Festival of India

As San Antonians we must begin to celebrate and invite more cultures into our city, as we seek to define our own identity. It seems in the past as rodeos and mariachis have filled our landscape we have left out Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Russian and to some extent even European cultures from that realization. Although the Festival Of India has been a part of San Antonio for many years, I think it is to our detriment as a city progressing if we do not embrace the beauty and uniqueness of all cultures.
I had red on various websites, posters at businesses and in newspapers that this event being hosted by the India Association of San Antonio (IASA) was to start at 3 pm. It was much to my dismay that the festival was not up and operational. When I got there booths were still in the process of being put up. The food areas were still heating up or frying dishes. Ice and clothing we being delivered from one end of the grounds to another via dollies. The stage, where dancers and performers were set to do elaborate performances was silent and desolate. There was no music, no scent of food and in general nothing going on.
It was 4pm and my patience was running thin. I grabbed a seat by the stage, that was 99% empty waiting for people to come in, waiting for some sort of sign of any coming excitement. It was already four~ish, I was about to leave and then. The music kicked in. They had a DJ wearing traditional Indian wear blasting Bollywood Dance Jams! Then came the dancers. They were all wearing beautiful elaborate dresses, swirling and spinning madly to the music.
By now the whole festival was in full celebration mode. The booths were selling one of a kind sari’s. There were people offering yoga classes. And I scored some amazing Indian food! It was a lemon~ salted rice with onions fried in a batter. Really, really tasty! I must confess, as long as I have lived in this city this is my first foray into Indian Cuisine, but not my last. I guess I have been blinded by barbecue and tacos all my life. But living as a Latino in this city my whole life there aren’t alot of options for food here. But I see that is changing. And I am the better for it.
In closing I have a few suggestions to you and to this festival for next year:
1.) I have seen contradicting times when the festival was actually supposed to start. The next day I saw that it had it posted somewhere with a four o’ clock opening time. Please make sure you a definitive right time for when everything starts for next year.
2.) You need to go there early if you want a seat, because this is a standing room only event. I would suggest the IASA to allow people to bring folding chairs so they will have a place to sit in event that there are no more chairs.
3.) I saw people confused by exactly how to pay for food items, is it cash or do you have to purchase tickets. Again keep your patrons abreast at the payment options you have for food and your booths; do you accept credit cards or cash? Or will it be necessary to purchase tickets to buy food and drink items?
When this event comes around again next year I will be there with my Bullfroggy sunblock in hand. I still can’t get over the dancers who were doing a Bollywood version of Gangnum Style, but then again this is San Antonio. That’s why you should go!