“It’s a pretty big event for the Indian American community in the Boston area,” she said. “And it exposes a lot of other people to Indian culture. It’s just pretty upsetting that it has been cancelled — and especially on such short notice.”
A letter dated Aug. 5 from IAGB President Amrit Soni to members, participants, sponsors, and well wishers described the issue as “out of our control” while stating officials were actively looking for an alternate location to hold the event.
“As you may know, IAGB has been holding the India Day celebrations for more than two decades at the beautiful DCR Hatch Shell in Boston,” the August 5th letter states. “Popularity of our event brings in thousands of people together in Boston, to celebrate this day.”
“After the Boston Marathon bombing, the rules and regulations for holding large public events in Boston have changed,” the letter continues. “Mass State Police and DCR have recently informed us of additional security requirements and constraints, which have significantly increased the cost of having events at the DCR Hatch Shell. If we elect to continue to hold this event at the Hatch Shell this year, IAGB a non-profit organization runs the risk of a loss of more than $20,000 — something we simply can’t afford.”
Soni further writes that IABG officials are currently working “feverishly” to locate an appropriate alternate venue and date. He said that although the organization is hoping to find a new venue for sometime in September, he admitted it would be impossible to find a venue to match the look and feel of the Hatch Shell.
“We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the event at the DCR Hatch Shell,” the letter concludes. “The event will now take place at a different venue and date. This change will have an impact on our performers, vendors, advertisers and sponsors, who have already booked with us.”