Vancouver City of Bhangra Festival

May 4, 2011

With the big party tonight at the Museum of Vancouver to open the Bhangra.me exhibition, I thought it would also be handy to list the Vancouver City of Bhangra Festival events. The festival runs from May 4-14.

Wednesday, May 4: Opening Reception: A VIP cocktail reception with art, music & Bhangra
7:00 pm – 10 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver
Celebrate the launch of the much anticipated nine day City of Bhangra Festival. Experience the love and passion our fair city has for the art of Punjabi folk dance. The Opening Reception also launches the exhibit Bhangra.me: Vancouver’s Bhangra story in partnership with Museum of Vancouver.

Thursday, May 5: rePercussion
7:30 pm
Venue: Fei & Milton Wong Experiment Theatre, SFU Woodward’s, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $18, via Ticketweb

Drums of the world come together as percussion meister Paul Bray under the direction of Sal Ferreras and guests reveal another side of Vancouver’s heartbeat. Percussion and folk drumming traditions from Asia, Africa and Europe are your musical guides for exploring the city’s rich multicultural fabric.

Saturday, May 7: Curating & Creating Memory Symposium
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: FREE, Pre-Registration Required via RSVP@vibc.org

This year’s symposium creatively explores the ways a variety of communities represent history. Topics will include recent exhibitions at the Museum of Anthropology, the creation of the Bhangra.me exhibit, memorializing 1984 Komagata Maru and Downtown Eastside issues. The goal of this event is to share dynamic ideas and discussion to foster learning, understanding and navigate the shaky ground of truth and reconciliation.

Friday, May 13: Downtown Bhangra, an outdoor concert featuring local bands and dance groups
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Venue: Vancouver Art Gallery Grounds (Georgia and Howe)
FREE admission

Brace yourself for wild dance routines, amazing bands and all the Bhangra you can handle! Enjoy performances by the best Punjabi dancers and musicians and learn a few new Bhangra moves along the way. Featuring Vancouver’s finest talent from dhol drummers, beat-boxers and singers to Bhangra dancers, break dancers and a host of cultural mashups! Special performances by UK’s Shin of DCS, Vancouver’s Bhangra rockers, En Karma, and celebrating the album release of Raju Johal.

Saturday, May 14: Coast Capital Bhangra Competition, featuring North America’s top dance teams
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Doors Open at 5:30 pm)
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 649 Cambie St., Vancouver
Tickets: $25, $45, $55, available online

The 7th Annual Coast Capital Bhangra Competition seeks the greatest talent from all corners of the Earth! Ranked as one of the most prominent competitive Bhangra events in North America, thousands will pack the seats at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to watch Bhangra teams compete for $10,000 in prizes with special performances by folk singing sensation Jaswinder Daghamia arriving from India, UK’s Tigerstyle performing their live stage act, and Vancouver’s En Karma band.

Saturday, May 14: City of Bhangra Wrap Party
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Venue: Gossip Nightclub, Plaza of Nations
Tickets: $25, available online

Haven’t had enough Bhangra madness? Sad to see the City of Bhangra Festival end? Head on over to the City of Bhangra Wrap Party featuring premier DJ’s and percussionists. Attended last year by over 1,000 festival performers, volunteers, directors, festival attendees and featuring the combined talents of all City of Bhangra performers on stage, this is an after-party not to be missed.