BhangraFest claims to be the first festival to celebrate the unique British Bhangra music, a product based on the fusion of lively Punjabi folk music with broader western styles of music (such as ragga, reggae, soul, jazz funk, rock, hip-hop, pop).
The festival is held in Birmingham. Note that the venue and times have changed from what was previously announced. The reason for the change is due to concerns regarding issues of capacity and site management, Artsfest and Birmingham City Council has felt that it would be better to change the venue and time. Councillor Ray Hassall, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said: "We are hosting BhangraFest at Eastside Green, opposite Millenium Point as it has a substantially larger capacity than Centenary Square, and we are expecting large crowds for this event. This complements our plans for
regenerating Eastside and ArtsFest has other arts activities taking place on Eastside Green over the weekend."
Acts confirmed for the festival so far include Alaap, Achanak, Apna Group, Azaad Dhol Group, Dalvinder Singh, and Nachdar Sansaar. The music will last from 7.30pm to 10.30pm, with doors open at 6.30pm.
The event will display the chronological transition of Bhangra in Birmingham, through the unique and innovative collaboration of high profile live bands and artists.
BhangraFest will be the opening concert of ArtsFest where there will be performances featuring comedians, DJs, bands, dance groups, orchestras, actors, etc. ArtsFest will run from 8th – 10th September 2006.
There will be more information here when available.
