
Photo credit: VIBC/HSBC City of Bhangra Festival
Question: How do you prepare your best friend’s upcoming Indian wedding?
Answers: grab a great outfit that’s equal parts loose-fitting, colourful and decked with bling, get ready to eat, a lot (see loose-fitting clothing above), and attend the HSBC City of Bhangra Festival for wedding reception dance floor inspiration.
Starting May 30, bhangra will reverberate through downtown Vancouver for 10 beat-filled days at the HSBC City of Bhangra Festival. The annual spring gathering attracts Punjabi folk music and dance groups from as far as Pennsylvania, California and Finland. Rocking the stage at this year’s free event, Downtown Bhangra, local favourites like the UBC Bhangra Team, Vancity Boys Bhangra, Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club, South Asian Arts and the HSBC Bhangra Team are guaranteed to make a few toes tap and hips sway.
Whether you’re rhythmically challenged (like me) or a wannabe Rheka, Vancouver has a pretty great selection of bhangra and Bollywood classes that may just put you on stage at next year’s festival. Or, in my case, rock the reception dancefloor at my bestie’s August nuptials.
Continue reading:
Bhangra 101: Where to perfect your bhangra moves in Vancouver