[twitter]Like Transit says in his great new tribute to Calgary, we are not all cowboys. Actually, Calgary is one of the most multicultural cities in the country. I hate to trot out our Mayor as an example, but yeah, Naheed Nenshi can be the poster boy of the diversity of our city.

Summer is festival season in Calgary and while your Sunfest, Sun and Salsa, Lilac Festival and Marda Gras celebrate neighborhoods and business districts of Calgary, if you really want to dig into the different cultures in Calgary, you need to hit an ethnic festival.

The costumes, the dance, the food. It really is all about the food.

Perogies, rotis. dolmades, jerked chicken, samosas, and more. All, most likely, hand made by someone’s grandmother working a back kitchen to help and raise money for the local community. You can’t get more authentic than this.

Here’s a rundown of the cultural (food) festivals happening in Calgary this summer:

Calgary Ukranian Festival – June 4, 5 – Acadia Recreation Complex

Carifest – June 11 – Shaw Millenium Park

Calgary Greek Festival – June 17, 18, 19 – Hellenic Centre

Calgary Turkish Festival – July 9, 10 – Eau Claire

Fiestaval Latin Festival – July 23, 24 – Canada Olympic Park

Afrikadey – Aug 8 – 13 – Prince’s Island Park

Globalfest – Aug 19 – 27 – Elliston Park

Expo Latino – Aug 26 – 28 – Prince’s Island Park

IndiaFest – Aug 28 – Shaw Millennium Park

Calgary Highland Games – Sep 3 – Springbank Park

It’s a chance to travel around the world almost every weekend of the summer without ever leaving home! Which festival is your favorite?