On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, the vibrant community of ISKCON Minnesota came together to launch their first-ever Monthly Sankirtan Festival at Minnehaha Falls, the largest park in Minneapolis. 

“Minnehaha is a Lakota tribe word that means ‘waterfall or jumbling water.'” said Rama Kisora Dasa, a member of the community, “When sitting by the falls, I have always thought of it as ‘dancing water’ as I watch it spill down from above.” The 53-foot waterfall at the park attracts more than 850,000 visitors annually, so it is an optimal location for sharing Krishna consciousness with others.

Nearby these beautiful falls, over 45 devotees could also be found dancing to joyful kirtan at the inaugural event, which also included a table with Srila Prabhupada’s books and Haribol Foods‘ new flavored ahimsa milk, which was available for a donation. The three-hour gathering included 90 minutes of kirtan and 30 minutes of Harinam Kirtan throughout the park. During the final hour, devotees honored Krishna prasadam, sharing the mercy with other park-goers. The delicious prasadam was sponsored by Tulsi Café, a devotee-run catering service in the Twin Cities. The owner, Dhira Madhavi Dasi, provides sattvic Krishna prasadam for many kinds of events. You can visit her website to learn more. 

“We distributed Bhagavad-gita, Krishna book, other small books, and Back to Godhead magazine,” noted Rama Kishora, “During Harinam, our kids did a great job handing out 170 Sunday Feast flyers to people in the park.” You can watch a video from the event  here.

For those who’d like to join the Monthly Sankirtan Festival, it will be held on the first Saturday of each month, from 1-4 pm, at Minnehaha Fall Park (8 blocks south of the center) near the bandstand. 

To learn more about the ongoing service at ISKCON Minnesota, please visit their website and follow them on  Facebook.