Shivangi Bhayana, performer at the City of Bhangra festival. Photo courtesy of the performer.

City of Bhangra Festival engages all cultures

Bhangra, a Punjabi genre of music and dance will be showcased at the 8th Annual HSBC City of Bhangra Festival. The festival will also include an array of world music, hip-hop, rock, flamenco, and percussion instruments.

Cerry blossoms. Photo by Aki Salminen

Cherry blossoms are here – time for celebration

The spectacular cherry tree-lined boulevards in the West End are the first signs of spring. And April is the month to celebrate the cherry blossoms. “For [the] Japanese, cherry blossoms are the symbol of new entrance and hope,” says Mari Honma, principal of Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall. [Read more…]

Words come to life at annual Writers Festival

This year’s Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival will have a collaboration of the world’s best writers. Running from Oct. 18–23, the festival will allow for undiscovered and unpublished Canadian writers to congregate with award nominated writers like Esi Edugyan, Lynn Coady, Patrick de Witt, David Bezmozgis, Marina Endicott and Andrew Mikiforuk, just to name a few. [Read more…]