Toronto arts fest uncloaks

Posted on by

Toronto’s fifth annual South Asian arts festival, Masala Mehndi Masti, just posted a lengthy schedule for this year’s event (thanks, jo). You can also see it by day or by category.

The free festival runs from August 3-7 at Harbourfront Centre in the shadow of the CN Tower. With 80,000 attendees in 2004, it’s the the largest such festival in North America. Toronto’s desi population of 500K is 2 Å“ times the size of New York’s. It may be the city outside the subcontinent with the most desis.

Just a few of the events:

  • Lots of new bands
  • Kathak-flamenco fusion
  • Brits: Sonik Gurus, Rhythm, Dhol and Bass
  • Kalapani, a play about the Indian middle passage to the Caribbean
  • Your Palace in the Sky, a performance piece about the Air India bombing
  • Tina Sugandh
  • American Daylight, an indie film about Indian call centers, featuring Koel Purie
  • Sam and Me, Deepa Mehta’s first feature film
  • Short films
  • Sketch comedy
  • Spoken word
  • Shayari

Neha comments about last year’s fest:

… I found the music portion incredibly varied, from Rishi Rich to qawwali parties… The Filmi festival was on at the same time, which focused on South Asian Canadian films… if you get lost just let the Hondas lead the way.

Related post on the Artwallah festival here.

5 thoughts on “Toronto arts fest uncloaks”

  1. Dear SM: I am currently looking to collaborate with anybody interested in creating a website for South Asian Diasporic Film – A sort of Portal. Diasporic film are definitely discourses that I am interested in as that is my Ph.D research. This is a call for collaboration!!!!

  3. TINA SUGANDH IS PLAYING??? Road trip!! I am dying to see her live. I’ve heard she is awesome and she runs around from instrument to instrument. I think she’s releasing a song on this cd that they are making for the festival. I’ve heard her very cool track from the movie “Ice Princess”, but it’s about time we get another Tina Sugandh track! Does anyone know about this M!M!M! cd??

  4. everything is really and truly free at the festival. they try hard to make sure it stays that way – sponsorships and donations form everyone is always welcome! 😉

    Tina Sugandh – is great live!

  5. You can find the 2004 Masala Mehndi Masti at you-tube by doing a search for trawnta masala. Also do a search for trawnta south for many videos of south asian music.