About Us

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.

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

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