The BC Halal Food Fest is about more than just food—it’s a celebration of Canada’s cultural diversity, says event organizer Yosof Hakimi. Returning for its fifth edition, this year’s festival will take place July 24-26 at the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Cloverdale, Surrey.

“We love to invite more people to come out and see what the Halal Food Fest is all about,” Hakimi says. “There’s a lot of things that people can enjoy and be a part of even if they’re not necessarily Muslim.”

Hakimi hopes this year’s event will be another record-breaking edition in terms of attendance. Their team is expecting over a hundred thousand attendees.

Making halal food accessible

The idea that halal food is only for religious purposes is a misconception, says Hakimi. He explains halal as a dietary restriction focusing on “cleanliness of the meat,” including how the animal is treated. While its primarily followed by Muslims, Hakimi sees halal cuisine as serving a broader audience.

This year’s event will feature more than 50 food vendors. According to Hakimi, many of these vendors are “hidden gems”: they may cater for special events but do not own a restaurant.

“These aren’t just food trucks,” Hakimi adds. “These are people that have tents and do live cooking.”

The festival showcases vendors who make their conventionally non-halal food accessible to the halal community. Sushi and tacos, for example, may be served with halal ingredients.

“Halal Korean food, halal Japanese food [and] halal Mexican food is not as easily found here [in Vancouver],” Hakimi says. “So, a lot of people [from the halal community] never end up trying that type of food.”

The festival provides opportunity for people to try these cuisines. This year’s event features over 30 countries, including Mexico, Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria and Japan.

“The beauty about the festival is that the event itself and its vendors are not necessarily Muslim,” Hakimi shares. “These vendors from these countries are interested in opening their cuisine and food to the halal demographic.”

Hakimi adds that their Friday and Saturday offerings—which end at 11 p.m.—are perfect for those who enjoy a late-night market vibe.

Supporting new immigrants

Over the past five years, the festival has also expanded its cultural market. The organizers see the Halal Food Fest as more than just a platform for cuisines: it’s also a chance to showcase diverse cultural craftsmanship. 

“We have a lot of market vendors selling cultural clothing from different regions,” Hakimi says of this year’s event. “We’ve got different perfumes, different gift products, [items like] jewellery.”

He adds that some perfumes are imported from Dubai, reflecting the popular Middle Eastern styles. They also expect to have soccer merchandise available.

“There’s a lot of unique gift vendors,” Hakimi adds. “For example, there’s engraved charcuterie board vendors, which are really popular.”

Like their food vendors, these market vendors usually don’t have a storefront. According to Hakimi, many market vendors are recent immigrants.

“Their items and products may have been very popular back home, but they immigrated here and haven’t really had the platform to come out,” he explains.  

Attendees are often surprised to see these regional products available in B.C. The organizer adds that their products usually “sell really well” at the Halal Food Fest due to the festival’s attraction of certain demographics.

“You get to see pieces of Turkey, Syria, Morrocco—different unique trinkets that are quite popular there,” he shares.

The festival also has an entertainment section with carnival rides. Hakimi says much attention is given to “every corner” of the event, ensuring a variety of child-friendly entertainment.

“There’s so much happening at the event,” the organizer adds. “We have snake ladies that are there for people to go and interact with [and] feel the different types of snakes; we have circus performers and statue men.”

Expanding to new audiences

For Hakimi, a highlight is their flag show—the closing performance of each night. Nations represented at the festival, either through a food booth or market vendor, can display their country’s flag. Cultural music will also be played, along with K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag.

“What makes our main stage unique and amazing is that we do have cultural performances from different countries,” he shares. “These are performances that you get from South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and so on.”

During past festivals, attendees brought foldable chairs and camped out for the entire day. Some attendees came from out of province.

“[A standout moment] is seeing the beauty and diversity that we have in B.C., and seeing all these nations come out,” Hakimi shares. “They feel proud when they see their flag on stage, and everyone starts cheering for their country.”

Hakimi was one of the festival’s founders. Their goal was to create a platform for halal food in B.C.—providing locals access to diverse halal cuisines. At the time, these festivals already existed in Ontario and the U.S.

“We noticed a great increase in the number of halal restaurants that opened locally in Metro Vancouver,” Hakimi recalls. “Even mainstream restaurants were offering halal options or switching to halal suppliers so they can expand their customer base.”

His favourite memories of past festivals include food challenges where participants ate watermelon or spicy chicken. Hakimi sees the event as having something for everybody.

“[People] have said that prices are reasonable when it comes to our festival,” Hakimi adds. “Because there are so many different food options and a lot these vendors are home-based businesses, you’ll find a lot of competitive pricing when it comes to food, clothing, jewellery and [others].”

The organizer is looking forward to expanding the event’s audience base. He hopes their relocation to Cloverdale will help reach new crowds, including non-Muslims.

“A lot of people think it’s an exclusive event for Muslims or people who only eat halal food,” Hakimi reflects. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a tremendous growth in terms of other communities coming out and enjoying this event.”

For more information, see https://bchalalfoodfest.ca/.