Pakistan Festival 2009- History Has Been Made

Tue, Aug 18, 2009

An estimated 10,000 people attended British Columbia’s first ever Pakistan Festival – an extravaganza featuring arts and crafts, cuisine and music of Pakistan. Held on Sunday August 16^th at Holland Park in Surrey, the event was organized to coincide with the Independence Day of Pakistan.

Over 62 years ago, under the leadership of Quaid-E-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, (The Great Leader), the Nation of Pakistan was born. On August 16^th, 2009 in British Columbia his motto of ‘Unity, Faith and Discipline,’ once again filled the air.

Pakistan Festival has been a dream of many in the Pakistani community for years. But it became a reality when a group of individuals from the Pakistani community, under the patronage of the Consulate General, were brought together to undertake this mammoth task a few months ago. Representing Pakistan-Canada Association, Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association, Pakistani Youth Council and the Pakistani community at large, these individuals set out to achieve a new milestone, strengthen their community and to share their unique culture and heritage with their fellow Canadians.

This one day festival ran from 11 am to 9 pm. 80 tents surrounded the giant Holland Park field along with a massive stage and sound system for the variety of entertainment to follow. Food vendors from the community brought the event to life with the aroma and flavor of traditional Pakistani cuisine. Children running around the park, enjoying the magical performances of Clinton Gray and jumping in the giant bouncy castle gave parents a welcome destination during these hot summer days. The professionalism and dedication of the volunteer core made the event run like clockwork and the vast array of local talent, ranging from the wildly successful Got Talent Competition, cultural dress show to the live performers, took the event to a stratospheric level, especially when local sensation AaVaZ took to the stage at 5:30 pm. AaVaZ kept the over 4000 in attendance at that time in the park and drew countless more. With an over 2 hour performance AaVaz capped what was an already historic event.

Special thanks to the City of Surrey, RCMP, sponsors and dedicated team of volunteers. This is one major step for the Pakistani community which will be repeated each year.