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It is the one weekend in a year where you can justify eating Italian pasta, Indian samosas, Ukrainian perogies and even haggis all in one day.
Regina’s Mosaic Festival of Cultures opens Thursday night, offering people a chance to go around the world while staying in the same city. From Poltava and Kyiv Ukraine to Punjab, Caribbean, Scottish, and the Phillipines – there are more than 17 different cultures represented at Mosaic this year.
Throughout the week leading up to Mosaic, representatives rom several pavilions dropped by the CJME Morning Show to highlight what visitors can expect this weekend.
“We have all our favourite foods so you’ll find your fresh homemade lasagna there and homemade sausage as well as homemade pizza and tonnes of homemade desserts,” explained Christina Schultz who came to represent the Italian Pavilion.
The pavilion at the Italian club will also feature four traditional dance troupes including the most experienced dancers with 10 years of training.
Over at the Callie Curling Club, the Irish pavilion is often a popular destination to end off the evening.
“We have lots of entertainment, a lot more live music than we did last year, which I am super excited about,” explained Keely Farrall who came to represent the Irish.
As for the drinks, she says you can never go wrong with a pint of Guinness.
Rishi Thatkar said the India pavilion located at the Orr Centre also has a new feature drink to offer.
“It’s called a sharabi lassi,” he said, describing a traditional yoghurt-based drink with a twist. “This is pretty much a mango lassi but with alcohol in it, so it’s supposed to go really well along with your Indian meal.”
When it comes to live entertainment, the India pavilion will be showcasing a wide range of dances.
“We’ve got classical, Bollywood, bhangra, gidha – so we’ve got a little bit of everything from every part of India,” Thatkar explained.
The pavilions around the city open at 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
There is also a bus service available through Regina city transit, stopping off at various pavilions around the city. Passports to the festival are $9 for youth and seniors and $14 for adults. The passes are available at Conexus Credit Unions, Cornwall Centre Guest Services and the Regina Multicultural Council office at 2054 Broad Street.
