Janananda Goswami led a chanting party from 26 Second Avenue to Tompkins Square Park and around the celebrated Hare Krishna tree to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first public chanting of Hare Krishna there by Srila Prabhupada and his first followers on October 9, 1966. Each Sunday after that original harinama, the early devotees would chant there for 3 hours, thus it was the first regular harinama spot in the Western world. October 9, 2016.