PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/07/08 -- Celebrate the ethnic heritage of India at Penn's Landing on Saturday, August 16, 2008. This FREE event will continue from Noon until 7 p.m. with a day full of food, music, dancing and crafts. The Festival of India will be held at the Great Plaza on Penn's Landing, on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. The Festival of India, produced by the Council of Indian Organizations (CIO) of Philadelphia, is supported by the more than 25 active Indian organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region. This year's celebration will commemorate the 25th Anniversary of CIO. This popular event, which attracts close to 10,000 people each year, reflects many facets of the local Indian-American diaspora and provides a range of traditional to contemporary styles of Indian art, music and dance. The Festival of India is one of the twelve cultural festivals that make up the PECO Multicultural Series and is also made possible by Independence Blue Cross, the presenting sponsor of the 2008 Summer season at Penn's Landing.

Festival of India is a colorful panorama of traditional as well as contemporary art, music and dance, food... a mosaic that is... India. A "must see" spot is the India Pavilion -- an exhibit of India as it transforms itself, drawing strength from its rich ancient heritage and evolving into a modern industrial state. Festival of India 2008 will feature live entertainment, authentic Indian cuisine and a variety of cultural exhibits and displays. There will also be brief sessions on such topics as Yoga, Indian Art, music, instruments, books, artistic interpretations and culture.

The cultural program -- a highlight of the Festival of India -- provides a showcase for classical traditional and modern dance and music programs including performances by students from local music and dance schools. This year's cultural program will include classical dances like the Bharatanatyam, which is the most widely practiced and ancient of the classical Indian dances.

In addition, vendors will be on hand selling delicious food, colorful Indian garments, crafts, jewelry and various other items. A variety of food will be offered from both North and South India for visitors to enjoy.

This free event presented by PECO and the Council of Indian Organizations in Greater Philadelphia, works to publicize the importance of the Indian culture and community to the Philadelphia region. *Admission is free for all PECO Multicultural Series events. PECO presents a series of free Multicultural festivals throughout the summer season at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing.

CIO is a non-profit, non-political, umbrella organization comprised of various member organizations of Indian Americans in the Delaware Valley and strives to preserve, promote and nurture cultural continuity by planning, developing and executing programs to bring the community together.

PECO is proud to be Philadelphia's hometown energy company and one of the region's most prominent civic supporters. PECO is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and celebrating diversity inside and outside the Company.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 480,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,500 people in the region. PECO delivered 78.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 39.9 billion kilowatt-hours-hours of electricity in 2007. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations.

Penn's Landing Corporation is the non-profit organization responsible for funding and producing public programming on the Great Plaza, Philadelphia's Delaware Waterfront Park. Independence Blue Cross is the presenting sponsor of the 2008 Summer Season at Penn's Landing. All events produced by Penn's Landing Corporation are FREE to the public and on the Great Plaza, the heart of Penn's Landing, Philadelphia's premier riverfront entertainment destination.

Public Programming at Penn's Landing would not be possible without our presenting sponsor Independence Blue Cross and the continued support of PECO, Bank of America, Pennsylvania Lottery, Live Nation, and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, all of whom are committed to serving the Greater Philadelphia community.

For more information and event details, please call (215) 922-2FUN or visit www.pennslandingcorp.com. The Penn's Landing Corporation website is a virtual resource for the waterfront which can help visitors plan to easily park, play and stay all day at Penn's Landing.