About Us
OUR STORY
Carassauga Festival is an incorporated non-profit volunteer community organization celebrating multiculturalism since 1985. Recognized as Canada’s largest multicultural Festival, Carassauga’s vision is to organize a city-wide family friendly multicultural festival suitable for all ages to promote understanding, respect and co-operation among all Canadians of different heritage.
Our Mission
– To provide an opportunity for Mississauga citizen groups from different countries of origin a chance to promote public awareness, appreciation and enjoyment of their cultures and cultural expressions.
– To promote principles of good citizenship, thereby encouraging tolerance, mutual cooperation and respect between and amongst Mississauga citizens.
– to encourage ethno-specific groups to cooperate together and to participate in mainstream cultural, civic and social activities.
Our History
Carassauga operated the first festival in 1986 with 10 Pavilions, initially operating only on Saturday and Sunday. It was created in response to a challenge put out by the former Mayor Hazel McCallion to all ethno cultural groups at a meeting of her calling in the old City Hall in the fall of 1985.
OUR TEAM
As a volunteer-based organization, our board is comprised of various members reflective of our cultural pavilions (providing community aspect and multicultural capacity) and from the wider community with special skill sets such as financial management, marketing, logistics planning, legal expertise and HR skills.
Carassauga Board of Directors – 2024 – 2025
Marek Ruta – Chair
Resty del Rosario – Vice Chair
Cynthia Prazeres-Mare – Vice Chair – Pavilions and Programs
Sean Franklin – Treasurer
Silvina Antunes – Secretary
Hema Pereira – Director
Sunil Bungay – Director
Zahid Syed – Director
Sandra Pereira – Director
Ursula Makula – Director
Catherine Taylor – Director
Ophelia Ramdth – Director
Tamer Bibawi – Director
Sinan Erdemir – Director
Fatoumata Keita – Director
Tariq Shah – Director
Endah Nuriningtiyas – Director
Anna Fernandes – Past Chair
Annual General Meeting
2024 Annual General Meeting
Thursday September 12, 2024 @ 7:00 pm
Location: Paramount Fine Foods Centre
2023 Annual General Meeting
Thursday September 14th, 2023 @ 7:00 pm
Location: Mississauga Valley CC
2022 Annual General Meeting
Thursday September 15th, 2022 @ 7:00 pm
Location: Canadian Coptic Centre, Mississauga