More than 9,000 people attend the event making it among the largest festival of its kind in America.
Thousands of people flocked to the seventh annual Punjabi Mela at the sprawling Bull Run Regional Park on a warm and windy afternoon in the Washington area.
The festival coincided with Mother’s Day and several families resplendent in traditional, colorful attire partook in the celebration of India’s rich culture.
Organizers, led by Novi Bhuller, were elated by the response: over 9,000 people attended the event making it among the largest festival of its kind in America. Special acknowledgment was accorded to members of the Punjabi community who traveled from the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and North Carolina.
Among the highlights of the festival were performances by renowned singers Jazzy B of Vancouver, Canada; Kaur B, Prabh Gill and Baljit Malwa of Punjab; vibrant dances by young students of the Virginia School of Bhangra and artistes of Dhiyan Punjab Diyan Gidha; Indian cuisine which drew long lines; a spacious play area with activities for children; booths for shopping and more. Perhaps the best part was being outdoors and enjoying all the traditional festivities on a gorgeous day for Spring.
We caught up with festival-goers for their response to the event in the Bull Run Regional Park.
Ashly Singh of Leesburg, Virginia, was enjoying the activities with her school-going kids, all dressed in traditional attire. “It’s a great cultural festival,” she said. “My husband is Punjabi, so we’re a mixed family”. For Ashly, the high points of the Mela were the music, meeting and greeting with people, and seeing all the friendly faces.
Her daughter, Manpreet Kaur, told us, “The festival is a great opportunity to experience diversity.” A middle school student, she was enjoying the food the most.
Navdeep Teja of Virginia, an auditor by profession, is a regular festival-goer. “Every year, you see more vendors, more people,” she noted. “It’s great because you get to see all these beautiful dresses and traditions. So many men are wearing traditional attire”.
Navdeep believed the event was a great learning experience for kids. “We can’t really tell them everything about India,” she reasoned.
In a wonderful expression of camaraderie, she brought her friend Jeanenne to experience the festival for the first time. “My friend would know me a little better if she knows about this,” Navdeep told us.
“We love the food. I stay right here, close to the stalls,” she said, laughing.
A trio of friends – Apanjit of Maryland, Kanwaljit and Maneet of Virginia – concurred, citing the food and music as their favorite attractions. Sunmukh Singh of Loudoun County, Virginia, an eighth grader, and Navneet Singh of Maryland, in ninth grade, spoke in unison on what they liked the most about the Mela: “Friends and food,” the boys gushed.