FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Festival Chairperson: Krishna Sharma - 416.616.5136
Marketing and Promotions: Rashi Singh - 416.819.5527

WHAT: The Festival of India (known as Ratha-Yatra), one of India’s most ancient and popular festivals, celebrated in hundreds of cities around the world. Toronto’s festival is known as the largest in North America.

WHO: Organized by Toronto’s Hare Krishna Centre, annually attended by over 35,000 people from Toronto and around the world.

WHERE: Colourful Parade - Down Yonge Street, from Bloor to Queens Quay
Two-Day Festival - Centre Island

WHEN: Saturday, July 19, 2008: Parade - 11am - 2pm, Centre Island Festival - 12pm to 9pm
Sunday, July 20, 2008: Centre Island Festival - 12pm to 5pm

TORONTO, ON - On July 19th and 20th, Toronto’s Hare Krishna Centre will present the 36th Annual Festival of India in the heart of downtown Toronto. The festival consists of an upbeat, colourful parade down Yonge Street (beginning at Bloor and continuing south to the Queens Quay) and a two-day festival on Centre Island, expected to draw close to 35,000 people. “This is a festival open entirely to the public,” says Rashi Singh, Marketing and Promotions Manager for the Festival of India. “This festival aims to both inform and entertain; it promises to appeal to everyone, including those interested in yoga, spirituality, music, dance, and the arts.”

Festival Kick-Off at Yonge-Dundas Square!
As a way to both kick-off and promote the weekend’s festivities, the Festival of India will be offering a mini-festival on Wednesday, July 16th at Yonge-Dundas Square from 12pm-9pm. Festivities will include free “Express Yoga” sessions for the public and exhibits about ancient Vedic art and vegetarianism. The day will come to a resounding conclusion with a concert featuring a glimpse into ancient India’s spiritual roots in the forms of dance, music and drama.

Award Winning Entertainment
Sponsored by EYE WEEKLY, the festival’s entertainment features the likes of the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, the first South Asian arts organization to be recognized by the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as Enakshi Das Sinha. Also highlighted in the lineup is “Silk Route” by Sashar Zarif and friends, a mix of Toronto-based artists, which includes Joanna Das, Anne Bourn, Piriouz Yousefian, and members of Juno-nominated Auto Rickshaw, Ed Hanley and Suba Shankaran. “Silk Route” will incorporate the sounds of traditional South Asian instruments with contemporary vocals, kathak, and Persian/Sufi movements all on one stage! The entertainment program will also be punctuated by a two-hour performance by a traveling tour of 50 youth from all over North America, presenting India’s ancient Vedic roots with music, dance and an unforgettable drama entitled “Kunti and Karna”.

First Annual Yoga Meltdown
The picturesque, serene beauty of Centre Island with its lush parks and cool breezes from the lake will form the backdrop for the first annual Yoga Meltdown, presented on Sunday, July 20th. Celebrated as a “festival within a festival”, Yoga Meltdown will present attendees with a chance to unwind, rejuvenate and invigorate themselves via free outdoor yoga classes, vegetarian/vegan cooking demonstrations, mantra meditation circles and yoga discussions. The mini-festival will also feature a full lineup of stage entertainment including dance, drama and “kirtan”, a form of mantra yoga consisting of the singing of ancient mantras to the accompaniment of musical instruments.

Free Vegetarian Feast and More
One of the biggest highlights of the festival has traditionally been the free vegetarian feast served to the tens of thousands of attendees and this year’s festival will feature the same sumptuous feast for the public. Festival-goers can also visit the South Asian Bazaar, various exhibits and a “Kids Zone”. The Festival of India is focused on presenting the ancient, spiritual culture of India with a contemporary and modern flavour. Throughout the course of the weekend, organizers expect over 35,000 visitors, both local and from around the world. The festival is entirely free and open to the public.

About the Festival of India
The Festival of India is modeled after the ancient festival of Ratha-Yatra, or Festival of Chariots. The original Ratha-Yatra is celebrated in Orissa, India and annually draws over one million attendees. Hare Krishna centres worldwide celebrate the same festival with over 25 cities in North America alone hosting their own Festivals of India.

Known as the largest Festival of India in North America, Toronto’s festival has specifically focused on presenting the annual event as an opportunity for Torontonians to learn more about the vast and deep spiritual culture of the east in a contemporary, family-oriented fashion.

In the late 1960’s, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna society, inaugurated the North American version of this ancient Indian parade in San Francisco. With its roots steeped in spiritual tradition, the last 36 years has seen Toronto’s version of the festival become publicly-embraced as event that brings a colourful, vibrant culture to a mainstream audience.

For more information about the festival, please visit our website:
http://www.feedyoursoul.to

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