11th Annual City of Bhangra Festival kicks off Thursday (May 28)

unnamedPRESENTED by ZEE TV Canada, VIBC’s City of Bhangra Festival returns for its 11th year thisThursday, May 28.
Every spring, the Festival unites local and international artists with audiences of all ages for an ten-day all-out dance and music fest. On indoor and outdoor stages, in parks and clubs, and even right smack downtown on the plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery, this year’s Festival runs from May 28 to June 6 with events taking place in multiple venues in Surrey and Vancouver.

Over the past 11 years, the City of Bhangra Festival has become a fixture in Vancouver’s cultural landscape. The Festival creates an inclusive community through the joy and celebration of bhangra. It is an opportunity to express, embrace, and exchange cultural stories experienced through music, dance, art and food, that welcomes any and all that wish to participate.

This year’s celebration kicks off on May 28 with a party at LED Nightclub, in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district, and closes with an afterparty to remember at Club FIVESIXTY on June 6.

FESTIVAL EVENTS (MAY 28–JUNE 6)

Denny’s Restaurant Presents Festival Kickoff: TAZA BEATS: THROWBACK EDITION

Date/Time: Thursday, May 28, 9 pm to 3 am
Location: LED Bar | 967 Granville Street, Vancouver
Admission: FREE if you RSVP before May 25 (earlybird!) or $10/door
Tickets: vibc.org

Let’s get this party started RIGHT! We’re kickin’ it off ol’ skool style with Taza Beats: Throwback Edition, in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district at LED Bar on Granville St. Celebrating their 11th year with VIBC, our esteemed DJ duo DJ Lajit and DJ Reminisce will be spinning 90’s beats from the golden era. We can’t think of a better way to kick off the biggest bhangra festival in North America—can you? Event presented by Denny’s Restaurant, and produced by VIBC and A-Town Presents.

Studio 1 Kitchen Design Presents FOLK LOK Featuring SETI X and Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti

Date/Time: Friday, May 29, 10 pm
Location: John Fluevog Shoes | 65 Water Street, Vancouver
Admission: Tickets $20/$25
Tickets: vibc.org

Come join us at trendy John Fluevog Shoes Gastown to witness the eclectic SETI X, documentary filmmaker and Punjabi hip hop artist out of the Bay area. SETI X takes us on a journey to cultivate social change through film, live music, and spoken word. His cross-cultural and multimedia project showcases the preservation of traditional Punjabi music through the lens of 21st century producers and musicians, with a specific focus on Punjabi hip-hop. SETI X will be accompanied by the legendary Dhol Master Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti, who is no stranger to VIBC: he performed at VIBC’s Quantum Bhangra and City of Bhangra Festival 2010 with BlackMahal, a hippy hybrid hip hop band. Needless to say, we’re stoked to have him back! Event presented by Studio 1 Kitchen Design, produced by VIBC, and sponsored by John Fluevog Shoes. Wine sponsored by Kismet Estate Winery. Media sponsor Jugni Style.

BHANGRA ON MAIN Featuring Raju Johal

Date/Time:Tuesday, June 2, 8 pm
Location: Fox Cabaret | 2321 Main Street, Vancouver
Admission: Tickets $29/students $15
Tickets: vibc.org

Music on Main and VIBC team up for an evening celebrating the more intimate side of bhangra. When Surrey’s Raju Johal takes the stage at East Van’s Fox Cabaret, you’ll see why bhangra is a worldwide phenomenon of music, dance, and community. Raju’s vibrant stage presence and passionate love of music are as infectious as the captivating songs he performs. Mixing classical training with influences from a vast range of genres, Raju creates a musical identity that is entirely Canadian and uniquely his own. Don’t miss this all-acoustic set highlighting bhangra’s Punjabi heritage—it’ll be a night to celebrate life, love, and inclusion. Produced by VIBC and Music on Main.

BHANGRA VILLAGE CONFERENCE

Date/Time:Thursday, June 4, 5 pm to 9 pm
Location: SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre | 250, 13450–102nd Avenue, Surrey
Admission: FREE; everyone welcome

A one-day conference of dialogue and workshops for local and international artists, educators, community members and bhangra enthusiasts to connect and share ideas about all aspects of the bhangra movement. New this year is a public dialogue about South Asian identity and the arts in BC, led by communications guru Sharad Khare. Event presented by VIBC, sponsored by City of Surrey and SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre. Refreshments sponsored by A Sweet Affair, Baanis Baked Treats, Crown Palace Banquet Hall, Cupcakes (Guildford Town Centre), Just Cakes (Guildford location), Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Guildford Town Centre), and Sweet Avenue.

DISORIENTING BHANGRA

Date/Time:Thursday, June 4, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Location: SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre | 250, 13450–102nd Avenue, Surrey
Admission: FREE; everyone welcome. RSVP here

Disorienting Bhangra takes an inside look at what motivates artists, performers, and music producers to push boundaries through the arts. Communications guru Sharad Khare will get up close and personal with three local artists, asking them about the barriers they face in the music industry, what projects they’re involved in, and what drives them to put in all of those late nights and early mornings. At Disorienting Bhangra, Sharad will be in conversation with Delhi 2 Dublin and Beats Without Borders’ Tarun Nayar, internationally recognized “DJ Goddess,” akaJessica Dhillon, and Vancouver’s own music producer and artist, Rayman Bhullar. VIBC is proud that so many artists have worked with us over the years. It’s time to take a deeper look at how they use music to break barriers and build connections.

DOWNTOWN BHANGRA

Date/Time:Friday, June 5, 5 pm to 10 pm | Saturday, June 6, 4 pm to 10 pm
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza | 800 Block Georgia Street, Vancouver
Admission: FREE

We finish our Festival by throwing Vancouver the biggest backyard bhangra party of the year: a two-day open-stage party with non-stop bhangra and entertainment in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. Go big or go home, right?! Downtown Bhangra gives you big beats and electrifying performances for the whole family to enjoy. On June 5 and 6, outside the VAG, experience some of the best local and international dancers and musicians EVER. From casual passers-by to hard-core bhangra lovers, everybody LOVES Downtown Bhangra. Headliners: Shava (June 5), DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid (June 5), Special TBA Band (June 5), Jaz Dhami (June 6). Event produced by VIBC.

Psst: This year, we’re keeping a Downtown Bhangra secret… BIG surprise for you… we’re itching to share, but we can’t… yet. But stay tuned. We’re gonna WOW you… we promise!!

Hard Rock Casino Vancouver Presents VIBC Official Afterparty: BHANGRA + BEYOND

Date/Time:Saturday, June 6, 10 pm
Location: Club FIVESIXTY | 560 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Admission: Tickets $15/$20/$35 (strictly 19+)
Tickets: vibc.org

Here we go again: VIBC is throwing the BIGGEST bhangra party of the year! Re-uniting the longest running South Asian party producers in the city—A-Town Presents—and the local leaders in world fusion parties—Beats Without Borders—the Official Afterparty is going to be EPIC! Head down to Club FIVESIXTY for Bhangra + Beyond, where the hottest DJ’s in North America will be spinning bhangra and electronic beats all night. The all-female lineup starring DJ Rekha from New York, DJ Anjali from Portland, and Lady Ra and Lil India from Vancouver, will be closing out the City of Bhangra with a BHANG!! Yep, we said BHANG. Event presented by Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, and produced by VIBC, A-Town Presents, and Beats Without Borders. Media sponsor Jugni Style.

For more details on events, performers, and tickets, visit www.vibc.org/

About City of Bhangra Festival

City of Bhangra Festival is presented annually by Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC). Founded in 2004, VIBC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the community we live in by engaging diverse audiences through celebration and the joy of bhangra.