Diversity of Beauty Queens at Creole Heritage Festival
Beauty queens representing all the ethnic groups in Houston walked in a parade at the fourth annual Houston Creole Heritage Festival this past Saturday, February 25. The parade of beautiful ladies was organized by Sangeeta Dua (second from right), of TV Houston and host of the Diversity Talk Show.
By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: The Bayou City was home to the fourth annual Houston Creole Heritage Festival this past Saturday, February 25 which featured a Mardi Gras Parade held downtown at Discovery Green. The lively and colorful all day event was presented by the Houston Shop Ministries to celebrate the food, music and heritage of the Creole and Cajun culture as well as the diversity in the Metroplex.
A key component of the festival was the parade of beauty queens from Houston representing all the cultures and ethnic groups from across the city. “The parade was a repeat of the same concept presented at the Texas International Lunar Festival held on February 4 in Chinatown on Bellaire,” said the parade organizer Sangeeta Dua who also presented that event, “but included many more participants in brilliant and colorful outfits”.
The beauty queens onstage with Sangeeta Dua (center) at the festival.
Dua is the founder of TV Houston and host of the Diversity Talk Show and also the owner of Apsara Salon in the Galleria area. She organized the beauty queens parade choosing women to represent the Asian, Latino, African American and Anglo communities, set to the music and ambiance of the Creole theme of the festival.
The fun filled all-day event started with the parade at 9 am and ended with a rock concert till 11 pm, with an estimated 35,000 attendance throughout the day. Food, marching bands, a parade of Corvettes, martial art, dancers, musicians, singers and live band participated in the festival.