We had a wonderful Ratha Yatra in Laguna Beach, with Lord Jagannatha’s palanquin making its way along the beach amidst kirtan and dancing with the local community. We also enjoyed several lovely house programs with kirtan, talks, prasadam, and devotee association, along with visits to the temple. A definite highlight was taking darshan of the Sri Sri Pañca Tattva deities.
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=119130
rathayatra (31)
By Hrishikesh Gauranga Das
This year’s Rathayatra was a joyful and encouraging occasion for devotees throughout Bangladesh. In cities and towns across the country, the sound of kirtan filled the streets as people gathered for the darshan of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi.
A total of 128 Rathayatra festivals were organized nationwide. Celebrations took place at every district headquarters and at ISKCON temples and centers throughout Bangladesh. Although each festival reflected
This year’s Jagannatha Rathayatra in Seattle was a grand success. The devotees told me there were more than a thousand who attended the parade and between 12.00pm and 7.00pm around nine thousand came through the park.
Of course, the favorite stalls were the ones serving free prasadam, especially the ice-cream and jelebi. The main stage, which had kirtan and dance, was always packed and the cows and calves were very popular as well. Many books and other products were sold and everyone was in a jo
Religion News Service (RNS), an independent nonprofit news organization covering religion, faith, and spirituality worldwide, recently highlighted ISKCON New York City’s 50th annual Rathayatra Festival of Chariots in Manhattan.
The article reports that more than 25,000 devotees and well-wishers joined the June 13 celebration, which featured the three iconic chariots carrying Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Srimati Subhadra Devi along Fifth Avenue.
RNS noted the festival’s historic significan
Parasuram das, the 7th June 2026, we had a wonderful Rathayatra festival in Nottingham. It was covered by BBC Midlands The local devotees organised an excellent festival and it was also covered by BBC Midlands Jai Jagannath!
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=118262
The famous Rathayatra ‘Festival of Chariots’ returned to London on Sunday, 24 May 2026, infusing the city with a vibrant display of Indian culture and spirituality.
More than 10,000 participants—including festival goers, pilgrims, and religious leaders from across the globe—gathered along Park Lane in London to pull three impressive, 40-foot-tall chariots. These brightly decorated vehicles carried the revered deities Lord Jagannatha, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balarama all the way to Trafalgar Sq
By Atma Tattva Das,
Over the long Easter weekend of 3-6 April 2026, the Durban beachfront was transformed into a tapestry of sacred sound, color, and devotion as the annual Festival of Chariots returned. A longstanding collaborative effort between the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple and New Jagannath Puri in Phoenix, the festival has grown over the years through shared vision and coordinated service. For many locals and tourists alike, the sight of the chariots silhouetted against the Indian Ocea
In the space of a few days, Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi were taken on another Rathayatra, this time in a parade in the Auckland suburb of Mangere, which is near the airport.
As usual, the devotees chanted and danced in front of Their Lordships and waved to the crowd, who in turn clapped and waved back. It had been bad weather all day but fortunately got sunny and calm just before the parade started.
Source: https://ramaiswami.com/mangere-rathayatra/
In Auckland, in the months of November and December, many of the surrounding suburbs arrange to have parades go through the streets. Generally, local businesses put their floats in to advertise the products they sell.
Fortunately, we are able to participate with our Jagannatha Rathayatra “float” and go in the parade as well. On the same day as the Orewa parade, we went to one in the suburb of Manurewa and everyone appreciated the devotees dancing and chanting in front of Lord Jagannatha.
Source
The devotees took Their Lordships, Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi on Their Ratha Chariot in a parade at Orewa, which is a suburb to the north of Auckland.
There were thousands of people lining the street clapping and waving as the devotees had ecstatic kirtan. The route was on the road adjacent to the beach so it was a beautiful setting. A sumptuous picnic prasadam dinner was served in the park afterward.
Source: https://ramaiswami.com/orewa-auckland-rathayatra/
Every year the New Varshana devotees organize a Rathayatra parade that goes down Queen Street in Auckland. This has been going on for decades and a beautiful big Jagannatha chariot is pulled through the city.
In the last year, a smaller chariot has been built that allows us to go in parades in the suburbs and smaller regional towns. I was fortunate to attend the first one in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga.
The event was joyful and the crowd waved to the devotees performing kirtan and pulling Lo
By Krsangi Radhe Dasi,
The Festival of Chariots in Maputo, Mozambique, is no ordinary spiritual event—it’s an annual miracle of devotion, grit, and grace. Organized by ISKCON Mpumalanga devotees from South Africa, this vibrant two-day Ratha Yatra (held in July) now draws thousands into the embrace of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladev, and Subhadra devi, showering the streets with music, mercy, and prasadam.
Though Bhakti Caitanya Swami (the co-GBC for South Africa) had initiated preaching in the area
Official Statement Regarding Incident at ISKCON Toronto Rathayatra Parade
By ISKCON Communications North America
On Saturday, July 12th, during the annual Rathayatra parade organized by ISKCON Toronto, multiple eggs were thrown from a residential balcony onto the public street where thousands of parade-goers had gathered. One egg struck a female participant on the hand, causing localized swelling. Several other eggs landed on the ground, creating alarm among those nearby.
The incident was imme
By Atma Tattva Das
On June 15th, the streets of Gaborone vibrated with rhythm, color, and spiritual energy as ISKCON Botswana held its 9th Annual Rathayatra, also known as the Festival of Chariots. What began nine years ago with a handful of determined devotees has grown into one of Botswana’s most anticipated spiritual gatherings, this year attracting over a thousand guests from across the country and neighboring South Africa.
Behind the scenes, weeks of preparation were unfolding. “This year’
Leicester’s city center fell silent for one minute during the Rathayatra – Festival of Chariots on Sunday, 22nd June 2025, as a mark of respect for the lives lost in the plane crash, which has particularly affected Leicester, having lost 10 members of its community.
City and religious leaders, including Cllr Ravi Mahesh, the cousin of the sole survivor of the crash, attended the festival. The names of the deceased were read out by Temple President Pradyumna Das. “Though a joyous occasion, this y
By Atma Tattva Das
On September 28th, 2024, the vibrant streets of Soweto came alive with the joyous sounds of Hare Krishna chanting as devotees and members of the local community gathered to celebrate the 17th annual ISKCON Soweto Rathayatra Festival.
This year’s event was a spiritual spectacle and a heartfelt commemoration of His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami, a central figure in the festival’s creation and an inspiration to the community.
Mahaprabhu Dasa, the Temple President of ISKCON Soweto
By Atma Tattva Das
From July 11th to 13th, 2024, the streets of Kinshasa burst into life with the vibrant sights and sounds of the first-ever Rathayatra festival hosted by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This groundbreaking event marked a momentous milestone in the history of ISKCON Kinshasa, which began with humble beginnings and has now blossomed into a powerful beam of spirituality and cultural integration in Central Afr
The 9th Annual India Day festival was recently held in Moscow, Russia at the “Dream Island” Landscape Park. This past weekend’s event (August 15-18th), which is the heart of the multi-day festival, welcomed more than 600,000 people. Over 2 million were estimated to attend all the festival days.
Dozens of religious and cultural organizations participated in the massive event, which included 20 themed zones, each with a wide variety of tents. ISKCON Russia, one of the leading organizations invol
ISKCON Los Angeles – New Dvaraka held its 48th Annual Rathayatra (Festival of Chariots) procession on Sunday, August 4th. The popular festival parade was preceded by inaugural celebrations and a Saturday Kirtan Mela held at the New Dvaraka Temple.
Devotees from LA County, California, the US, and countries from around the world gather to volunteer and participate in the event, joyfully pulling the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra along the two-hour route. “This Rathayatra was
ISKCON Toronto celebrated its much-anticipated 52nd annual Ratha Yatra festival this past month, marking the event as the largest in its history and in North America with over 60,000 participants.
Commencing on Friday, July 12th, the festivities kicked off with its famous 12-Hour Kirtan from 10am to 10pm. Participants from around the world flew in to be part of this epic day of dancing and chanting, led by renowned kirtan leaders. This year’s theme, “Spark your bhakti flame by chanting the hol
