Visit 30 countries in 2 days at Burnaby’s European Festival 2015
Delhi 2 Dublin |Photo sourced from EuropeanFestival.ca
Want to explore Europe without leaving Metro Vancouver? Over the last weekend in May, you can experience the food, music, and dancing of up to 30 different countries at the annual European Festival in Burnaby.
On May 30 and 31, Swangard Stadium at Central Park will be the site of a mash-up of European culture. The 18th annual festival features continuous entertainment on two stages with musical performances ranging from Spanish flamenco guitar to Slovenian polka to a Balkan brass band.
Turkey is the featured country this year, and the Vancouver Turkish choir will also be performing.
The headliners on Saturday night are Delhi 2 Dublin, a Vancouver-based band that Hour Magazine called “the United Nations of rock ‘n’ roll”.
Vancouver Opera musicians will also give a glimpse of their upcoming Italian opera season in full costume on both days.
Photo credit Marcin Chady | Flickr.com
Dancers in cultural dress will be everywhere. Participants include an English clog dance group, Bulgarian kitka and prolet dance groups, and Scandinavian dancers.
Members of Blood Iron Martial Arts will be demonstrating the combat styles of Medieval and Renaissance Europe throughout the festival.
Photo credit Joe Mabel |Orkestar Šlivovica website
Then of course, there’s the food: expect offerings like German pork hocks, Hungarian goulash, Balkan Ćevapi, and Turkish kofte.
There’s also a beer garden, but this year the entire site is licensed so festival-goers are free to roam the grounds with their families.
Doors open at 11 a.m. on both days, and the fun runs to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Weekend festival passes cost $10 at the gate, or European Festival tickets go for $8 online. Kids under the age of 12 get in free.
See the European Festival’s website for more info and a performance schedule.
You can follow Carolyn Ali on Twitter @carolynali.
Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2015/05/19/visit-30-countries-in-2-days-at-burnabys-european-festival-2015/
