Char Bagh

at Luminato in the Square

Curated by the Tawoos Initiative

Friday, June 14
6pm - 11pm
David Pecaut Square

Free

Welcome to Char Bagh, an outdoor celebration of South Asian music, visual arts, dance, architecture, and artisans. Based on the historic botanical gardens from pre-colonial South Asia, this is a night celebrating both queer and hidden histories of the subcontinent, bringing together a mix of the classical and the contemporary, with a South Asian bazaar featuring food vendors, textile crafts, artisanal vendors, and more. Come down and enjoy palm and tarot readings, intricate mehendi artwork, and textile workshops.  Watch Kathak dance performances, listen to Hindustani ghazals, follow classical ragas, groove to Bangladeshi pop, and end the night with the stunning North American debut of Pakistani pop icon, Natasha Noorani, and veteran producer Talal Qureshi (presented in collaboration with Small World Music and Virasat), guaranteed to have you on your feet and dancing. 

Performers and Activities

Schedule 6 - 11pm

The Tawoos Initiative is a not-for-profit music presenter established in 2018. Tawoos centers what it means to be an immigrant living in a genre-bending, multicultural city like Toronto. It was created as a collective for individuals to gather, and explore performers of South Asian origins from across the world, who offer innovative takes on the rich and vibrant history of music and arts in the subcontinent. Tawoos is not genre bound - from SASWANA dance parties, Queer Bollywood Nights, centering femme and non binary DJs, or live acts, Tawoos has presented artists such as Ali Sethi, Meesha Shafi, Qais Essar, Farooque Bhai, Hassan Raheem, Natasha Noorani, Nabihah Iqbal, Discostan, Lady Pista, and the Abu Muhammad Qawwali group. Tawoos believes in creating safe spaces for South Asian communities and artists alike, disrupting the norms of the Canadian music scene, with an anti-oppression framework and decolonizing perspective.

Event Supporters

Accessibility

Getting there

David Pecaut Square
215 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3G2

Taking GO? Get to Union Station with GO Transit, and from there it’s a short walk or TTC connection to Luminato events.