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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.