Presented by Luminato Festival Toronto
Curated by the Tawoos Initiative
In collaboration with Small World Music and Virasat

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.

Natasha Noorani is a musician, music historian & festival director from Lahore, Pakistan. Noorani has a diverse range as a singer-songwriter, playback singer and voice-over artist. Her 2023 debut album, RONAQ, references the genres of pop, rnb, electronic and mid-century subcontinental music. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Times Square & Boiler Room Pakistan. She is also the co-founder of Pakistan's premier music festival, Lahore Music Meet. Noorani has also curated artists for Coke Studio Pakistan & has worked as a consultant for British Council Pakistan for developing programmes for women/non-binary artists. Noorani manages an archival project by the name of Peshkash to mitigate the erasure of Pakistani music.

Pakistani music producer and composer, Talal Qureshi , stands as a dynamic artist renowned for pushing boundaries in the electronic and experimental music realm. Seamlessly melding traditional Pakistani music with contemporary electronic sounds, he's become a vanguard of innovation.

The next step on Talal Qureshi's trailblazing journey leads to his 2023 debut album "TURBO." With an innovative, futuristic blend of tradition and modernity, he cements himself as a sonic pioneer, etching sounds that resonate across time and culture.

This event is FREE and runs from 6-11pm.

Learn more about the all performers and activities here .



The 2024 Small World Music Series is sponsored by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and funded by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.