Diwali Fest to Take Over Vancouver This Fall

The Diwali Celebration Society is pleased to produce and present Diwali Fest from Tuesday, October 11 to Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at various venues throughout the Lower Mainland.

Diwali is known as the festival of lights, a spiritual festival celebrated every autumn. Its spiritual significance is that of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair. Diwali Fest celebrates this spiritual significance and strives to provide an artistic platform for local artists from various cultures, including the South Asian culture. The festival is committed to incorporating the inclusion of all cultures and communities with its theme of unity in diversity. Diwali Fest aims to unite people from different cultures through celebratory events and allow South Asian art forms to evolve through other cultural influences, while at the same time influencing others.

Now in its 13th year, Diwali Fest will feature its signature events, "Diwali Downtown", in Vancouver on October 29 at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre and in Surrey on November 5 at Surrey City Hall. Diwali Downtown is a free, family-friendly extravaganza that brings together the best of contemporary and classical Indian culture, including music, dance performances, a room-sized rangoli, and delicious cuisine. Confirmed for this year's Diwali Downtown Vancouver and Surrey event is a breathtaking performance from the Shiamak Vancouver dance team. This year's festival will also see the return of Chai House, which features cabaret style music and dance performances in an intimate setting. Chai House will take place on November 20 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.

After last year's success of "Diwali on the Drive", which featured Nirbhaya at the York Theatre and Sunya at The Cultch, this year's Diwali Fest Theatre component has expanded to include Piya Behrupiya (Twelfth Night), Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Hindi with English surtitles, October 11-22 at the York Theatre; The Magic Flute, a dance collaboration with Karen Flamenco featuring the story of Diwali, on October 15 and 16 at the Vancouver Playhouse; The Elephant Wrestler, a funny and beautiful romantic thriller inspired by the traditional Indian fairy tale, November 1-5 at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch; as well as a staged reading of the play Bhopal by Rahul Varma, in partnership with the Firehall Arts Centre and based on the ongoing conversation of climate change in Vancouver and globally, on November 21 at the Firehall Arts Centre.

In addition to Diwali Fest Theatre and Diwali Fest Signature Events, the autumnal celebration will once again incorporate Diwali Fest Community Events to its programming. From culinary demonstrations at community centres to storytelling sessions at the Vancouver Public Library, and pop-up performances to workshops on rangoli design or Bollywood dancing, each community in the Lower Mainland will have an opportunity to experience the tastes, sights, and sounds of Diwali Fest.

Additional details and programming regarding the 2016 Diwali Fest will be made available soon. Visit Diwali Fest online at www.diwalifest.ca, or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/diwalifest and Twitter: www.twitter.com/diwalifest (#diwalifest)

Produced by the Diwali Celebration Society, Diwali Fest is an annual South Asian arts and culture festival that celebrates the universal light that exists in everyone. Diwali Fest originated in 2004 and has since evolved to become one of the largest Diwali-themed events in the Lower Mainland and a destination event on the city's cultural calendar. It strives to promote unity in diversity and showcases the best and brightest South Asian talent, exhibiting artistic innovation through a myriad of forms while engaging a wide community in an active and inclusive role. Each year's festival engages dozens of artists in events across the city, the majority of which are open and free to the general public, by donation, or at affordably priced tickets. Diwali Fest would not be possible without the generous support of its board members: Kriti Dewan, Gurdeep Birdi, Chirag Vesuvala, Sahil Bhrany, Soutomi Kundu, and Gurpreet Sian.