5X festival returns with events in Vancouver, Surrey

Huge festival all about 'music, art, self-care' returns to Metro Vancouver this summer

The lively fest focuses on youth from the local South Asian population, with events in Vancouver and Surrey

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1 / 1 The 5X Festival is returning to Metro Vancouver in June 2024. VIBC Society

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Taking place June 14 to 16, the massive, multi-venue 5X festival focusing on the local South Asian diaspora continues to grow in its seventh year, according to organizers, with new features coming to the event.

"Alongside their artistic initiatives, the organization is introducing a new event this year to honour the roots of wellness practices with the community. Self-Care Sunday with 5X is a half-day explorative event of pure wellness vibes," reads a press release.

There's also going to be more for those interested in social media and South Asian music, with an invite-only 5X Access event and a "fireside chat" with three influencers who have hundreds of thousands of followers: Gurnaz Sandhu, Joty Kay, and Priya Sidhu.

Along with the new elements, there will still be the central pieces of 5X: the block party and the art party.

The art party, taking place at the Beaumont Studios in Vancouver, is being curated by Ritesh Matlani, whose work focuses on "queer mythology, gay identity, suppressed agony, South Asian diaspora and immigration."

The flagship event is the free block party (there's a paid VIP area) which returns to the Surrey Civic Plaza. Organizers promise "Surrey’s finest, including a concert, an array of food vendors, art installations, and a vendor village of some of the coolest local brands."

The festival is also a celebration of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC). The organization, which works with youth from the local South Asian diaspora, is 20 this year.

"VIBC has been an advocate, lobbying for access, opportunity, and recognition for these hybrid youth, while also acting as a steward for their unique cultural identity in a globalized world," reads the press release.