ONTARIO HELPS CARASSAUGA GET BIGGER AND BETTER

McGuinty Government Supports Mississauga Tourism

News

Visitors to Carassauga, one of Ontario’s largest multicultural festivals, will be able to enjoy more food and entertainment, and free transit between venues, thanks to an investment by Ontario to help boost tourism in Mississauga.

 

Carassauga, now in its 23rd year, offers its guests an $8 passport that provides entry to more than 20 pavilions representing different countries around the world. Carassauga runs from
May 23-25, in different venues across Mississauga.

 

Ontario is providing more than $70,000 to help Carassauga:

 

• Develop an international pavilion, which will include food and entertainment from Pakistan, Brazil, Latin America, Indonesia, Thailand and Ukraine

• Coordinate logistics for the event, including set-up, parking, lighting and free public transit to take visitors to Carassauga venues across Mississauga

 

QUOTES

 

“Carassauga 2008 gives people a great reason to visit Mississauga this Victoria Day weekend and explore the wonderful food and entertainment of more than 20 countries,” said Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca. “Carassauga has engaged Mississauga’s diverse community and boosted local tourism since 1986, and Ontario is pleased to support its growth as it gets bigger and better.”

 

“Thanks to the generous support provided by Ontario, we are a little closer to becoming Canada’s largest multicultural festival," said Carassauga Chair Jack Prazeres. "I invite everyone to participate in the festivities and help make this weekend the largest cultural celebration in the world.” 

 

QUICK FACTS

 

• Carassauga was developed to promote the wide range of cultures represented in Mississauga, bring different communities together and engage citizens in social events.
• Ontario’s $70,000 investment is part of the government’s Celebrate Ontario program.
• Celebrate Ontario was launched in December 2006 to boost tourism in the province by helping festivals and events across Ontario to enhance their products with new experiences that lead to long-term improvements to attract greater audiences. 
• In December 2007, the government announced that it would build on this success by more than doubling funding for the Celebrate Ontario 2008 initiative to $10 million and by expanding it to include new festivals and events.

LEARN MORE

 

Find out more about events, passports and maps for Carassauga 2008

 

Contacts:

Alicia Farrow, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-4543
Gary Wheeler, Communications Branch, (416) 325-8391