#BollywoodMonster Mashup presented by TD culminated 10 days of virtual and in-person events with two days of live concerts, food and family activities at Mississauga Celebration Square. Photos and videos being posted on social media show that the venue was packed to the brim both nights, and City crews told the organizers it was the largest festival on the Square this year so far.
“Thank you to our hardworking team, talented artists, dedicated volunteers, generous supporters and most of all, our GINORMOUS fun-loving audience,” says Vikas Kohli, festival Executive Director. “The festival was a huge success and I had the time of my life singing and dancing with you all. Keep posting your memories using #BollywoodMonster because I love experiencing so many glorious moments from your perspective.”
One of the highest-anticipated stars of the festival, Sunny Leone, made a surprise stage appearance Friday night. She spoke about her decision to take photo-ops with proceeds going towards the non-profit #MonsterArts for Youth program, iterating the importance of supporting children with culturally-relevant arts education. Then, she left the stage waving to tens of thousands of adoring fans before returning for 2 hours of photo-ops with fans on Saturday afternoon.
The #BollywoodMonster Main Stage brought to you by Virgin Plus was full of memorable moments. On Friday night, Aaman Trikha sang his massive Bollywood hit “Hookah Bar” and came off the stage to dance with an elderly auntie while singing “Go Go Govinda”. There was also a Gujarati segment with Team NRITYA Garba dancing in dazzling traditional wear and Rushi Purohit mesmerizing audiences with his singing. DDA Canada and Reign Yash Dance Academy brought South Indian Tollywood dancing to both nights. Saturday saw drag queen Mango Lassi walk into a crowd hoisting a giant pride flag while audience members cheered. Beach balls, trumpets, stilt walkers and thousands of people doing the YMCA were just a few of the sights to be seen during #BollywoodMonster Orchestra’s original Bollywood x Disco music and dance production. Sufi Tunes delighted audiences with a soulful traditional set. Bengali-Canadian SHIRSHA delivered soothing mashups like “Ye Barish Ka Paani” x “Take” by Wens and Punjabi-Canadian Nachdi Jawani delivered high-energy Bhangra and Giddha. The event concluded with Bollywood star Aakanksha Sharma brought to you by Tourism Mississauga effortlessly switching from Rajasthani folk songs to inspiring a Garba dance circle forming at the front of the crowd and a young child dancing atop a table to “Khaike Paan”. Audiences got behind-the-scenes access to all the artists at the #BollywoodMonster AMA brought to you by OLG.
Check out these posts capturing some of the above moments:
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https://www.instagram.com/p/
ChBcf4Cj-0G/ a child dances atop a table to Khaike Paan -
https://www.instagram.com/p/
ChCjP26LwKf/ crowd shots -
https://www.facebook.com/
524266555/videos/pcb. 10158466124376556/ 614009420070971 Aaman Trikha dances with an elderly auntie in the crowd -
https://www.instagram.com/p/
Cg9oh6YLu-R/ Aakanksha Sharma performs a Rajasthani song during her set -
https://www.instagram.com/p/
Cg_RxpmgzSE/ shots of the #BollywoodMonster Bazaar captured by @tasty.tooth -
https://www.instagram.com/p/
Cg-ABAeJowA/?igshid= YmMyMTA2M2Y= a post showcasing festival highlights made by an attendee
At the #BollywoodMonster KidZone brought to you by Tim Hortons, young Bollywood monsters had fun with Bollywood dance lessons, arts & crafts, tennis and West-Indian drumming lessons. Some even got a photo with Bolly, the friendly purple mascot, at the #BollywoodMonster Selfie Spot brought to you by Tim Hortons. And all weekend long, families lined up for kulfi, slushies, juices & lemonade to beat the heat – before coming back for kabobs, biryani, momos, roasted corn and dosas after dancing up an appetite.
The festival is already planning 2023 and if you’re a performer, vendor or sponsor, you can reach out at BollywoodMonsterMashup.com.
