Photo: Contributed

Diwali in BC and the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre Society have announced the inaugural annual Diwali in Vernon Festival 2018 will be taking place at multiple locations in Vernon as part of the Diwali in BC festival occurring province-wide. 

The Festival will culminate in a multicultural showcase of diverse artists from different backgrounds. 

Activities throughout the week will include workshops, discussions, dance performances, musical performances, cultural activities, crafts and a wide range of other possibilities.
 
The organizers are currently looking for performers, speakers, artists and workshop instructors to participate in our 2018 Festival. 

The proposed activities should be relevant and appropriate to the multicultural themes of the Festival and the underlying theme of Diwali, more popularly known as the festival of light in India. 

The Festival will aim to showcase artists from Vernon and the Okanagan region. 

Other national artists visiting Vernon specifically for this festival will also be performing.
 
The festival will run Tuesday, October 9th to Saturday, October 13th with the final show at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, October 13th at 7:00 p.m.

Organizers are looking for submissions from a wide range of emerging and established artists with diverse backgrounds including but not limited to Indigenous, South Asian or South Asian influenced artists and performers practicing traditional or contemporary performing arts.  

Artists performing a fusion of cultures will also be considered. 

The festival is committed to engaging with values of inclusivity and equity within our communities. Organizers strongly encourage submissions from individuals who self-identify as being from underrepresented backgrounds or from communities that often feel marginalized. 
 
All artists are asked to submit an application with the following information:

• Full contact information for the principal artist and/or group leader, including name, mailing address, email and phone number
• A performance history for the group and/or principal artists/performers
• Examples of recent work: this can be YouTube videos, websites, photos
•  A short description (under 100 words) of your proposed performance
• Your availability for the dates mentioned above
• Your fee expectation if selected
•  If you are affiliated with any union then please specify the same 
• Please specify whether you live and perform in Vernon and if not then please specify where you would be travelling from and whether any expenses are expected to be covered by the festival
• If you have any specific technical requirements to perform then please mention the same.