Get ready for Downtown Bhangra, Vancouver's biggest backyard party

Downtown Bhangra is coming to Vancouver as part of the VIBC’s City of Bhangra celebrations, and they say it’s set to be the city’s biggest backyard party.

Over a period of two days, there will be 325 local, national, and international superstars hitting the stage at the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza to showcase what bhangra music and dance is all about.

Here are just a few of the artists you can expect to see at Downtown Bhangra:

Rup Sidhu

Rup Sidhu is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, producer and composer. Specializing in vocal percussion and live looping, his sound blends the rhythms of poetry and spoken word with a dynamic range of cultural hybridity. Inspired by folk and classical forms of music from around the world, his musical expressions can range from groove oriented hip hop beats, to contemporary fusions of classical ragas; scores for the National Film Board of Canada and remixes of vintage Bollywood tunes, to experimental compositions for dance and theatre productions.

DJ Maieli (Bianca Maieli)

Bianca is a DJ/Producer from Los Angeles who creates under her middle name, Maieli. She is heavily influenced by L.A.’s diverse music scene and her mixed Desi/Latin roots. Besides incorporating different genres to provide groovy bass heavy mixes, she produces her own tracks and remixes.

Malinder Tooray

Tooray is the US’s first female dhol player. She has played for artists such as B21, Jassi Sidhu, Panjabi MC, RDB, Nindy Kaur, Sukshinder Shinda, and Bikram Singh. In 2007 she performed at the Oscars for A. R. Rahman and the Grammys Afterparty. Tooray is known for fusing traditional tribal drum beats into hip-hop, house, afrohouse, and electro music.

Jasleen Powar (Horsepowar)

Vancouver-based rapper Horsepowar uses Bollywood theatrics to take audiences on a sonic and visual journey from Canada to India and back again. With the release of her latest mixtape Out2Lunch, Horsepowar finds a balance between mysterious poetry and tongue-twisting bars that’ll make you laugh, cry, and dance.

Jasmine Sandlas

Jasmine Sandlas is a playback singer and songwriter who specializes in R&B, Bollywood, Hindustani classical music, pop, Punjabi rap, and traditional folk music. Born in Jalandahar, India, she moved with her family to California when she was 13. Her career began with underground album The Diamond in 2008, and continued with Gulabi in 2012 and Kick in 2014, and the song Devil-Yaar Naa Miley, with Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Daily Hive Vancouver is a proud sponsor of City of Bhangra