By Declan Finucane. Published July 19, 2022 at 1:39 pm
“Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on Celebration Square in Mississauga’s downtown core this weekend as the city’s summer festival season continues with one of the larger events on the schedule.
The 17th TD Mosaic Festival runs Friday and Saturday (July 22-23) and is open to all ages free of charge. Friday’s festivities run from 6 to 11 p.m. and the award-winning festival continues Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m.
Organizers say the Mississauga festival, returning to the popular venue after hosting virtual events the last two years due to the pandemic, “…brings you the best of art, culture and cuisine from South Asia. The two-day, free festival will feature music, dance, folklore, Bollywood, food and shopping in the heart of Mississauga headlined by popular artists and performers from India, Pakistan, Canada and the U.S.”
Also, children can enjoy free arts and craft workshops and learn to use a pottery wheel.
Additionally, “This year’s festival will present a film segment featuring South Asian cinema in a local theatre,” organizers note.
Rock the Coliseum, the independent music component of the Mosaic Festival, will celebrate its 15th year by presenting local youth bands as well as well-known independent bands from across the province.
Beyond the Mosaic Festival, the season continues just over three weeks from now with Mississauga Italfest, taking place Aug. 12-13 at the square.
Italfest returns to the square after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 just in time to celebrate its 10th anniversary on the festival scene.
“Experience some of Italy’s finest in the heart of Mississauga” is among the themes of this year’s festival, also a free event to attend.
Attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year, Mississauga Italfest has consistently been named one of Ontario’s top 100 festivals/events over the years.
Celebrating “the beauty of Italian heritage and culture,” organizers say this event features delicious food and crafts from a variety of vendors and artisans, cultural and family-oriented activities, entertainment from local and international talent, a thriving “mercato” (market) and more.
On Aug. 20-21, Japan Festival Canada takes over Celebration Square as the largest Japanese cultural event in North America, according to organizers.
Some 90,000 people attended the 2019 event and organizers hope to exceed that number this year.
The festival’s goal, simply stated, is to “introduce and promote genuine Japanese food, culture and technologies,” organizers say, adding after two years of hosting the festival virtually, they’re looking forward to returning to an in-person, live event in the heart of the downtown core.
Japan Festival Canada, first held in 2016, also seeks to further improve Canadian-Japanese relations, organizers note.
To that end, they add, the festival will provide “…exciting entertainment such as traditional and modern performances, pop culture stage performances, as well as delicious Japanese foods and much more.”
For more information on these and other Mississauga events, visit the City of Mississauga website.”
