Naperville Indian community to celebrate virtual India Day on Aug 15

Illinois: “India Day 2020 is coming to YOU,” the flyer reads. Though the original August 9 event couldn’t go on due to concerns about COVID-19, Indian Community Outreach‘s biggest annual event has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 15.

“We are working with the city on this but we’re trying to put together three things – a virtual event, a car parade that’s going to be in the neighborhoods starting at 7 and ending at 8 in the evening, and a fireworks show,” said Krishna Bansal, chairman and CEO of Indian Community Outreach.

Naperville’s India Day has become one of the largest Indian-American festivals in the county and is a colorful showcase of Indian food, music, and culture.

Though this year’s program looks different than past celebrations, the group has been working to adapt its celebration to safely accommodate safety guidelines.

From 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., the virtual event will feature Bollywood stars as well as local talent performing on Facebook Live. A car parade starting at 7 p.m. will weave through selected neighborhoods with vehicles decorated for the occasion. And the grand finale comes at 9:30 p.m. and will feature a fireworks show in Frontier Park, where people can watch from their cars.

“We want to keep everyone safe and we wanted to do something symbolic,” Bansal said. “And this way we are not putting anyone at risk, but it’s still something that people can enjoy.” (Source: Naperville News 17)

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