Independence Day Celebration
in Los Angeles on August 6
Los
Angeles, CA: With over 35,000 expected to attend, the South
Asian Festival of Los Angeles (SAFLA) presents its second
annual Pakistan Independence Day - PakDayLA festival on
Saturday, August 6, 2005 at the prestigious and historic
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The festival is scheduled
to begin at 4PM – and will close with fireworks at
1AM. Arts, crafts, music, food and amusements will make
this a fun-filled event for families. There will be a traditional
“mela” (bazaar) with food and vendors.
SAFLA’s
mission is to initiate and support programs which promote
public awareness through education and celebration of the
South Asian cultural diaspora. SAFLA celebrates the many
contributions South Asians have made throughout history
by providing high-quality colorful and extensive programs
with a variety of performances and presentations.
This year, SAFLA is thrilled to host the event at the same
venue in which two 
Olympiads,
two Super Bowls and one World Series have been held. “We
are really excited about being able to take this year’s
program to a whole new level,” states Imran Ahmed
(co-founder, SAFLA).
Along with hosting the event at the Coliseum, the organizers
are pleased to bring superstar performers Junoon –
the U2 of South Asia, as headliners for this year’s
festival. Junoon – meaning “passion” is
South Asia’s biggest rock band. Celebrating 15 years
of sold out concerts throughout the world; 
Junoon
is anticipated to attract a large number of Pakistani, Indian,
Bangladeshi, and Western fans of world music. Among their
many honors, the United Nations named lead singer Salman
Ahmad, UN Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan in the campaign
to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most recently Junoon was
the only South Asian rock band invited to perform at the
global music event - Live 8 along side other legendary artists
as Sting, Coldplay, Madonna, Pink Floyd and U2 to name a
few.
For more information about the PakDayLA 2005, please contact
SAFLA at 310-483-7804 or visit www.safla.net.
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