Grand South Asian New Year (“Pohela Boishakh”) Celebrated at Zilker Park
The ninth annual “South Asian New Year Festival” was celebrated at Zilker Park on April 11 with great fan fare by thousands of cheerful Austinites from all walks of life. This City of Austin sponsored and promoted public event is organized by Texas Bengali Cultural Alliance (TBCA). A number of Austin City Council Members including Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, dignitaries, representatives from local media, sponsors, organizations and community leaders attended this auspicious event.
It was a picture perfect Spring day under the canopy of partial cloud cover. Zilker Hillside theater was abuzz with excitement as artists from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China as well as America, performed musical and dance numbers in their colorful traditional garbs. A variety of food stalls offered a authentic south Asian cuisine prepared on site like any local bazaar of the subcontinent. Vendors displayed a cornucopia of ethnic outfits and jewelry. It was a nonstop fun filled nine hours that seemed to fly.
We are very happy to see that the event is growing every year and has become an “Austin Tradition”. Our heart-filled Thanks to everybody for making this year’s event a grand success.