Carrousel of the Nations kicks off this weekend

The annual Carrousel of the Nations kicks off this weekend and continues next weekend with two new ‘villages’ taking part June 15 and four more villages on tap for June 21-23.

The Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County hosts the festival each year with the bulk of the villages in Windsor, but they’ve branched out to the county in recent years.

At Leamington’s Portuguese Community Club, spokesperson Brianna Oliveira says visitors can expect a wide array of traditional Portuguese food, drinks, music and activities. Scheduled to appear are Malia Afonso, Will Trigo, Ecos de Portugal, as well as a display of bull cart, soccer activities and pony rides.

Food on the menu for the day includes Piri Piri BBQ chicken, grilled sardines, ribs and Portuguese-style hot dogs, among other items.

The event runs from 4-11 pm on Saturday, June 15 at the club at 217 Talbot Street West.

Kingsville is painting the town orange as it joins Carrousel of the Nations for the first time with its Dutch Village at the Grove Brewing Company at 86 Wigle Street on Saturday, June 15. Emerging from a conversation amongst co-workers, it was decided that the Grove’s lead brewer would have his heritage celebrated with Dutch food, drink, live music and games.

The day begins with a Dutch breakfast at 9 a.m. followed by seven Dutch food offerings including a poutine-like kapsalon. 

To quench your thirst, three specialty beers, including a double Dutch lager, have been brewed along with a Dutch-inspired black licorice seltzer.

An extended patio will be set up outside and will be filled with the sounds of the Netherlands from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m, while a communal proost will mark the official beginning to the festivities.

The afternoon will be filled with traditional Dutch family games, including spijkerpoepen and the pastry-based game koekhappen.

A vendor’s market will run from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. featuring delectables from Essex’s Schinkels’ Meat Market, while those seeking to burn off some Dutch calories can rent a bike on-site from Kingsville Cycle Works.

Week two will feature the Mexican Village, Lebanese Village, Italian Village and German Village, all of which will be highlighted in the Sun’s June 19 edition.