Organizers of Mexican Village in Leamington hope Carrousel of Nations festival makes it a tradition

A vibrant celebration of Mexican culture transformed Leamington for a day, as a new village joined the Carrousel of the Nations festival lineup.

While a Mexican village is traditionally hosted in the WindsorEats food hall as part of the Carrousel of the Nations festival, the 2024 lineup added a second Mexican village in Leamington for the festival's final day.

The village was hosted by the municipality, the Migrant Workers Community Program (MWCP) and the Mexican consulate office.

"Last year, I was at the Mexican Village in Windsor with the mayor [of Leamington] and the Consulate of Mexico where we started talking about doing a Mexican village here in Leamington," said MWCP chair Martin Varela.

A portion of Mill Street was blocked off Sunday to allow for live music, cultural dance performances and authentic Mexican food offerings.

According to Varela, Sunday's turnout made the first Mexican Village in Leamington a huge success.

"People are asking for this to come back next year. Likely, we're going to continue this Mexican Village in Leamington as a tradition," he added.

Laura Ramirez performed dance numbers while wearing makeup resembling La Catrina.

"It's very important for us to share what we have, who we are, and where we come from because it allows you to understand the Mexican people a little more," said Ramirez.

"This is honestly a little piece of Mexico here in Canada."