Festival of Chariots

Annual carnival parade organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Three colourful, 40-foot chariots are drawn by hand from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square, accompanied by a procession of floats, singers, musicians, and dancers in traditional Indian and fancy dress. In Trafalgar Square there's music, drama, traditional Indian dance and displays, plus sari-draping and face-painting sessions as well as Indian vegetarian food. The 'Ratha Yatra' parade, as it is traditionally known, recreates a 5,000-year-old celebration observed in the ancient holy city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa, India.