samples of each country’s food are showcased.  Many Pavilions exhibit the art of their country and hold a marketplace where visitors purchase products and souvenirs of their Pavilion’s respective country.

In 2013 there are 28 Pavilions, representing 72 countries:

Africa, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Latin America, Lebanon, Malta, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Yes. In fact, when you present your Passport to your MiWay  driver during Festival hours, you can hop aboard and ride on MiWay’s regularly scheduled bus routes for FREE. Children 12 and under can also ride FREE accompanied. This also includes access to an expanded shuttle bus service to all Pavilions.

MiWay

Present your Passport to a MiWay  driver during Festival Hours and travel for FREE on regularly scheduled MiWay  bus routes.

Carassauga Shuttle Buses

Carassauga has shuttle bus routes which visit each Pavilion and intersect at the Hershey Centre! Click here for shuttle schedules and stop locations.

Children 12 and under can also ride FREE when accompanied by an adult passport holder on MiWay  and Shuttle Buses. For more information on MiWay  Transit routes, schedule and Carassauga Shuttles call 905-615-INFO (4636) or TTY Phone for the deaf, deafen, or hard of hearing at 905-615-3886 during the following hours:

Weekdays: 7:00 am to 6:55 pm
Weekends: 8:00 am to 5:55 pm

Yes.

No. Parking is free at all Pavilion locations.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call the Carassauga Office at 905.615.3010 or email us at info@carassauga.com. Please complete the volunteer application form indicating whether you are interested in volunteering at the Carassauga office or with a Pavilion.

In 2012 more than 5,855 volunteers contributed 336,121 hours to make our Festival a success.

Pavilion applications are submitted to the Executive Director commencing in September and are subject to Board approval. Pavilions submissions are now closed for the 2013 Festival. Please click on the appropriate link below to apply.

For the A Pavilion application, please click here
For the B Pavilion application, please click here

Please call the Carassauga Office at 905.615.3010 or Contact Us.

Carassauga offers a full range of sponsorship packages that provides direct business building opportunities, excellent market exposure and a variety of hospitality benefits. All sponsorships can be customized to meet specific objectives, product sampling, media visibility etc. If you would like more information, please email Linda Siutra at linda.siutra@carassauga.com.

All requests must be in writing and emailed to the Pavilion with which you would like to participate. Please include your name, address, phone number, a brief description about what you sell. Pavilion contact information can be found at the bottom of their Pavilion information page.

The Opening Night Ceremony May 24 7:30 pm is held at the outdoor stage at the Hershey Centre and is a kaleidoscope of color and cultures. This launches the three-day Festival and is celebration of all the countries represented at the Festival, clearly depicting the cultural diversity of the City. Non-stop cultural entertainment throughout the Festival weekend is featured on the Outdoor Stage, which is a main attraction point for visitors.

In addition to the welcome formalities by the Chair of the Festival and dignitaries and the Opening Night Ceremony, Carassauga Festival is pleased to present Simply the Best.

Simply the Best

If you are a Tina Turner fan, you are going to love “Simply the Best” a tribute show which recreates the excitement and music of Tina Turner. Free admission with an Adult Passport.  May 24, 2013 9 p.m. Outdoor Stage, Hershey Centre.

In 2013, Carassauga will continue to offer the delicious Toonie Taste experience for Festival visitors wishing to enjoy a broader sampling of diverse ethnic cuisine. Select, smaller taster plates, each an authentic ethnic dish, will be offered at Pavilions for only a Toonie! Of course, our usual delicious full meal selections will still be available, but the choice is yours! Come to Carassauga and enjoy the tastes of 72 cultures, all delicious, all authentic and a treat for the whole family!

The Kids Zone, located at the Hershey Sports Centre (Indoor Soccer Field) caters to children 12 and under and features inflatable bouncers, a 67′ extreme obstacle course, mini golf and much more. Children must be accompanied by a supervising adult.