Naperville’s India Day festival to leave city after reduced financial support

A longtime India Day celebration intends to move outside of Naperville after organizers say the city council didn’t provide enough financial support to keep it in town.

The Indian Community Outreach organization staged the first Naperville parade and festival in 2015, and it became one of the largest India Day gatherings in the area.

After the group did not receive any funding this year through the Naperville Special Events and Community Arts, or SECA, grant program, organizers urged the city council to reconsider. A divided council on Tuesday night decided to award almost $25,000 — far short of the original ask.

“We have already notified council that this is not acceptable, this amount of funding, so we will not be able to host this event in Naperville, though we will be hosting this event somewhere else,” Krishna Bansal, chair of Indian Community Outreach, said Wednesday.

Over the years, India Day has featured a vibrant parade, food vendors, fireworks and even Bollywood performers. Organizers still kept admission free.

“This is hugely important to a huge demographic in our community. I don't want to see another town get this event,” Councilman Josh McBroom said. “And I think there's a risk of that happening. It'll show up in Oak Brook or Aurora, and then it'll never come back here.”

Viral Shah told the council that many people attend from outside of Naperville.

“They come for the entire day's festivities. They come for the food, they come for the concert. And now, if you're not going to be able to do all of that, it's going to be an extremely hard spot to be in,” he said.

Still, after some back-and-forth, the council voted 5-4 to provide $24,738 to fund city services for just the parade. India Day is observed in August, marking the nation’s independence from Britain.

As part of the Naperville Jaycees — the group behind the Last Fling festival — Councilman Ian Holzhauer said he knows what it's like to organize both a parade and an event.

“I think it's not feasible to try to shoehorn in an event when already the planning has been this delayed to this point,” he said.

Last year, India Day did not take place.

“That was due to largely significant last-minute security requirements, which included metal fencing, metal detectors, security staffing and clear bag policies,” Shah said earlier this month.

The event’s success is what ultimately drove the decision last year for the police department to require more public safety elements, Mayor Scott Wehrli said.

The organization sought $63,503 for city services, plus $335,000, an “operations request,” from the SECA program for a 2026 India Day parade and celebration. About $1.2 million was available to the SECA commission for discretionary funding allocations.

The commission’s list of proposed grants showed $0 for the Indian Community Outreach organization. In February, the city council affirmed the commission’s recommendations and approved the allocations.

The cancellation of the 2025 event was a concern for the commission, but it wasn’t the only one, Community Services Director Melanie Marcordes said. They also raised questions about “the event’s budget and overall financial structure, including the revenue sources, sponsorship commitments and vendor participation,” she said.

There were multiple opportunities for organizers to address the situation, said Rachna Prasad, a commissioner.

“Those opportunities were not taken,” she said. “Given the organization’s long history of receiving taxpayer-funded support, that lack of engagement is very concerning.”

Revenue generated by the city’s food and beverage tax goes toward the SECA grant program.

“We all appreciate what the event brings to the community and all that. For me, it is about process,” Councilman Benny White said. “You all are asking for basically a third of the overall amount of money that SECA has been allocated. I'm finding it hard to understand why you guys would not go to those meetings.”

Shah said organizers traditionally have not gone to those sessions.

“OK, it’s our mistake. We should have showed up … But when somebody says that, ‘Oh, we were not able to reach the organization,’ I do have a problem with that statement,” he added.

Councilman Patrick Kelly noted that, with few exceptions, almost every event that sought funding for city services received less than what was requested.

“So I would have concerns with giving 100% of the city services funds to a group outside of the process when all of the other groups went through the process,” Councilwoman Mary Gibson said.

Bansal said organizers will be looking to finalize an alternate venue.

“We don't have to host it in Naperville,” he said. “We feel sad about it, but the event will go on for sure.”