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Hapa-palooza Festival, a festival celebrating hapa and mixed heritage culture, is returning to Vancouver this month.

The festival features music, art, storytelling and dance over three days from Sept. 22 to 24 at various venues throughout the city.

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“Hapa-palooza bridges worlds, gathers community and celebrates diverse ancestry and cultural heritage,” said co-founder and journalist Anna Ling Kaye. “It encourages people to share their stories and be proud of their cultural makeup.”

The word hapa is of Hawaiian origins and is used as a broad term to describe people identifying as having a mixed heritage.

This year, three individuals will be honoured at the festival’s opening night gala, Hip Hapa Hooray. The three being acknowledged include Joel Watanabe, Ann Marie Fleming and Wayde Compton.

Watanabe is the award-winning chef behind Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto; he will be honoured with the Trailblazer Award. The Innovation Award will go to Fleming, the award-winning filmmaker of Window Horses. Compton, an award-winning activist, poet and author, will received the Community Builder Award.

More information and a full listing of events can be found online at hapapalooza.com.

sip@postmedia.com

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