Three great nights of comedy are in store when Sugar Sammy, winner of last year’s Montreal International Laugh festival, performs at Bell Performing in Surrey on Aug. 1 and 2 and on Granville Island Aug. 3.

Sammy, who is Punjabi, has been named Montreal’s comedian of the year for three consecutive years, and has sold out shows all over the world.

The events are presented by MELA! Festivals Inc., whose mission is to bring together various communities of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to experience the richness of South Asian arts and culture in celebrations of music, dance, clothing and food.

MELA! is at the forefront of creating new and unique cultural collaborations that transcend the barriers of language, race and religion.

According to news sources, Sammy follows the motto "laughter is a universal language" quite literally. He jokes about different ethnic issues in his shows, including his personal experiences with the arranged marriages scenario of his Indian heritage, and performs in four languages; English, French, Hindi, and Punjabi.

"I do the ethnic stuff a bit because of my multicultural group of friends and the environment I live in," said Sammy.

"I think the second you start thinking about producing material based on how well it’s going to sell, it starts suffering in quality. You have to really tell your story when you’re up there. I think that’s the key."

Depending on demand for the three shows, organizers may add another one on Aug. 4.

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 604.507.6355 for the Bell Performing Arts Centre performance and at 604.629.8849 for the Granville Island performance, or online at http://www.melafestivals.ca/sugarsammy.html.