In recent years we have partnered up with organizations such as The Ivory Club, Icon Hair, The Edmonton Valley Zoo Society, and most recently The City of Edmonton to co-host events.
The events are always very different. We’ve never chosen the same venue twice but the commonality is the people. In the past four years, our followers have grown from hundreds to thousands.
Alternative Trends is proud to announce that 2010 will mark our five year anniversary. We invite you to join us this spring: we have planned an event you won’t want to miss.
Stay Connected
We look forward to seeing you at the next Quarterly Connections event: friends of friends getting together with one goal in mind – a great time! Please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you’d like to be added to our guest list. Join Pardee Badyal on Facebook, and join the group Alternative Trends Quarterly Connections Mixers to ensure you are invited to future parties hosted by Alternative Trends.
August 1, 2009
Icon Gallery hosted an art and fashion show and transformed the room into the Tandoori Hotel. Guests were heard saying, “I feel like I’m in New York.” As the theme was Indian, I was asked to wear a sari. I have some amazing saris, but my mother doesn’t live in Edmonton and I still need her to help me at every wedding I attend – she knows how to get it just right! When she’s not around, my cousin Jesse helps me, but she doesn’t live here either. Next time I’ll fly them in, I promise! I did wear a traditional suit that my mother’s sister-in-law (phabi phonetically in Punjabi) in India gave me when I went to meet her for the first time. So even though I didn’t wear a sari, I was able to honour a family member in a small village far north of New Delhi. Thank you for the suit – I love it and so did all the guests!
I have been fortunate enough to travel to many places and I understand culture and identity. When I was younger, I was sometimes ashamed to wear traditional clothes, but wore them out of respect for my parents and our culture. Today I am not embarrassed, as I am proud of my culture. I am also proud of other cultures and love learning more about everyone I meet.
We share photos from Icon’s party: the room was filled with Canadians from all over the world. Thank you for inviting me and for including my culture.
Welcome to the inaugural East Meets West festival hosted by the Chinatown & Little Italy Business Association and the City of Edmonton.
This highly anticipated event is sure to entertain audiences of all interests and all ages. The pairing of these two distinct heritages is a unique and exciting opportunity for all Edmontonians. The positive impact that both cultures have had on our city is highly significant. We are proud to be a partner in this extraordinary endeavour!
Thank you to the leaders and community supporters of the Chinatown and Little Italy Business Association. The contributions you have made to our community continue to shape our collective history and enhance this great city. Your dedication to the preservation and revitalization of culture and heritage in Edmonton is admirable.
On behalf of City Council and the people of Edmonton, Alberta’s Capital City, I welcome everyone to what is the first, of hopefully many, East Meets West festivals!
Yours truly,
Stephen Mandel
Mayor
August 18, 2009
August 22, 2009
The steering committee consisted of representatives from the Italian community (Teresa Spinelli), the Chinese community (Terry Liu), the Business Revitalization Zone (Ratan Lawrence), the City of Edmonton (Jane Molstad), and Next Generation Consulting Inc. (Pardee Badyal). Together this team created an amazing event, with everyone deserving equal credit. What was supposed to be a small project turned into a huge, wonderful celebration. We share photos of East Meets West with you...
Thank you to Frank Spinelli for having a dream and for raising an amazing daughter to carry on his legacy. Thank you to Teresa Spinelli for recommending NGC for this important project. It was an honor and true pleasure to work with such an amazing team. Thank you to the event sponsors – we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to the artists; thank you to our entertainment; thank you to the merchants; and most importantly, thank YOU for attending.
