County Executive Rob Astorino invites you to travel the world this summer during the annual cultural heritage celebrations held on weekends in county parks, from June through August. The final heritage festival in the series is the Indian festival on Sunday, Aug. 4.
The Indian Heritage Festival
The exotic sights, sounds and flavors of distant India will be showcased as Westchester County's annual series of cultural heritage celebrations come to a close with the 14th Annual Heritage of India Festival, Sunday, Aug. 4, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.
"This is the final weekend of this year to experience the music, dance and art of the cultures that are represented in our summer-long heritage series," County Executive Robert P. Astorino said. He thanked the Indian American Cultural Association of Westchester, for its work in coordinating the event, and Friends of Westchester County Parks, whose financial donation made the cultural heritage series possible this year.
The festival will feature the delicious foods of India, live music, folk dancing and cultural performances. There will also be a fashion show showcasing colorful native clothing. Festival-goers can create their own cultural fashion by decorating themselves with Mehndi, the henna bridal make-up that dates back to ancient India.
Visitors can also browse a merchandise bazaar where a variety of vendors will be selling Indian clothing, jewelry, CDs, DVDs and delicious Indian cuisine. Traditional Rangoli art and other craft exhibitions will be on display as well.
Admission and parking are free. The event will be held rain or shine.
The Heritage of India Festival is sponsored by Westchester County Parks, the Indian American Cultural Association of Westchester, Nielsen, Dr. Anil and Anju Joshi, and Friends of Westchester County Parks.
For vendor information, e-mail .
The Kensico Dam Plaza is located in Valhalla at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway.
Seating is informal so bring blankets or folding chairs for seating on the lawn.
This year's ethnic festivals were made possible thanks to a generous contribution from Friends of Westchester County Parks, a nonprofit organization that supports the county's parks and programming.
For more information, go to westchestergov.com/parks or call (914) 864-PARK.