If you ask Patricia Whitelaw to sum up Mexican culture in a sentence, she doesn’t hesitate.
"We are happy, and we are hardworking," the Dance Group Director for the Mexican Social and Cultural Society of South Australia says.
"Mexican culture brings joy to people!
"The general joy we can bring to people through our food and dancing and our culture is great.
"So happy and hard-working – I think that defines Mexican people wherever they might be in the world."
The Mexican Social and Cultural Society of South Australia has been part of the Multicultural Festival since 2015, and Ms Whitelaw says it’s a great opportunity to teach South Australians more about the country of her birth.
"We love participating in the Multicultural Festival," she says.
"I think it’s great that we can showcase different cultures and traditions and show them in a positive light, whether they be from Thailand or Mexico or anywhere else."
Ms Whitelaw says the Multicultural Festival grants, which are awarded to all successful festival participants, helps the Mexican Social and Cultural Society of South Australia create the incredible costumes that their dancers wear each year.
"The grants always help because we like to do new choreography and new dances from different states of Mexico each festival," she says.
Ms Whitelaw says South Australia’s Mexican population was fairly small – with only a few hundred people – and events like the Multicultural Festival were a great opportunity to teach South Australians more about the nation.
"It’s not a big population, compared to other Latin American countries or countries in Asia and Europe," she says.
"And I think there are some general misunderstandings that can be propagated through movies.
"People often think we’re part of South America when we’re actually part of North America!"
But she says there’s one thing almost everyone knows about – the food.
Everyone knows about tacos but they might not know about the variety of tacos, or they might not know about the other foods like mole or tamales or quesadilla – there’s so much on offer,” Ms Whitelaw says.
Multicultural community organisations are invited to apply for grants to take part in South Australia’s 2026 Multicultural Festival. Organisers are especially excited to hear from groups who have never participated before.
Receiving a Multicultural Festival grant is the only way for organisations to be involved in the festival, which will bring Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga to life on Sunday 1 November, with music, dance, food, art, craft and family friendly activities.
Organisations can apply for a grant to perform, run a stall or host an activity, with first time applicants strongly encouraged to get involved.
Participating is a chance to share cultural traditions, connect with other communities and meet people from across South Australia.
Grant applications close on Sunday 17 May 2026, at 11pm.
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