Hamilton’s Assyrian community is keeping cool during the heatwave with the city’s largest water balloon fight.

The bet Nahrain Assyrian Heritage Centre held their fourth annual festival of Nusardil a festival that celebrates Assyrian culture and water.

The culture is intimately connected with water and the Hamilton community decided to celebrate it with 15,000 water balloons for the biggest water balloon fight in the city.

Assyrians are the indigenous people of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Hamilton has one of the largest Assyrian populations in Canada. The celebration also had traditional folk dancing, food, local vendors and live artists.

While the event aims to preserve and celebrate vibrant Assyrian culture in Hamilton, organizers say the event is also to share their culture with the community.