BRAMPTON (Press release): Arts & Culture Initiative of South Asia (ACISA) will present Ontario’s largest south Asian arts and culture festival this year in an exciting new format.
Keeping the current COVID-19 pandemic in mind, four eagerly anticipated festival events – Vibrant Brampton, Vibrant Star, Visual Arts of South Asia (V.A.S.A) Arts festival and META – showcasing the culture and diversity of Ontario, will come alive this year in a digital format.
“More than ever now is when arts and music and culture have the power to uplift spirits and to bring people together in these unprecedented times. Our festivals endeavour to do just that” says Ricky Bajaj, ACISA co-founder and president of Arts & Culture Initiative of South Asia (ACISA).
More than a 100 local and International artists from Bollywood playback and Pakistan music industry will be showcased in Ontario’s largest south Asian arts and culture festival.
“The festival promotes local talent and includes an exciting line-up of emerging artists and well-known names in the entertainment industry which appeals to all ages,” adds festival art director and co-founder Arpan Banerjee.
This year’s festival partners include City of Brampton, Canadian Heritage, Canada Council of Arts, City of Mississauga, Brampton Library, Mississauga Music, Beaux Arts Brampton and Visual Arts Mississauga.
2020 Programming of Arts & Culture Initiative of South Asia (ACISA):
Vibrant Brampton: A heritage festival featuring performances from renowned and emerging artists will be held every Tuesday and Wednesday from July 21 to August 5, 2020.
Vibrant Star: A talent hunt with six finalists battling to win the top prize in three categories- vocal, instrumental and dance. The event will provide an opportunity for artistes to perform in Brampton’s largest arts, culture and heritage festival, #VibrantBrampton. Online auditions will begin from the week of June 15 followed by quarter finals in the week of July 13, culminating in a finale which begins the week of July 20, 2020.
Vibrant Classical: A new segment launched this year to provide a platform for classical artists to showcase their art forms. This segment is scheduled to run every Thursday starting August 20 for three consecutive weeks until September 3, 2020.
Visual Arts of South Asia (VASA) Festival: An arts festival that provides artists with the opportunity to connect and create, and promotes visual arts through educational workshops and performances.
META: A digital and modern art festival that will live-stream exciting content every Tuesday and Thursday for the entire month of August. Tuesdays will be devoted to workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners, while Thursdays will feature live-streamed performances from global and local artists. The first two Tuesdays/Thursdays will focus on Brampton, while the remainder two Tuesdays and Thursdays will shine the spotlight on Mississauga.
Key dates
June 5 – Online Auditions begin (Vibrant Star)
July 13 – 19 – Quarter finals (Vibrant Star)
July 20 – Grand Finale (Vibrant Star)
July 21 and 22 – Renowned and Emerging artists (Vibrant Brampton)
July 28 and 29 – Renowned and Emerging artists (Vibrant Brampton)
August 4– Workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners with focus on Brampton (Meta)
August 5 and 6 – Renowned and Emerging artists (Vibrant Brampton)
August 6 – Modern art festival with live-streamed performances from global and local artists with focus on Brampton (Meta)
August 11 – Workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners with focus on Brampton (Meta)
August 13 – Modern art festival with live-streamed performances from global and local artists with focus on Brampton (Meta)
August 18 – Workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners with focus on Mississauga (Meta)
August 20 – Modern art festival with live-streamed performances from global and local artists with focus on Mississauga (Meta)
August 20 – Classical artists showcase art forms (Vibrant Classical)
August 25 – Workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners with focus on Mississauga (Meta)
August 27 – Workshops/panels featuring local creators and partners with focus on Mississauga (Meta)
August 27 – Classical artists showcase art forms (Vibrant Classical)
September 3 – Classical artists showcase art forms (Vibrant Classical)
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