City of Bhangra Dance Performance

Formerly known as the City of Bhangra Festival, the 5X Festival is a series of performing arts events showcasing South Asian culture in Vancouver and Surrey.

Metro Vancouver’s 5X Festival

Running since 2004, including under its previous name until 2017, the 5X Festival is an annual multi-day festival.

Historically, the event’s focus has been on sharing Punjabi culture, music and dance with the greater community. Since 2019 the focus is on celebrating South Asian arts in general.

In 2022 the festival hosted a Block Party event at Surrey’s Holland Park on June 11th.

5X Fest Crowds at Holland Park — 5X Fest in Surrey

Festival Dates and Location

The 5X Festival has taken place in various formats and at different venues over the past number of years.

The festival took place at multiple venues in 2019 including at both Celebrities Nightclub and The Beaumont Studios in Vancouver,. That year it also had events at Surrey’s Central City Plaza and the Surrey Arts Centre Studio Theatre.

The 5X Festival was scheduled to take place from June 11th until the 14th in 2020, but then happened in a mostly online format that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the 5X Festival Blockparty happened on September 17th, 18th and 19th at The Beaumont Studios at 316 West 5th Avenue in the City of Vancouver.

In 2022 the 5X Festival runs from June 11th to 17th.

Surrey Library and City Hall — Surrey City Hall

2022 5X Festival Details

The 2022 5X Festival features a week of events that start off with a Block Party on June 11th and a Pride Celebration on June 17th. Events listed below are scheduled to take place as of late May.

5X Blockparty (June 11, 2022)

The 5X Blockparty is a party at Holland Park which is located at 13428 Old Yale Road in Surrey, just across the street from Central City. The event runs from 12 to 8 pm and features live music, food vendors, public art and other activities.

Bands, musicians and other entertainers performing at the Block Party on June 11th include Aanam, AR Paisley, BAINS, Gurtêj, Ikky, Jasmine Sandlas, Shreea Kaul, Khanvict, REHMA, Robyn Sandhu, TBM and The PropheC.

Admission to the event was free. Tickets for the Block Party VIP area, however, cost between $30 and $45.

5X Fest Party at Holland Park — 5X Street Block Party at Holland Park

5X Art Party (June 12, 2022)

The 5X Art Party takes place on Sunday, June 12th, from 4 pm until 10 pm at Vancouver’s Beaumont Studios at 316 West 5th Avenue. Tickets cost about $30 and the event involves all types of art.

5X Podcasts (June 14-15, 2022)

Due to popular demand, The Power of Storytelling event runs from 6 to 8 pm on both Tuesday, June 14th, and Wednesday, June 15th. It’s a chance to meet and listen to Harpo of Brown Girl Guilt and Pammy of Coaches Don’t Play.

5X Pride (June 17, 2022)

The 5X Pride event happens at the Beaumont Studios from 6 pm until midnight. The event features a screening of Emergence: Out of the Shadows and a performance by Jolene Sloan, plus DJ sets by No Nazar. Tickets cost about $20 each.

What is Bhangra?

Bhangra is a style of East Indian music and folk dance from the Punjab region of Pakistan and India that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s in Great Britain.

Originally performed frequently in the Punjab by labourers, Bhangra served as a way for young folk to bridge social and racial divides, connect people with their cultural heritage and strengthen local communities through the dance and music.

Since 2004, the City of Bhangra Festival continued the tradition of connecting people – the mission of the organization behind the event has been to educate, foster community engagement and stimulate artistic innovation. Today, the 5X Festival continues the tradition.