India Fest, by the numbers — what it takes to feed 8,000 people

Forty food stalls, 300 volunteers, six months of planning. The fest committee opens its playbook: how stalls get allotted, where proceeds go, and how to claim a volunteer shift that comes with free samosas.

The machine behind the mela

Stall applications open in June and close end of July; food stalls additionally need the county health-permit workshop. Allotment favors community non-profits first, then returning vendors, then the waitlist.

Proceeds fund the year's free programming — the health fair, the newcomers' picnic, and the student welcome kits. Volunteer shifts are two hours; parking crew gets the best gossip, kitchen crew gets fed first.