Starting at 12:00pm, the 3 Large Carts will proceed from SE corner of Central Park 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, across the street from the Plaza Hotel and adjacent to Grand Army Plaza.

All devotees are requested to be present at the start of the Parade by 10:00am to greet Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra & Lord Baladeva as they arrive from the Temple, with ecstatic kirtan and dancing.

The Parade will continue down Fifth Ave. for about 50 blocks culminating at the Festival of India in Washington Square Park. Approximate arrival time is 2:00pm. If you cannot walk the entire route of the parade, it is suggested that you meet the parade at 2pm, when it would pass 14th street & 5th Avenue, and help pull the chariots the final few blocks to the festival site.

Devotees are invited to bring their own instruments (mrdangas, djimbe drums, kartals, flutes, etc.) to assist in the various kirtan parties throughout the parade.

We humbly request all the devotees to refrain from any and all political and/or non-Vaishnava propaganda during the parade and festival. This Ratha-Yatra festival is about glorifying Lord Jagannath, and not about mundane things. Festival management reserves the right to detain or remove any such persons who they deem to be creating a negative or antagonistic atmosphere during the parade and festival.

Only authorized persons will be allowed to ascend the carts to perform pujari service to Lord Jagannath, Subhadra & Baladeva. The pujaris have been assigned their duties already and will be wearing special passes. Any and all unauthorized persons will be asked to leave the carts. Police officers will be standing by to assist in removal if the need arises.

Please be respectful of the Parade Marshals and Police Officers assigned to march with the parade. They are doing their duty to keep all the devotees safe and sound. If they give you any instructions, please comply with them.

If you have a food offering for Lord Jagannath, please make sure that it reaches the carts before 11:00am. Because of safety & security concerns, the pujaris are not allowed to accept anything once the carts begin their journey. If you like, you can offer your items to the Lord at the Festival of India.

Festival of India will begin once the parade reaches Washington Square Park.

If you arrive early to the Festival Site, please try to assist the devotees there in organizing and setting up the festival area.

Once the carts arrive, there will be many opportunities to render devotional service to Lord Jagannath. Although the festival is a time for the devotees to associate with each other, it is also a great time to serve each other, by helping in the free feast booth, or book distribution tables, and cleaning up at the end of the festival.