Mosaic festival returns to the Queen City after 3 year hiatus

After a three-year hiatus, Mosaic a Festival of Cultures returns to Regina with food, entertainment and community.

The event runs June 1-3, with doors opening at 5 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, both running until midnight.

“I think it’s just good for everybody to get back after so many years away from it. I think it’s good for everybody to get out and celebrate the culture again, see people again and do something as a community, as Mosaic is a huge part of the community, it brings everybody together on many different levels and nationalities,” Travis Boehm, ambassador of the Austrian Club said.

Mosaic started in 1967 and was held annually until the pandemic put it on hiatus in 2020.

This year there are 17 pavilions spread throughout the city representing cultures from across the world.

“We’re very happy to see participation from 17 pavilions and I’m excited to share that we have the Latino pavilion coming back after a gap of many years,” Nish Prasad, chair of Mosaic, told CTV News.

Prasad said they usually see between 17 and 22 pavilions but because the pandemic was hard for many communities, they are still recovering.

He added that it was important to bring the festival back in order to unite cultures, something that was echoed by all the pavilions.

“A lot of times I think ignorance leads us to behave in ways we shouldn’t towards other people’s culture. So I think it’s important for this multicultural festival for everybody, for ourselves and for our children who were born here and have probably never been to any country in Africa before,” Aseye Johnson, a board member for ACRN said.

There are free buses throughout the city to take festival goers to different pavilions, adult passports are $15, youth and seniors are $10.

For those who get their passport stamped at every pavilion, they will be entered to win a cash prize of $500.

All locations and cultures can be seen here, with the Austrian pavilion in a new location this year.

As for what to expect.

“Expect the welcoming atmosphere and energy of the 17 pavilions and the distinct identities of their cultures,” Prasad said.