5X Fest returns to Surrey with 8th annual event and anniversary celebration

The annual 5X Festival is coming back to Surrey with a lineup of events featuring South Asian artists and creatives from June 12 to 14.

Founded in 2004, the Punjabi arts organization, which started as the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration (VIBC), is celebrating 20 years with a program of Punjabi music, arts, and culture. 

This year, the festival will feature three signature events: an invite-only industry mixer with South Asian emerging artists, community leaders, and creators on June 12; the 5X Art Party and anniversary celebration with culture enthusiasts and South Asian creators at The Beaumont Studios on June 13, and the 5X Blockparty at Surrey Civic Plaza on June 14 followed by the 5X Afterparty on the same day at a secret location. 

The free block party event, a celebration of Punjabi music and culture, will start at 4:00 pm on June 14 and feature artists such as Talwiinder, Gminxr and special guests, G Sidhu, Panjabi Hit Squad, Sahil Cheema, and MTOORAY. The event this year will also feature its first beer garden sponsored by Corona Canada. 

The art party event, tickets for which start at $26, will be a homage to the organization’s 20 years, says Seleena Thandi, marketing and communications coordinator for 5X Fest. 

“We have Mrii, who’s coming from Brampton, and she’s known for her Bollywood fusion mixes,” Thandi says. “We also have RÄEDIAMËNDZ, who’s from Surrey, and she actually recently opened for [American rapper] A$AP Ferg with a DJ set.”

The party will also feature artists such as Aman Khinda, multidisciplinary designer Stuti Gulati, multimedia artist, writer, and illustrator Pavan Sangha, and more. The artists featured at the art party will have their own visual exhibits. 

“It’s an event where you can come and have a drink, enjoy the art, mingle with people, meet like-minded creatives,” Thandi says. “It’s just really cool to see the South Asian part of you represented in art and in that moment, you don’t realize that there was a lack of representation.”

The afterparty, which will start at 10:00 pm on June 14, will feature the DJ collective Kaminéh, producer Bobby Kang, DJ artist Kokaheena, and musician Asad Khan. The secret location for the party will only be revealed to ticket holders before the event. 

“[Kokaheena] is the first DJ to do a DJ set in bowl at BC Stadium … which is pretty cool,” she says. “They’re all super talented.” 

Thandi says this year is 5X’s biggest festival yet, with big names like Talwiinder, who has shared stage with artists like Dua Lipa and G-Easy, as well as G Sidhu, who will be making his first appearance at the festival. 

She says the organization is also known for platforming artists early in their careers and this year will feature 20-year-old local rising star Sahil Cheema. 

The Punjabi collective began as a way for South Asians to be able to express their culture in a creative way, Thandi says, and with the global rise and recognition of the community, 5X aims to elevate artists and provide a space for Punjabi youth to embrace their identity through creativity. 

“5X is kind of like a third space for Punjabi people who feel like maybe they’re too western in some spaces or too brown in other spaces,” she says. “So it’s important for us to make people feel like they can be comfortable, to express themselves however they want, in any capacity.” 

Thandi adds she hopes 5X Fest can provide a space for them to enjoy themselves. 

“We make this event free for a reason,” Thandi says. “We do this for the community.” 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is one of the sponsors for this year’s 5X Festival. 

“We’re happy to continue our partnership with KPU for 5X Fest 2025, as it reflects both KPU’s and 5X’s shared values of community engagement, inclusivity, and the celebration of diversity,” Bhav Toor Kang, marketing and communications director for 5X, wrote in an email statement to The Runner.  

Kang added that the partnership connects to the university’s “vibrant and expanding music and art schools, which are committed to fostering creative and local talent through enriching arts experiences.”

For more information about the lineup of events and to buy tickets, visit www.5xfest.com.