Enjoy sights, sounds, tastes of Mexico in Brandon

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This article was published 07/02/2024 (589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandonites looking for a trip to Mexico this week won’t have to travel far, as authentic Mexican food, dance and music will be coming to Brandon on Thursday and staying for the weekend.

The Brandon Shrine Club at 1110 McTavish Ave. East will be turned into a cultural experience showcasing different regions of Mexico as one of six pavilions featured in this year’s Westman Multicultural Festival. The Mexico pavilion will provide ample opportunities to party and try out authentic Mexican cuisine this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“The main goal for the people is to have fun,” said the organizer of the pavilion, Carlos Muñoz. “So, from the volunteers, from our perspective, from our dancers, everyone, the focus is to have fun, forget about all the stress that we have and just enjoy Mexico for a weekend because we don’t have this opportunity very often to bring one country to you guys for the weekend.”

And the fun will go well beyond the scheduled dance shows and selection of food and drinks. Muñoz said he is making sure the pavilion will be an authentic experience of Mexico’s varied regions.

When Muñoz spoke to the Sun, he was on his way to the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport to pick up nine dancers and a singer who were travelling from Cancun to perform at the pavilion. Muñoz, who owns the Mariachi Mexican Tacos and Cantina, said the dancers will perform dances from different parts of Mexico.

“Some dancers are from the north, from the south, from the coast, from the centre of Mexico, so that people will have experience to know a little bit of the real Mexico,” he said.

The food offered at the Mexico pavilion will also showcase different regions of the county and will be prepared by a chef who is coming to Brandon from the central part of Mexico to help develop the menu and prepare the food. Muñoz said there will be dishes for guests to try that, if proven to be popular, will be added to Mariachi’s menu. Mariachi, he added, will be launching a new menu in two weeks.

“We want to make sure that people who attend the pavilion experience the real Mexico,” he said. “The food is going to be 100 per cent authentic. We’re going to have the real dancers, their fantastic show, their music, their drinks.

“It’s like a cheap trip to Mexico for one day.”

However, Muñoz said, creating an authentic Mexican experience in Brandon takes a lot of work and time — and the pavilion still needs more volunteers.

Volunteers will be offered a schedule that works for them and they get a free meal, a drink and an opportunity to experience all the fun, too.

Muñoz has been in Canada for 11 years, and this year will be his fourth time organizing the Mexico pavilion. The Mexican community in Brandon is small, he said, but he, his wife and their family are organizing the pavilion because they enjoy sharing their culture.

“We love to do this, but we need the support from the community to make this happen. We are pouring months and months of work, time and money to bring this event to you guys, to the community.”

And all that time and effort means people can enjoy a party at the Mexico pavilion that doesn’t end after the last dance show.

An after-party with a live DJ who’ll be blasting Latin tunes will run both Friday and Saturday nights from 10:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. The pavilion will also be licensed so attendees can enjoy a selection of imported Mexican beer, margaritas and palomas, a cocktail made with grapefruit juice, tequila, lime and salt.

“People will be on the floor dancing all night,” Muñoz said. “It’s gonna be a big party,”

Those who are interested in volunteering at the Mexico pavilion can contact Muñoz at 306-209-0389.

This is the last in a series featuring all six pavilions in the Westman Multicultural Festival, which kicks off Thursday.

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