Looking to get in on the action during the Indian International Film Academy weekend in the GTA? Perhaps you're trying to catch a glimpse of Dharmendra or Priyanka Chopra, or want to soak up the music, dance and film of India, there's likely something going down in your neck of the woods. Here are our top picks.
Friday, June 24
Bollywood Monster Mash-up (Free)
7 p.m., Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Dr., Mississauga
This massive, original stage show produced by Mississauga composer Vikas Kohli will take viewers on a journey through South Asian music with North American touches. The show includes 50 performers -- including singers, dancers and instrumentalists -- and spans classical Indian, Bollywood, electronic, orchestral and rock genres.
Starting Friday and going all weekend at Cineplex Odeon Sheppard and Coliseum Mississauga Cinemas.
Watch some of the biggest hit movies to come from Bollywood in recent years, including "Singh is Kinng" and "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye."
11 p.m. until late at Muzik, 15 Saskatchewan Rd., Toronto, $60
Get dressed to impress and dance the night away at Muzik, a gorgeous nightclub in a historic building on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. Celebrity DJ Aqeel will be on the decks, spinning Bollywood mash-ups, house and R&B. Bollywood heartthrobs Zayed Khan, Dino Morea and Arjun Rampal will be in attendance. (This is not to be confused with the similarly-named IIFA Rocks, a sold-out show the same night at Ricoh Coliseum, featuring Jermaine Jackson and Sonu Niigaam.)
Saturday, June 25
Samsara Street Festival (Free)
2 p.m. Blue Jay's Way and area, Toronto
This full day festival will take over the area surrounding the Rogers Centre a day before it hosts the IIFA awards show. It includes several stages of music, roving performers, art installations and more. Don't miss Bageshree Vaze's combination of classical Indian, tap and flamenco dancing at the Fire stage at 4:45 p.m.; or chart-climbing pop star Raghav ("Fire") on the Earth stage at 4 p.m.
IIFA Awards
7 p.m., Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jay's Way, Toronto
The main event of the weekend, the IIFA awards promise to be a colourful, star-studded affair, hosted by Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh, who have helmed the show for the past four years. Tickets sold out within five minutes when originally put on sale in 2009, priced between $49 and $295, and are now going for more than double their retail value on websites like Kijiji and Craigslist.
Live from the Green Carpet + Delhi to Dublin (Free)
5:30 p.m., Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Dr., Mississauga
Can't make it downtown to watch the stars arrive at the Rogers Centre for the IIFA awards? Mississauga's Celebration Square will be showing a live video feed from the green carpet, followed by a performance by Bhangra-Celtic-dub-electronica group Delhi to Dublin. The events will cap a full day of activities in the square, including fashion shows, a Desi DJ faceoff and South Asian cooking classes.
