New Vrindaban Opens Its Doors for ISKCON's 60th Anniversary

Several months ago, New Vrindaban temple president Jaya Krsna proposed hosting an open house for the surrounding community. He had organized a similar event some years earlier, and it had been a success. With 2026 marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of ISKCON, the community decided to hold another open house this summer, offering free admission and a full day of programming to anyone who wanted to visit.

Getting the word out took months of steady effort. Promotion included three digital billboards, ongoing Facebook event posting and boosting, and coverage on radio and in newspapers. Jaya Krsna himself installed roughly 40 yard signs across the surrounding towns in the weeks before the event. Several news and radio stations came out to interview community members and take photographs, both ahead of the open house and on the day itself.

On the day of the event, Palace of Gold tours and temple tours were offered free of charge. Kuladri, a longtime New Vrindaban figure who has recently moved back to the community, staffed an "Ask Me Anything" tent, where visitors could ask questions about the community's history — including its more difficult chapters — as well as its philosophy and daily life.

A tent originally planned as a space to introduce visitors to japa meditation turned, over the course of the day, into an ongoing kirtan, with a steady rotation of visitors joining in, singing, or sitting for a few minutes before moving on. Nearby, volunteers offered sari tying, and many visitors spent the day walking the grounds in saris.

The children's area drew steady crowds throughout the day, with face painting, balloon animals, juggling, a selfie booth, and a collaborative painting of Krishna that visitors added to as they passed through. Volunteers also staged a matka-breaking demonstration under a tree, reenacting the pastime described in the scriptures of Krishna's childhood. A stage hosted short plays, kirtan, and music throughout the day, alongside a more relaxed listening area. Ox cart rides ran continuously on rotation for anyone who wanted to take one.

Food was a central part of the day. A tent served iced chai, banana halava, and lotus puffs, and fresh orange juice was squeezed throughout the day. A free lunch was provided, and a dosa station operated continuously to keep up with demand. Three parking volunteers were needed to direct traffic at the community's various entrances.

Attendance estimates varied by source over the course of the day — tour guides reported groups ranging from roughly 25 to 35 people per tour, with two tours often running at once. By the end of the day, an estimated 300 to 350 people had come through the Palace of Gold for tours. Visitors traveled from as nearby as five minutes away and as far as four hours away.

New Vrindaban's volunteer team, though small, ran the event from open to close. The community hopes to make the open house a regular offering in the years ahead and would encourage other ISKCON communities to consider hosting one of their own.

The open house was also part of an ongoing effort to face New Vrindaban's difficult history directly rather than around it — an effort reflected in the Ask Me Anything tent, where visitors could ask about that history alongside everything else. New Vrindaban was founded out of a desire to serve Srila Prabhupada’s desire and Krishna, and like many communities, it also carries a history it did not choose and has spent years working to reckon with honestly. The hope is that neighbors will come to see New Vrindaban not only in light of that history, but as a reflection of the same struggle and renewal that so many families and communities carry in their own stories — and that days like this one continue to deepen that trust.

The day was offered in tribute to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, sixty years after he brought the teachings of Krishna consciousness to the West.