Diwali Fest to Celebrate 12th Anniversary in November

The Diwali Celebration Society is proud to present Diwali Fest from Tuesday, November 3 to Sunday, November 15 at various venues throughout Vancouver, Surrey, and Richmond.

Continuing with the artistic theme of "Unity in Diversity", Diwali Fest aims to unite people from different cultures through celebratory events during the festival of Diwali and allow South Asian art forms to evolve through other cultural influences, while at the same time influencing others.

Now in its 12th year, Diwali Fest will feature the following main events:

"Diwali Downtown, Vancouver" | November 7 | Roundhouse Community Centre

Diwali Downtown is one of the main events of the festival and a key attraction, drawing thousands of people from all demographics for a South Asian cultural extravaganza. Diwali Downtown is a FREE event that brings together the best of contemporary and classical Indian culture for the entire family. This year's event will include over fifteen different music and dance performances, an Indian bazaar featuring South Asian crafts and cuisine, and a room-sized rangoli.

"Diwali Downtown, Surrey" | November 14 | Surrey City Hall

Returning by popular demand and at the request of the City of Surrey, Diwali Fest is pleased to once again bring its landmark event, "Diwali Downtown", to the Surrey audience. This is a FREE and family-friendly event.

"Diwali Workshops" | Various Dates in November | Various Venues in Vancouver

The "Diwali Workshops" are extremely popular with community centres and neighbourhoods across Vancouver. These FREE workshops feature professional artists and facilitators who lead the group in rangoli design, diya lamp painting, Bollywood dancing, sari wrapping, and mehndi hand painting. This year's festival will also include workshops on storytelling, poetry, yoga, and roundtable discussions on the history of Diwali.

"Storytelling & Rangoli-Making" | November 12 | Richmond Cultural Centre

This year, Diwali Fest is proud to expand their celebration to include Richmond. The City of Richmond has requested a Diwali-related installation at the Richmond Cultural Centre. This installation will include a large rangoli as well as information regarding Diwali. To support this initiative, Diwali Fest will host a storytelling workshop that will share stories in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, including the history of Diwali and rangoli. A family-friendly event, this workshop will also include an interactive portion with rangoli-making for children of all ages.

"Diwali Cooking Demonstrations" | November 3 & 15 | Roundhouse Community Centre

Food is an essential part of the Diwali holiday. Get into the Diwali spirit through exciting and tasty cooking demos. A small, yet affordable fee, these demonstrations take place at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver.

"Diwali at the Library" | November 4 | Vancouver Public Library

As part of its continuing partnership with the Vancouver Public Library, "Diwali at The Library" returns for another year. This event is also FREE and will provide exciting lunchtime music and dance performances, flash mob-style, in the Downtown Atrium of the Central Branch.

In addition to these main events, the Diwali Celebration Society is thrilled to partner with The Cultch to present "Diwali on The Drive":

"Diwali on The Drive" | November 3-14 | York Theatre & Historic Theatre at The Cultch

In partnership with one of the leading presenters of Theatre in the City of Vancouver, The Cultch, Diwali Fest will incorporate South Asian-themed Theatre for a two-week run at The York Theatre as well as a dance presentation for a weekend at The Historic Theatre at The Cultch. The two productions are Nirbhaya and Sunya. Information and ticketing details for these productions can be found at http://thecultch.com/tickets/

For interview requests and images, please contact Teresa Trovato at teresatrovatopr@gmail.com

For more information and details on Diwali Fest 2015, taking place November 3-15, please visit www.diwalifest.ca

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