Hare Krishna Center (ISKCON NYC) celebrates 46th Annual Hare Krishna Parade and Festival - Celebrated on 5th Avenue with Festival at Washington Square Park
The Hare Krishna Festival, ISKCON NYC's signature 3-day event, centers around the annual Hare Krishna Parade, also known as Ratha Yatra (Festival of Chariots). To be celebrated Saturday, June 12th, it will be one of New York City's first public festivals since the start of the pandemic. The festival begins at 11:00am with a parade of people pulling a chariot down 5th Avenue from E. 45th Street, alongside thousands of celebrants playing drums and cymbals and kirtan (singing and chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…) and continues at Washington Square Park with a free vegetarian feast, served to approximately 5,000 festival goers, and booths selling popular Indian snacks, religious gifts, clothes, and worship items. Featured at the park are exhibits about the Krishna tradition and teachings, books, performances and more!
NEW YORK, June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hare Krishna Center (ISKCON NYC) celebrates 46th Annual Hare Krishna Parade and Festival - Celebrated on 5th Avenue with Festival at Washington Square Park.
The Hare Krishna Festival, ISKCON NYC's signature 3-day event, centers around the annual Hare Krishna Parade, also known as Ratha Yatra (Festival of Chariots). To be celebrated Saturday, June 12th, it will be one of New York City's first public festivals since the start of the pandemic. The festival begins at 11:00am with a parade of people pulling a chariot down 5th Avenue from E. 45th Street, alongside thousands of celebrants playing drums and cymbals and kirtan (singing and chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…) and continues at Washington Square Park with a free vegetarian feast, served to approximately 5,000 festival goers, and booths selling popular Indian snacks, religious gifts, clothes, and worship items. Featured at the park are exhibits about the Krishna tradition and teachings, books, performances and more!
This year we have some honored guests attending the event: Eric Adams, 2021 NYC Democratic Mayoral Candidate and Brooklyn Borough President, Mr. Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India, Kevin Thomas, NY State Senator, Jenifer Rajkumar, Assembly Member District 38 and Jagdish Sewhani, President of Indian American Public Affairs Committee. Also invited to participate are the Consul Generals from the following Countries: Nepal, Fiji, Bhutan, Taiwan, and Mauritius.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the Hare Krishna Festival. This year the parade and festival are being planned and prepared in accordance with the NYC Department of Health's COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. As public health conditions and the guidance changes, the festival will adapt and adhere to all applicable health protocols, such as capacity restrictions, social distancing, and face coverings where necessary.
What is Ratha Yatra
Ratha Yatra is the festival of Lord Jagannath (a Deity form of Lord Krishna), who comes out of His temple and into the streets with His entourage: His sister Lady Subhadra and brother Lord Baladeva, to see and bless all of humanity. This festival is celebrated worldwide, with the largest and oldest festival celebrated in Jagannath Puri, the seaside coastal town in Odisha, India.
For the members of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), this festival is a time of spiritual rejuvenation, reflection, and reaffirmation of their faith in their spiritual path by sharing their joyous mantra, music, food, and dancing with the city-at-large.
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Festival Information
Hare Krishna Festival and Chariot Parade
Date: June 12th, 2021 – 11:00 am
Parade begins: 11AM from E 45th St. and 5th Avenue and ends at Washington Square Park
Festival at Washington Square Park from 12 pm until 7pm
Festival activities include:
- Interactive workshops and stalls on meditation, yoga and kirtan
- A Main stage will be classical and modern Indian cultural performances.
- Free hot vegetarian meals
The Hare Krishna Festival is presented by ISKCON New York City, the Hare Krishna Center, which is located at 305 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iskconnyc
Website: https://nycharekrishnafestival.com
ISKCON-New York's Radha-Govinda Temple is a flagship center of worldwide International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which includes more than 50 centers across the USA.
Hare Krishna Festival Schedule
June 11, 2021
12:00pm to 3:00pm – Music Meditation (Tompkins Square Park)
4:00pm to 8:00pm – Kirtan Experience @ Times Square (at 45th Street)
June 12, 2021
11:00am – 1:00pm – 46th Annual Hare Krishna 5th Ave. Parade 5th Avenue from 45th St.
12:00pm – 7:00pm – Hare Krishna Festival @ Washington Square Park
June 13, 2021
12:00pm – 7:00pm – Open House - Hare Krishna Center – Brooklyn NY
About ISKCON
For full description please visit https://www.iskcon.org/.
Popularly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a worldwide confederation of more than 400 temples, 100 vegetarian restaurants, and a wide variety of community projects . ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya, or denomination, a monotheistic tradition within the broad Hindu culture.
ISKCON's Founder
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, or Srila Prabhupada, is the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). On the order of his guru Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, Srila Prabhupada left India at the age of 69 to teach the timeless message of bhakti-yoga, or connecting to God through devotion. Prabhupada founded ISKCON in 1966 in New York City, and in the eleven years before his passing away in November, 1977 traveled the world to establish over 100 ISKCON temples. He also translated, with elaborate commentary, several dozen books on the Vaishnava tradition, or Krishna Consciousness, which are highly esteemed by scholars and have been translated into more than 70 languages.
Media Contact
Brittney Alson, ISKCON New York CIty, +1 803-629-5928, [email protected]
Jeffrey Moy, 352-317-2504, [email protected]
SOURCE ISKCON New York CIty
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