Pinstripes in South Barrington wanted to reach out to the area’s large South Asian population, so last year they partnered with event planning group Vchilli to produce a Bollywood celebration
“They wanted the ability to mobilize more of the local community and we decided to do the Bollywood event and let people know that there’s a space where you can do many kinds of events,” said Vchilli president Vandna Walia.
Walia said she chose to celebrate Bollywood because of its huge popularity and all the things the Indian film industry incorporates.
“It seems like fun,” she said. “It’s very global. It’s got music, it’s got henna, it’s got drama, there’s jewelry.”
The event brought 600 people to Pinstripes’ outdoor space, which offered Indian food, vendors, dance lessons, henna art, palm reading and an astrologer.
“It was a beautiful night,” said Laura Krohmer, Pinstripes director of event sales. “People came and had a blast.”
Now Pinstripes is hoping to repeat the success by running a Bollywood celebration at their Oak Brook location on Sept. 25, with the goal of moving the party between the two spots every year.
“We have a big group of South Asians in Oak Brook as well,” Krohmer said. “We’re supporting the communities we’re in.”
Walia said 700 people have already registered for the Oak Brook event, which will feature many of the same vendors from South Barrington selling clothing, jewelry, home décor and art.
“We try to get unique vendors that aren’t readily accessible to everyone,” Walia said.
Pinstripes will be giving away prizes from the vendors throughout the night, with the grand prize being $10,000 towards hosting an event at the venue. They gave the same prize away last year and the winner used it to plan their wedding reception.
The event will also include food from India House, a gelato bar and appetizers from Pinstripes, and a signature drink, the Pannipuritini, which is named for the popular Indian street snack panipuri.
“It’s a secret recipe we created,” Krohmer said. “The spices and aromas are inspired by the food in India.”
While the facility will still be offering bowling and bocce during the event, the highlight is expected to be dancing as it was at South Barrington’s celebration.
“They had people teaching these dances that anyone could do,” Krohmer said. “Everyone was having a great time. You saw everyone just dancing.”
New for this event will be a traditional Indian carriage on display outside the venue and models walking around in South Asian clothing so that shoppers have a better idea of what the styles for sale look like than they’d get just seeing them on hangers.
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“I think everybody who loves to experience things that are global, who loves dance, music, and henna, and people who enjoy cocktails should come out and experience a little bit of India,” Walia said.
Bollywood Celebration
When: 3-8 p.m. Sept. 25
Where: Pinstripes, 7 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook
Admission: Free
Information: 630-575-8700; pinstripes.com