New York: Rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of the revelers as hundreds of members of the community gathered at South Street Seaport on Oct. 2 for the 35th Deepavali Festival organized by the Association of Indians in America (AIA), New York chapter. AIA is one of the oldest Indian-American organizations in the country.
The flagship event of AIA-NY attracts tens of thousands of New Yorkers every year. This year the number of visitors was around 50,000, a press release from AIA indicated. According to the AIA, the Deepavali Festival is considered by far the largest attraction for Indian Americans in the tri-state area.
There was a variety of fine cuisine, handicrafts, and gift items, as well as the works of contemporary Indian artists on the display along with scintillating performances of classical and fusion music. A fashion show, a vegan expo, and fun-filled children’s activities were the other attractions of the festival.
The glitterati at AIA’s Deepavali festival at South Street Seaport NYC mayor Eric Adams, New York State assemblyman David Weprin and NY Governor Kathleen Hochul’s representative who not only attended the festival but also addressed the gathering. The annual festival is known for attracting elected officials and representatives of various government and non-government agencies.
Hundreds of members of the Indian-American community gathered at South Street Seaport on Oct. 2 for the 35th Deepavali Festival organized by the Association of Indians in America (AIA), New York chapter. It featured a vegan fair, dance competition, fireworks, and a COVID Clinic. A glimpse of Indian culture, food, fun, and frolic galore at the event as seven different teams competed with their scintillating performances in the Nache Inferno dance competition.
For the first time ever, AIA-NY partnered with the We Can Do This campaign – a COVID public education campaign of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provided free updated COVID vaccines on the spot.
HHS Regional Director of Region-2, Dr. Dara Kass encouraged attendees to take the advantage of the available updated vaccines at the on-site COVID clinic. She also thanked President Thakkar, AIA-NY, and Xpresslane Pharmacy for their partnership. Many attendees took advantage of the available updated vaccines at the event and took the booster shot.
