Hapa-palooza Festival – A Celebration of Mixed Roots Arts & Ideas

Hapa-palooza welcomes all people to 7 FREE public events during its festival September 23 to 28, 2014, in locations in Vancouver chosen for central and easy access by public transportation. Now in its fourth year, Hapa-palooza Festival is Canada’s largest festival celebrating and stimulating awareness of mixed heritage and hybrid identity. Held annually in Vancouver, a diverse city that celebrates hybridity, synergy and acceptance, Hapa-palooza Festival embraces the word ‘Hapa,’ of Hawaiian origins, as a broad term for people identifying as having mixed heritage. Hosted by the Hybrid Ancestry Public Arts (HAPA) Society, Hapa-palooza Festival features an unprecedented array of mixed-heritage artists in the mediums of film, music, visual and literary arts.

This year, Hapa-palooza will honour three remarkable community leaders of mixed heritage by presenting the first ever Hapa-palooza Hip Hapa Hooray! awards reception. This year’s recipients include the Youth Achievement Award presented to Ann Makosinski (16-year-old inventor of the hollow flashlight that runs on human heat and 2013 Google Science Fair winner), Community Builder Award presented to Kip Fulbeck (award-winning US artist, activist, actor and author) and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Fred Wah (Governor General’s Award Winner and Canada’s fifth Parliamentary Poet Laureate).

THE HAPA SOCIETY IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING FREE EVENTS:

Hapa-palooza Pop-Up & Art Exhibit, Sep. 23-27, 12pm-6pm

Visit the 2014 Hapa-palooza Festival Headquarters open noon to 6pm daily for the Hyphen Art Exhibit featuring four talented Hapa artists, including work from acclaimed photographer Hana Pesut and Vancouver artists Jana Sasaki, Nargis Dhirani and Sunkosi Maya. It is also a place to check out festival goodies, such as acclaimed artist and author Kip Fulbeck’s book Part Asian, 100% Hapa, festival merchandise and your very own Hip Hapa Hooray T-shirts. Come by on Sat. Sep. 27 at 1pm for an artist talk with participating artists.
Location: thisopenspace, 230 East Pender Street, Free Event

Mixed Voices Raised, Wednesday Sep. 24, 7pm-8:30pm

An evening of stories from the heart: Join 8 dynamic storytellers including CBC radio host Margaret Gallagher, Delhi2Dublin’s Tarun Nayar, slam poet champion Sebastien Wen, poet Jonina Kirton, artist and facilitator Vanessa Richards, activist Kathryn Lennon, Talking Stick Festival director Aeryn Williams, and community organizer Angela Kruger as they share true tales from the heart about their experiences growing up with mixed heritage. Curated by Ricepaper Magazine editor and festival co-founder Anna Ling Kaye.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, Alice MacKay Room, Free Event

Mixed Flicks, Thursday Sep. 25, 7pm-8:30pm

Hapa-palooza Festival brings back this much loved event, curated by award-winning filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns. Acclaimed American artist, filmmaker and author Kip Fulbeck will present his 1991 landmark film on Hapa identity, Banana Split. Including an exclusive 12-minute sneak preview of Jeff’s upcoming feature length documentary Mixed Match. Following the screening, Jeff and Kip will engage in a passionate discussion about the importance of multiethnic media and the role it plays in stimulating dialogue and discussion in the mixed-race community. Audience Q&A and books/DVDs signing to follow.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, Alice MacKay Room, Free Event

Hip Hapa Hooray! Awards Reception, Saturday Sep. 27, 4pm-7pm

Hip Hapa Hooray! is the Hapa-palooza Awards Reception recognizing outstanding community members of mixed heritage. This year’s inaugural Hapa-palooza award recipients are Ann Makosinski (youth inventor of the hollow flashlight that runs on human heat and 2013 Google Science Fair winner), Kip Fulbeck (US award-winning artist, activist, actor and author) and Fred Wah (Governor General’s Award Winner and Canada’s fifth Parliamentary Poet Laureate). This event also marks the Nikkei National Museum’s opening for Kip Fulbeck’s “Part Asian – 100% HAPA” photography exhibit. Live music by Buckman Coe.
Location: Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Co-Sponsored, Free Event

Hapa Family Day in the Park, Sunday Sep. 28, 1pm-4pm

Join the family fun! Jump in with family friendly yoga starting at 1pm, followed with music by soulful singer and song-writer Green Tara at 2pm, and closing with the dynamic dance and music of Compaigni V’ni Dansi’s Louis Riel Métis Dancers at 3pm. Throughout the event there will be fun family activities, including ultimate balloons by Michael Ouchi, face painting, a photo booth, and an interactive art project celebrating our heritage.
Location: Granville Island Picnic Pavilion, adjacent to Cat’s Social House and waterpark

Dancing & A Movie, Sunday Sep. 28, 4pm-8:30pm

Come unwind after the festival with the Hapa-palooza crew at a free family-friendly dance and movie screening. The Vancouver Blues and Fusion Dancers and The Blues Cafe will be presenting a public dance with the city’s best blues & fusion dance DJs. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival and Hapa-palooza will be presenting a special film screening of Jeff Chiba Stearns’ feature documentary, One Big Hapa Family, starting at 8pm with director Q&A to follow.
Location: Aché Brasil, 341 East Broadway Street

A full listing of Hapa-palooza Festival events can be found at hapapalooza.com