Naples festival offers tastes, sounds, colors of India

A trip around India didn’t require a passport or plane ticket, but rather good company and an empty stomach during Saturday’s IndiaFest in Naples.

Throughout the day at Fleischmann Park, young children, teenagers and adults performed a variety of traditional Indian dances and later dressed up in bright Indian garb for a fashion show.

Hundreds of onlookers cheered, danced along or recorded video on their cellphones. Festival-goers embraced the culture by getting henna tattoos or tilaka, a traditional mark placed on the forehead.

The festival’s theme was “Colors of India,” showcasing the cultural variety in India’s 29 states, according to the India Association of Naples, which has hosted the event for the past seven years. In honor of Rasik Mehta, a founding member, a portion of the event’s proceeds benefited the Senior Friendship Center in Naples.