Record Crowds Flock to Holi 2010 in Houston
March 12th, 2010Source: www.indoamerican-news.com
HOUSTON, TX, USA, March 9, 2010: For the last 40 years, Indian-born parents have told the next generation stories of what Holi grand mela was like in India. This year’s Holi in Houston gives them a good idea.“Over 11,000 people gathered at the Festival of Colors this year” said Lt. Hines of Sugar Land Police. Vijay Pallod of The Hindus Of Greater Houston proclaimed “This is the Largest Holi in the US. And we were happy to see at least 5% were non-South Asian!”
Pankaj Thakkar, owner of San Francisco’s Gold Palace exclaimed, “I flew to Houston just for Holi — there is no celebration like this in entire West Coast.” Holi 2010 rocked the Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land on Sunday February 28th, from 11AM - 4PM, organized by Houston’s leading Indian Radio Show, Masala Radio 1480 AM, and pioneer community organizations Gujarati Samaj of Houston and Indian Culture Center. Three days prior, there was snow in Houston. Then Sunday clouds disappeared forming the warmest day in 2010.
First-time attendees like Pankaj Malani were overwhelmed, “I was very impressed by how organized the Holi event was. It was a great opportunity to see kids and adults from our community enjoying themselves together on this festive occasion. The dances, skits and variety of food definitely added to the fun atmosphere.
The entire event was directed by Masala Radio owners Sunil and Sandhya Thakkar, and coordinated by Event Manager Shilpi Sheth. What’s Next? Masala Radio is scouting for venues that can support over 10,000 for its next event, Diwali 2010, the Festival of Lights, more Hindu-American than ever.
