Diwali will be celebrated differently in Surrey and the rest of Metro Vancouver this year, with some events transferred to the digital world.
Among them is the annual 5X Festival, which aims to replace in-person parties and events with virtual performances and other ways of engaging an audience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Surrey-based festival organizers will celebrate Diwali with a 5X MainStage event on the weekend of Nov. 14-15, online at 5xfest.com.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is this year on Saturday, Nov. 14 — a day for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists to celebrate victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
“Over the past few months the festival has gone global and tripled their engagement with over 30k digital festival attendees versus their average 10k in-person attendees,” says a 2020 event advisory.
The Mainstage event will feature performances Kay Ray, The Sandy Lion, Avan Jogia, Pallavi Sharda, Alok Menon, BFunk, Navpreet Banga of Brown Girl Lifts and Sangtar.
“The digital festival has already featured the likes of Lisa Ray, Jazzy B, Cartel Madras, Saint Soldier, Raaginder, Horsepowar, “all providing exclusive content specifically for the 5X Festival audience,” event planners say.
