Flavours & Colors Festival Lights Up Old Port This Weekend
Indian Food Festival and Holi celebration runs Saturday and Sunday, June 27–28, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Montreal's Old Port.
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Montreal's Old Port is hosting the Flavours & Colors Festival this weekend, a celebration of Indian food and culture organized by the Indo-Canadian Diaspora of Quebec.
The two-day event, running Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., features Indian street food, regional dishes, and traditional desserts alongside music, dance, yoga, and eco-friendly colour play inspired by Holi, the Indian festival of colours.
Sachin Gupta, co-founder of the Indo-Canadian Diaspora of Quebec, said the festival marks a significant expansion of the organization's efforts. "We're trying to marry Indian culture with Canadian culture," he said. "This year, we said it's not enough. We need to integrate more into the culture, more diversity, and introduce Indian culture to the wider society."
Saturday emphasizes Indian performances, dance, music, meditation, and food tasting. Sunday shifts to a party atmosphere with DJs from Quebec and across North America. The festival is family-friendly, with a children's area featuring bouncy castles.
Gupta said Indian restaurant owners approached the organization looking for a larger platform to showcase their cuisine. "There are a lot of Indian restaurants now, but they always told us they didn't have a platform to promote their food," he said.