Vancouver, BC (May 20, 2021) – Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver’s ‘festival for the curious mind,’ marks its 11th anniversary with five weeks of ten carefully curated events. Most events will stream on digital channels with premieres at 7:00 pm PDT every Thursday and Saturday from June 17 to July 17 (except July 1st). This year’s festival includes door-delivered food and special gift boxes, bringing a delicious and delightful tangible element to them. Two special projects allow for Covid-safe hybrid experiences with digital and in-person components. For event details, access and ticketing, please visit indiansummerfest.ca
Early bird pricing for the Limited Edition ISF2021 Premium Pass is $285, which provides access to all ISF2021 digital events, including the Opening Party with amazing performances, exclusive access to the chatroulette afterparty, food from Vij’s, and wine from Volcanic Hills all delivered to Lower Mainland residences, and a special artist-curated Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box. Early bird pricing is valid until May 31; regular price is $325. A Digital Pass to access all online events at the festival (without the tangible elements) is $50. Individual tickets to all ISF2021 events are available on a sliding scale of no fee, $10 or $20, as the festival understands that this is a difficult time for many.
“For this 11th year for the 2021 Indian Summer Festival, we thought that our theme should be “Shapeshifting,” says Sirish Rao, Indian Summer Festival’s Artistic Director. “It’s something that we’ve all had to do in the last year, and shapeshifters have existed in almost every culture.”
“For ISF2021, we have created ten distinct events for all of us to experience music, performing arts and literary discussions so we can experience the true transformative power of the arts. The arts give us levity, solace and help us make sense of our predicament and imagine our futures.”
“As with most of us working in arts and culture, we’ve become very creative this year with ways that our audience can experience Indian Summer Festival,” adds Rao, “From premium passes that include door-delivered dinner and wine, to digital passes to access shows, we’ve become our own Shapeshifters to deliver an innovative digital and hybrid experience.”
This year, the festival offers live digital event premieres (where audiences can interact through chat functionality) with an on-demand digital platform that makes it possible for events to be viewable until the end of the festival. The festival sees a stunning global cast of talent from beatboxers to tabla maestros, novelists and actors.
2021 Indian Summer Festival event schedule includes:
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Indian Summer Festival Opening Party – Metamorphosis featuring Laydy Jams, Shamik Bilgi, Her Tribal Roots and Kamal Pandya. Sponsored by Concord Pacific.
Hosted by ISF’s Sirish Rao and CBC’s Anita Bathe, opening night features brilliant, beautiful performances by some of Vancouver’s finest talents.
ISF2021 Premium Pass Holders get exclusive access to an online afterparty where they’ll be paired with other ISF friends and artists for multiple one-on-one conversations and performances, and a special box of goodies, featuring a meal for two by Vikram Vij paired with a bottle of wine from Volcanic Hills.
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Anoushka Shankar – The Musical Journey of a Shapeshifter. Sponsored by Nature’s Path.
An evening of music and stories with genre-defying musician and seven-time Grammy Award nominee Anoushka Shankar, who unveils a very special project for Indian Summer Festival.
Date: Wednesday, June 23 – Saturday, July 3, 2021
Event: VOX Infold. Produced in partnership with Vancouver Jazz Festival and LOBE Studios.
Address: Lobe Spatial Sound Studio, 713 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
This special project is a rare chance to experience the music of powerhouse vocal ensemble Vox Infold in the form of an immersive sound experience. Presented at the groundbreaking Lobe Spatial Sound Studio and using Lobe’s 4DSOUND system, this is music not just as sound but as a profound experience of space and dimension. Consider it a healing sound bath. Advance booking required and experienced as an individual or in a ‘household bubble.’ Book your slot online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/voxinfold-tickets-150267575363
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021, 7pm PDT
Flames and Portals – Literary discussion with Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid, Moderated by Sirish Rao. Presented by SFU Library.
In 2017, two of the most exciting writers of our times – Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid – published novels that have proved to be uncannily accurate about the direction the world would take. They warned of the future of nationalism, the tightening of political and social borders, and how our realities can become unrecognizable overnight. ISF meets them four years later to talk about their prescient works.
Date: Saturday, June 26, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Zakir Hussain – Alone Together – Zakir Hussain, featuring Mickey Hart and Rakesh Chaurasia. Sponsored by Odlum Brown.
An intimate evening with the tabla maestro, this online concert features Zakir Hussain performing solo and joined virtually by special guests collaborating in real-time from different parts of the world – Grateful Dead legend Mickey Hart and bansuri virtuoso Rakesh Chaurasia. The concert is preceded by a special interview with the maestro.
Date: Saturday, July 3, 2021
Event: Walking Tour of Punjabi Market
Presented by RBC.
Guests are invited to take a self-guided walking tour of the Punjabi Market using their own mobile device. The audio tour, narrated by artists, shop owners and community members, will give an insight into the past, present and vibrant future of this significant Vancouver neighbourhood.
Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box
Specially curated by artists Minahil Bukhari and Mustaali Raj for ISF2021, the Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box features gorgeous items hand-picked from Vancouver’s vibrant Punjabi Market. At a cost of $125, including taxes and shipping, the gift box will be delivered to your door via Canada Post to Canadian addresses only. Available for order here:
https://www.goelevent.com/IndianSummer/e/PunjabiMarketBox
Date: Thursday, July 8, 2021, 7pm PDT
Ancient Futures – Musical Inheritances – Ruby Singh, Khari Wendell McClelland and PIQSIQ.
Supported by TELUS.
Documentary premiere on the music project Jhalaak, followed by a conversation with some of Canada’s most innovative musical voices.
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Knives and Sugar – Avni Doshi with Souvankham Thammavongsa, moderated by Anna Ling Kaye.
A meeting of two of the most electrifying literary voices of recent times, one joining from Dubai and the other from Toronto – meet for the first time on ISF’s virtual stage.
Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Transcendence by Anosh Irani feat. Lois Anderson, Munish Sharma and Laara Sadiq.
From the three-time Governor General’s Literary Award finalist and two-time Dora Award-winning playwright comes a new work that sits in the exciting space between theatre and film.
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Indian Summer Festival Finale – A Night at the Orpheum- musical performance by Naadaleela Ensemble and Mohamed Assani & Friends.
ISF’s 11th edition ends with a grand, one-night-only finale performed at the historic Orpheum Theatre and delivered digitally to your living room. This double-bill features internationally recognized musicians and features the worldwide premiere of two new musical works.
About Indian Summer Festival
Established in 2011, Indian Summer Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts festival produced by Indian Summer Arts Society, a not-for-profit charitable arts organization based in Vancouver, Canada, on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. This year’s festival runs from June 17th to July 17, 2021. Its mission is to offer daring, multi-arts events that bring together diverse artists, audiences, and artists in a global dialogue and citizenship spirit.
For monthly festival highlights, full event lineup and access to events, please visit indiansummerfest.ca
Follow us on:
Twitter: @IndianSummerCND
Facebook: @IndianSummerCanada
Instagram: @indiansumerfestival
Youtube: Indian Summer Festival Canada
Cover Image: Shapeshifter By Jag Nagra (c) 2021
