Media release 

June 5, 2023 

Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher hosts day-long, 4-stage World Music Festival at ScotFestBC

The Lower Mainland’s premier Celtic (now World) music & cultural festival, June 16 – 18 at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park

Coquitlam, BC – The first-ever day-long ScotFestBC World Music Festival will take place across four stages at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park June 18, following two days of Scottish and Celtic music, competition and culture.

Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher of the Yukon will host the festival from the Main Stage starting at 11am – and get the crown on their feet for a dance session.

“Together, we will celebrate the music and culture of peoples from around the world, spreading joy and positivity,” Pandher says. “Come with your friends and family and we’ll dance together.”

A few of the events planned for the festival:

• The Git Hayetsk Dancers will bring the traditions of the Haida, Tlingit, Haisla, and Musqueam Nations to the main stage at 4pm.
• Earlier in the day on the same stage the Kvitka Ukranian dancers will dazzle with their gravity-defying leaps and spins.
• The Mariachi Los Dorados ensemble are back again, welcoming visitors at the main entry gate.
• Sansho Daiko will bring their fresh take on Japanese taiko drumming to the meadow at 2pm.
• Forro do Cana will bring the sounds of Brazil to both the Main Stage and Heritage Stage.
• Ireland’s Sharon Shannon will close the day in the Big Tent at 5pm.
• And, of course, the JP Fell Pipe Band will provide some Scottish piping, ‘Shot of Scotch’ will demonstrate Scottish Highland dancing plus plenty of changes to Scottish Country dance.

Cultural presentations and workshops will take place in the workshop tent throughout the day, while the Meadow will host inclusive events and larger groups such as Jai Yoga and the Sweet Pan Entertainment Steel Drum Band.

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View the full ScotFestBC World Music Festival schedule here.

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ScotFestBC’s world music program started a few years ago with a performance by The Royal Academy of Bhangra, a Surrey group that fuses dance traditions of Indian’s Punjab with Highland Scotland traditions. The program grew from there, until the festival added a dedicated world music stage to its Saturday schedule a couple of years ago. The program proved so popular ScotFestBC is adding a new, full day program of park-wide world music, dance, and culture.

ScotFestBC’s program of bagpiping, Celtic music, cultural workshops, Highland dancing and heavy sports such as caber-tossing will remain unchanged on the Saturday. The day also features a massed pipe band to end the day, a Big Tent program with a rotating roster of Celtic bands and a beverage service, a whisky school, cultural workshops and vendors throughout the entire facility. For the first time this year ScotFestBC is hosting the SFU Pipe Band for a full concert on the Main Stage Friday evening, followed by Irish great Sharon Shannon in the Big Tent.

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The 2023 ScotFestBC program will include:

Friday evening (3 – 9:30pm) 

• Opening ceremony – 6 pm with 78^th Fraser Highlander’s cannon blast.
• The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band on the Main Stage to perform a full concert starting 6:15pm.
• Irish great Sharon Shannon will follow the pipe band on The Big Tent stage
• Whisky & Oysters. Presented by Macaloney Distillery (ticketed event)
• Highland Dance Choreography
• Also on Friday, the Big Tent and beverage service will open in the afternoon with Blackthorn as the Games warm-up act starting at 5:15pm.

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Saturday (7am – 10pm)

• The 91^st British Columbia Highland Games – piping, drumming, highland dancing, Scottish heavy events, massed pipe bands, cultural workshops, children’s activities.
• Piping – Solo piping, drumming and pipe bands will compete throughout the day on The Meadow, wrapping up with a Drum Major demo and massed pipe band performance at 5:15 pm.
• Celtic music on The Big Tent Stage - Celtic bands throughout the day.
• Heritage Stage, Irish & Scottish dancers, singers
• Whisky School – Bill Diamond is back with four unique afternoon whisky tasting classes
• Cultural Tent – topics that will inform, educate and entertain, starting at 10am
• Vendors – Scottish and world vendors & artisans offering a range of interesting items
• Saturday Whisky & Oysters, presented by Macaloney Distillery (ticketed event)
• Food trucks - Something for everyone.

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Sunday (10am – 5pm)

• A full day of world music, hosted by Gurdeep Pandher on the Main Stage, including
  • Foro Do Cana (Brazil)
  • Royal Academy of Bhangra (Indian)
  • Git Hayetsk Dancers (First Nations)
  • Sade’ Awele & Serengeti (African infused R&B)
  • Robin Laine & the Rhythm Makers (World jazz, folk, trad)
  • Jai Yoga
  • Mariachi Los Dorados (Mexico)
  • Pierre Schryer & Adam Dombres (French)
  • Silk Road Music (Asian)
  • Bero Saker Fusion (Middle Eastern)
  • JP Fell Pipe Band (Scottish)
  • Gaelic/Hindustani Fusion
  • Sweet Pan Entertainment (Caribbean)
  • Roots Peruvian Folk Dance
  • Kvitka Ukranian Dance

• Global workshops on the many nations that make up Canada, including
  • Indian
  • Chinese
  • South African
  • Pakistani
  • First Nations

Tickets on sale at ScotFestBC.com.