The Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin was founded in 1991, and for the past 35 years or so, they've regularly presenting music and dance events in the Austin community. But a few years ago, they decided to try something a little bigger.
"We wanted to do something a bit different from our regular traditional concert programming, says ICMCA president Prashant Manikal. "And we thought, what better way than to have a festival which not only has wonderful music, very talented bands, but also local vendors, artisans, food vendors, hands-on activities for the entire family?"
Manikal says the goal was to reach people who weren't already familiar with the ICMCA. "And you don't have to be an Indian classical music lover to experience this event," he says, "because we have bands from all over the world. We have Indian music, Persian, Middle Eastern, Flamenco, Brazilian, African."
The event, dubbed "Rhythms and Flavors Cultural Festival," was a success in 2024 and 2025, so it's back again in 2026. And as in years past, they're aiming to bring together musicians from multiple cultures. "We have Atash and… they've been voted the best world music band [in Austin] seven times in a row," Manikal says. "We have UPAJ, another world music ensemble with performers from India, Cuba, the U.S., Brazil. We have Flamenco… dancers, as well as musicians and vocalists. We have Grupo Massa, that's a U.S., Brazilian, and German band. And then we have Caravan Strange, and that's a very interesting band that brings Saharan, blues, reggae, African music into the mix."
Manikal says he's most looking forward to making a connection with the audience and with the Austin community. He's also hoping that audience will want to know more about the ICMCA. "I think I would like the audience to, first of all, get to know ICMCA, some of the programming we do," he says, "because it may not be as visible to everyone in the community just yet. I would like the audience to see what ICMCA has to offer and then also look at our workshops, our lecture demonstrations, and community outreach activities like this one."
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