Naperville welcomed the India Day Parade 2021 on August 8th. The colorful parade featuring large decorated floats kicked off at 4:00 pm at Naperville North High school making its way down Mill Street and concluding at the intersection of Mill Street and Jackson Avenue.
The Indian Community Outreach’s India Day Celebration began in 2015 and has since become one of the largest Indian American festivals in the United States. The goal of the event was to celebrate 74 years of India’s Independence while bringing the community together to experience Indian culture and heritage through procession, education, and entertainment.
The India Day Parade 2021 was just one of the many events scheduled throughout the all-day India Day Celebration at Rotary Hill Park. The festival also included kids’ activities, classical and modern dance, a food court featuring ethnic food and drinks, shopping, a fashion show, and a free concert by Sukhbir Singh. Unfortunately, the nighttime activities were cancelled due to inclement weather.
Indian Community Outreach History
Former Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel created the Indian Community Outreach in 2013 as a way to help foster connection with residents of varied and diverse cultural backgrounds. The program was established as the Naperville population diversified and the Indian American population reached close to 10% of the cities population. “It is so important to make sure all of our cultures are connected within the city and that we embrace our unique backgrounds and use them to help make Naperville the wonderful City it is,” said Mayor A. George Pradel when asked about starting the program.
Indian Community Outreach’s Mission
The primary mission of Indian Community Outreach is to embrace, preserve and promote the cultural heritage and contributions of Indian American’s while educating them to get involved in America’s growth. It is a non-partisan organization that is community-based and partially funded by sponsorships, grants, and its member’s contributions.
To learn more about the history of India Day in Naperville check out this news story from the NCTV17 archives.
