Masala! Mehndi! Masti! meaning Spice! Henna! Fun! is the largest interdisciplinary South Asian arts and entertainment festival outside of South Asia. This free event takes place annually in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 (GTA) at the Exhibition Place

Exhibition Place

Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...

 over a three day period. The festival exhibits the best in local and international South Asia inspired talent in areas such as music, fashion, dance, theatre, film, visual arts and crafts, literary works, yoga, social issues and more.

History

The brainchild of Abhishek Mathur and Jyoti Rana, Masala! Mehndi! Masti! was created in 2001 as an opportunity for South Asians of every background and generation in North America to celebrate and embrace their culture as well as a way to create a fun and inclusive experience for other heritages of Toronto to take part in.

Since its launch the festival has seen rapid growth. Attendance growth: 25,000 to over 100,000, of visitors of all ethnicities attended from 2001 to 2008. The annual festival brings together professionals and performers from across Canada and all over the world including Australia, Bangladesh, Guyana, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2010, M!M!M! celebrated its 10th anniversary which includes the first ever Masala! Mehndi! Masti! Winterfest at Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on Toronto, Ontario's waterfront, situated at 235 Queen's Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the federal government to create a waterfront park, it became a non-profit organization in 1991. Funding comes from corporate...

, the venue where the festival presented its first five editions.

M!M!M! Summer Event

Most popular for its music, dance and film performances with over 70 events and performances across multiple stages, the festival is also quite popular for its spicy food and culture. Festival goers can enjoy colorful kiosks offering over 40 restaurant and food vendors, exotic apparel and jewelry as well as Mehndi (henna) artists.

From the Indian film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, to classical music, this culture is already making a mark on the global arts and entertainment scene.

Notable Canadian producer Vikas Kohli

Vikas Kohli

Vikas Kohli is an Indian musician and producer best known for founding Fatlabs.-Fatlabs:Fatlabs is home recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, founded in 2003. Kohli is best known for his ability to work with multiple genres. Vikas has produced punk, jazz, hip-hop, soul, country, pop,...

 of Fatlabs

Fatlabs

FatLabs, is a Canadian home recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 2003 by Vikas Kohli. The studio is known for its ability to work with an assortment of genres.- Mission Istaanbul :...

 studios has interviewed several Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 celebrity singers, sat in on various panels, performed and had his own compositions performed by different artists, and films that he has scored have screened at Masala Mendi Maasti almost every year.http://www.masalamehndimasti.com/2010/festival-artists/#sa700fr

Headline acts have included Rahul Bose

Rahul Bose

Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,...

, Nandita Das

Nandita Das

Nandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...

, Rishi Rich

Rishi Rich

Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...

, Jay Sean, Juggy D

Juggy D

Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal, better known by his stage name, Juggy D, is a British Indian singer from Southall, London, England.-Music:...

, Shiamak Davar

Shiamak Davar

DIL CHAHE-External links:* * * http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Dil-Chahe-Shiamak&id=20100520190954_2d1d03si4m47m* http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Mohabbat-Kar-Le-Shiamak&id=20100520134546_lj2mmwol474i...

, Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Trickbaby

Trickbaby

Trickbaby is a London based, influenced by modern dance music and Indian Bollywood classics. They are based around the songwriting partnership of Saira Hussain and Steve Ager, and the rhythms of Vikaash Sankadecha. Lead singer Saira cites influences from modern Western music through to Bollywood...

, Dya Singh, Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, Lisa Ray

Lisa Ray

Lisa Ray , born 4 April 1972, is a Canadian actress and former model.-Early life:Lisa Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali Indian father and a Polish mother and grew up in the suburb of Etobicoke...

, Shibani Kashyap

Shibani Kashyap

Shibani Kashyap is an India female singer, who is actively working in Bollywood film Industry, Some of her songs are very popular like Sajna Aaa Bhi Ja from movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, she has anchored a Singer Hunt Show named Bathroom Singer....

, Shweta Suramanian and many others!

M!M!M! Winterfest

In 2010, M!M!M! launched the first ever Masala! Mehndi! Masti! Winterfest at the Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on Toronto, Ontario's waterfront, situated at 235 Queen's Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the federal government to create a waterfront park, it became a non-profit organization in 1991. Funding comes from corporate...

 Year 2010 marks 10th year anniversary for M!M!M!. Highlights include Pakistani rockers Kazak, Indo-Persian dance, a licensed Dhol drum circle that will feature and Bhangra and Desi styles, and a screening of Dileep Mehta's Cooking with Stella, starring Don McKellar.