The South Asian Arts Society has announced the dates, events, shows and schedule for the seventh annual Monsoon Festival of the Performing Arts this August. The festival celebrates South Asian art in the world, offering a diversity of great programming options. Festival attendees will experience theatre, music and dance, a marketplace of visual art, dance classes, fascinating development workshops and more.
Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts
This year, Monsoon Festival’s feature event is the premiere of a theatre production mounted exclusively for Monsoon 2022.
Dooja Ghar (The Other House) -A Mirza Sahiban Story When: Friday, August 5 (Opening Night) & August 6, 7, 12-14 7:30-9:00pm Where: Campbell Valley Red Barn (1065 224 St, Langley) Admission: Tickets available now for $20
The festival proudly presents a new interpretation of Mirza-Sahiban by Pilu, which is one of the most popular tragic romance stories of Punjab. This moving folktale has been told and re-told for hundreds of years. It’s the powerful story of Mirza, the valiant warrior, who defies all odds and conventions to save his lover-in-distress, Sahiban, from a forced marriage on the day of her wedding – only to be tragically betrayed by her.
Playwrights Paneet Singh and Andy Kalirai have crafted an illuminating reimagining of this age-old story for modern times – a version of the tale that’s much closer to home that you’d think.
Monsoon Marketplace
Launching August 5and running online until August 31, the Monsoon Festival website hosts the work of a range of talented visual artists, each offering their artwork for sale.
Punjabi Market LIVE!
When: Sunday, August 21 from 2:00pm to 6:00pm Where: Punjabi Market (corner of Main St. & 49th Ave in Vancouver) Admission: Free
In partnership with the Punjabi Market Collective, Monsoon brings dance, music, visual art, cuisine, fashion, and more to the streets of Vancouver’s historic Punjabi Market for a free outdoor celebration.
Industry Series
Monsoon offers a series of community-based initiatives that are excellent opportunities for participants to both view art and become immersed in the artistic process. Participants can sign up for a free dance lesson or workshop, and spark their creative juices.
Sunday Funday Dance Lessons
Participants get their week started right with new dance moves that will get their blood flowing – no experience necessary. On three Sundays in August, Monsoon’s free dance lessons are led by renowned dance artists in a variety of different dance styles.
Sunday, August 7, 10:00am to 11:00am Bollywood Dance Lesson with Karima Essa (All Ages) Sunday, August 14, 10:00am to 11:00am Bhangra Dance Lesson with Raja Singh (Ages 16+) Sunday, August 21, 10:00am to 11:00am Bharatanatyam Dance Lesson with Sudnya Mulye (Ages 7+)
Workshop Wednesdays are free community-based development workshops that offer a great chance to learn valuable skills from accomplished industry professionals. These workshops are a vital component of the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts every year. Check out the lineup and register in advance online.
The welcoming of the captivating and spiritual force of the monsoon in India dates back thousands of years. Vancouver is also known for its rainfall. With the intersection of these two natural phenomena, the goal of the South Asian Arts Society is to celebrate the monsoon in the Lower Mainland through the presentation of the multidisciplinary Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts. Launched in 2016, the festival provides South Asian artists with the opportunity to experiment and present their creative work, and to share and learn from some of the most accomplished artists in the industry.
Follow on Facebook and #MonsoonArtsFest2022 for festival updates.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by the Big 50/50 Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Variety – the Children’s Charity, the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC and the West Coast Kids Cancer Foundation have teamed up to bring back The Big 50/50!
“We’re excited to be partnering with these two amazing charities and hope to raise as much as we can for BC’s kids,” said Josh Pasnak, Interim CEO, Variety BC. “And the bigger the jackpot, the more kids we can help.”
The Big 50/50 for BC Charities
Ticket can be bought online: 4 for $20, 25 for $50 & 100 for $100. Ticket sales end on July 28 with the draw taking place on July 29 at 12:00pm.
Ticket buyers will receive an email receipt listing their ticket numbers shortly after purchasing while the jackpot total will be updated regularly on the website. Upon the winning ticket being drawn on Friday, July 29, The Big 50/50 winner will receive 50% of the total ticket sales with the remaining 50% going to the three BC charities:
Variety
Variety – the Children’s Charity steps in where health care ends providing direct help to children with special needs in BC. For over 55 years, Variety has ensured children have the support to reach their potential. Since 2010, Variety has distributed more than $35 million in funding to families and organizations in communities all across the province. Variety’s core grant areas range from mobility programs and life-saving medical equipment to specialized therapies, mental wellness counselling and educational programs.
Cerebral Palsy Association of BC
The Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia was started in 1954 by a group of parents who wanted to assist their children living with cerebral palsy to reach their maximum potential within society. Today they are an independent charitable organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. They provide support, education and information throughout BC.
West Coast Kids Cancer Foundation
WCK was stablished in 2017 to provide daily & practical support for families of children tackling childhood cancer and blood disorders across the province. Through WCK programs, kids with cancer/blood disorders experience joy, siblings know they matter and parents know they are not alone.
For the first time ever, join the popular floral installation series Fleurs de Villes for Pride in Vancouver – a floral celebration of joy and inclusivity. The West End and Yaletown each play a distinct part in Canadian 2SLGBTQAI+ history and Fleurs de Villes is proud to join these neighbourhoods in honouring that history, while celebrating the best way they know how – with flowers!
Festival visitors can expect to see installations such as incredible floral wings perfect for a photo op, beautiful and colourful peace signs, and a stunning heart installation in Helmcken Plaza. The event is poised to gather the Vancouver community for a fun and inclusive celebration for the whole family. In addition to installations, the YBIA will also be commissioning their own pride-focused art exhibits, including “Dance with Pride” at Helmcken Plaza and “Love is Love” at 1000 Hamilton Street.
Fleurs de Villes Pride in the West End
Check out the Pride Mannequin and Bus Shelter, Floral Chandeliers, the Heart of Davie, Bob the Drag Queen and JIMBO drag queen mannequins, Rainbow Arches and more. Special Pride events will be happening in the area around Davie Street at Thurlow and Bute.
Gulf Island Seaplanes has just opened a new base in Downtown Vancouver! The Indigenous owned and operated airline, founded by Alison and Sean Evans, now has two main bases: Gabriola Island and Vancouver Harbour, connecting passengers to seven destinations across British Columbia.
Gulf Island Seaplanes – Miss604 Photo
Gulf Island Seaplanes Adds Downtown Vancouver
The addition of the new base will significantly increase the airline’s ability to reach a broader range of destinations for travellers to discover.
“We took our time to refocus our purpose during the pandemic, and we are so proud to not only come out the other side of the pandemic with our business intact but expand our business further than ever before,” says Alison Evans, Co-Founder, Gulf Island Seaplanes. “Flying from Vancouver Harbour positions us in a competitive market as it is a central and desirable location, which will open us up to further partnerships and connect us to more passengers.”
Gulf Island Seaplanes Co-Founders Alison and Sean Evans. Miss604 Photo.
Now offering flights from two main bases (Gabriola Island and Vancouver Harbour), they provide scheduled services to seven destinations, including Gabriola Island, Decourcy Island, Thetis Island, Ruxton Island, Vancouver YVR, Vancouver Harbour, and Hornby Island – the newest location with exclusive dock rights.
In addition, they offer scenic flights of Vancouver, from Vancouver Harbour for those wanting to explore the area from the sky.
The fleet landing into Vancouver Harbour includes two Beavers with a capacity of five passengers and one Caravan, with a capacity for nine passengers. One Beaver (F-HRT) is wrapped with artwork by Tom Spetter at Animikii, featuring a thunderbird, a lightning snake, and a face representing their passengers. The mountain peak in the logo also represents Stegyawden (known as Hagwilget Peak), which is a nod to the birthplace of Co-Founder, Alison Evans, who is Gitxsan, from Hazelton, BC, of the Hagwilget Village nation.
With strong ties to the community, Gulf Island Seaplanes has partnered with the magnificent, Indigenous-owned Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort, providing guest transportation from YVR to the luxury resort in the Caribou area. Similar partnerships with other Indigenous-owned properties are coming soon.
Gulf Island Seaplanes – Miss604 Photo
By spring 2023, visitors will enjoy cultural scenic flights around Vancouver, from Vancouver Harbour where passengers can learn about the area’s rich history, resilience and culture. Additionally, chartered routes are available for passengers who would like to travel outside the scheduled services.
meowfest, a global celebration of cats, returns to Vancouver on August 20th with a full day festival of food, fun and felines! You won’t want to miss this cat-stravaganza of music, events, prizes, ice cold adult beverages, and shopping.
meowfest in Vancouver
When: Saturday, August 20, 2022 from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Where: Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell St, Vancouver)
Tickets sell out every year so act fast! First 200 guests through the door receive a swag bag.
The main stage will have speakers informative workshops where you can learn the basics of getting your cat adventure ready, or about the ins and outs of your cat’s diet from experts.
Shop the vendor marketplace, can get social with other cat fans and ask questions in the Feline Librawry, have a meet & greet with Internet famous celebrity cats (like @BenBenCatcat), do cat-themed paintings or get a temporary cat-too, and participate in a scavenger hunt.
The full-day, non-profit festival benefits local cat rescues, and highlights include and an “Adoptable Kitty Corner” provided by the Langley Animal Protection Society.
The first ever meowfest took place at the Yaletown Roundhouse in 2018 and helped facilitate over 30 on-site kitten adoptions and raised over $10,000 for cats and kittens in need! They have since expanded to an event in Toronto, virtual events over the pandemic, and now it’s back in Vancouver!
Enter to Win!
I have a pair of tickets to give away to meowfest! Here’s how you can enter to win:
August 8, 2022: Brunette the Label and meowfest have collaborated on this super awesome “Cat Person” t-shirt which is available online now.
A portion of proceeds from the Brunette The Label x meowfest Tees will be donated to the fest and if you wish to donate directly, you can do so here. 100% of proceeds from the event support animal causes in BC.
