Festival of Joy Brings Indian Culture to Klyde Warren Park
The Festival of Joy, a celebration of spirituality and Indian culture, will return for a fifth year to Klyde Warren Park on Saturday, April 27, with a parade, Indian street fair, children’s activities, free vegetarian feast, and evening concert.
The festival will start at 11 a.m. with a welcome ceremony, followed by a parade at 11:30 a.m. that will go through the Dallas Arts District and return to the park at 1:30 p.m. During the parade, hundreds of festivalgoers, pilgrims, and faith leaders will pull a colorful chariot carrying the sacred deities of Jagannatha, Subhadra, and Balarama along the route. Hundreds more will dance, sing sacred mantras and play traditional musical instruments. Click HERE to visit the event’s webpage.
After the procession returns to the park, families and guests can enjoy a free vegetarian feast and live stage entertainment, sample regional Indian street food favorites, visit an ethnic clothing bazaar, and explore holistic living exhibits revealing featuring Ayurveda, yoga, traditional crafts, mehndi, try-a-sari, ask-a-monk, vegetarian cooking and more.
The festival is a labor of love of about 435 volunteers, said Highland Park resident Atul Vohra, who spearheads the event with his wife, Ritika. “It’s a day to immerse yourself and just discover something new, raise your consciousness,” he said. “We feel gratitude for the Park Cities and the city of Dallas. This is our way of paying back a little bit and paying it forward.”
New this year is an evening stage performance by Indian artist Gaura Vani, an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist fluent in music, film, and the visual arts. Vani performs a genre of traditional Indian kirtan music with Western elements such as 12-string guitar, gospel choruses and hip-hop rhythms.
“The energy and joy felt by the thousands who attend reminds us that hope and faith can conquer all. Our lives can be filled with anxiety and fear, or with love and wholesomeness. We strive to build the consciousness of love and oneness with the universe,” said Nityananda Das Adhikari of the Radha Kalachandji Temple. “The Festival of Joy spreads this inner consciousness to inspire others, and we hope more people will come and experience this special celebration of spiritual culture.”
Festivalgoers who would like to continue their experience can get information on the Kalachandji Konnect program of daily philosophy classes and kirtan, and continuing education programs in meditation, yoga, Ayurveda and vegetarian cooking. The event is presented by east Dallas vegetarian restaurant Kalachandji’s.
“Dallas is a diverse, forward-thinking city, and the Festival of Joy has become a much-anticipated tradition that brings thousands of people together every year,” said Dallas City Council Member Jesse Moreno, who represents the district where Kalachandji’s and the Radha Kalachandji Temple are located. “The festival is a great way to fully immerse yourself in a holistic experience focusing on mindfulness, fun and harmony.”
