Manhattan Borough President to Join Mangal Shobhajatra at Times Square

New York: The Bengali New Year celebration will be held for the fourth time at Times Square on April 11. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal has confirmed his participation in the Mangal Shobhajatra (festive procession).

The information was confirmed by Bishwajit Saha, founder and president of NRB Worldwide, the organizing body. According to organizers, the Mangal Shobhajatra will be one of the main attractions of the Bengali New Year 1433 celebrations in New York and is expected to draw attention from Bengalis around the world.

As part of the preparations, the third round of rehearsals was held on Sunday at Nabanna Auditorium. The session, hosted by the organization’s General Secretary Tofazzal Hossain, was attended by over a hundred artists and performers, including director Mohitosh Talukdar Tapas.

Under the direction of Mohitosh Talukdar, rehearsals for five new songs took place over the weekend. Sunday’s sessions included children and teenagers in the first segment, followed by a combined group of young and adult performers, with nearly a hundred participants in total.

Earlier, a special rehearsal of traditional Jari, Sari, and Marfati songs was conducted under the supervision of folk artist Shaheen Hossain, featuring 15 selected performers. Another rehearsal, led by Rabindra Sangeet artist Kartik Chandra Das, included 12 participants. Additionally, more than 50 dancers have been regularly practicing under the choreography and direction of Chandra Banerjee for the Times Square event.

Celebrations for the Bengali New Year will take place on April 11 at Times Square and continue on April 12 at Diversity Plaza, creating a festive atmosphere across New York City’s boroughs. Professor Hossain Kabir of University of Chittagong noted that despite various challenges, the festival has brought cultural vibrancy to the expatriate community over the past four years, a spirit clearly reflected in the recent rehearsals.