ABKC SangamVerified
Celebrating Bengali Culture in Kansas
Bengali Association · Overland Park, KS · Since 1995
- Nov 18, 1995Founded
- every autumn since 1995Durga Puja in Kansas
- KS · MO · OK · NEMembers from
- 501(c)(3)Nonprofit
Plan a visit
Durgotsab 2026
Friday–Sunday, October 16–18, 2026 · Mahalaya opens the season on Saturday, October 10
Camelot Ballroom · 6635 W 151st St, Overland Park, KS 66223
Three days of pujo and anjali, bhog served to everyone who comes, and evenings of music and dance — Manasi Ghosh Friday, Krosswindz Saturday, Subhamita Banerjee Sunday. Before that: the Annual Picnic in the Park on Sunday, September 13 (RSVP by September 8).
Directions open Google Maps for ABKC Sangam's Camelot Ballroom.
Coming up4
Annual Picnic in the Park
Sun · 4:00–7:00 PM · Heritage Park Shelter 3, Access Rd, Olathe, KS 66062
Dinner included. $10 per family, $5 individual or student, under 5 free. RSVP by September 8.
Details & tickets ↗Mahalaya 2026
Sat · 10:30 AM–4:00 PM · Hindu Temple (basement hall), 6330 Lackman Rd, Shawnee, KS 66217
Mahishasuramardini chants and devotional music, then prasad and lunch. $5 per adult, under 5 free.
Details & tickets ↗Sangam Durgotsab 2026
Fri OCT 16 – Sun OCT 18 · Friday evening through Sunday · Camelot Ballroom, 6635 W 151st St, Overland Park, KS 66223
Fri: inauguration, garba & dandiya, Manasi Ghosh. Sat: Ashtami & Navami, dhunuchi arati, Krosswindz. Sun: Dashami, sindur khela, Bijoya Sammelan, Subhamita Banerjee. Day schedules and food menus still 'coming soon' on their page.
Details & tickets ↗Kali Puja
Sat
Date from the July 2026 newsletter; venue and timings not yet posted — check the events page.
Details & tickets ↗
Programs11
Sangam Durgotsab
Everyone — members and non-membersThree days each October · 2026: Oct 16–18 · Camelot Ballroom, Overland Park (2026)
The largest Bengali festival of the year in Kansas, held every autumn since 1995 — Sabeki (traditional) Durga Puja over three days: the pujo and anjali, bhog served to everyone who comes, dhunuchi dance and arati, sindur khela on Dashami, and evenings of music and dance with guest artists from India alongside the community's own performers. Families travel from across Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka and the wider Midwest. For 2026 the committee has promised new décor themes, new photo-booth looks and dedicated prime showtimes for local talent. Sponsor, vendor and volunteer sign-ups run from the Durga Puja page; tickets are sold through the member portal.
Details on their site ↗Mahalaya
EveryoneSaturday, October 10, 2026 · 10:30 AM–4:00 PM · Hindu Temple (basement hall), 6330 Lackman Rd, Shawnee · $5 per adult · under 5 free
The festive start of the Pujo season: a morning of Mahishasuramardini chants and devotional music welcoming Maa Durga, followed by prasad and lunch. Tickets through the member portal.
Details on their site ↗Kali Puja
EveryoneNovember 7, 2026
Closes the autumn puja season. The date comes from the President's July 2026 newsletter; venue and timings had not been posted when we checked — watch the events page.
Details on their site ↗Saraswati Puja
Everyone · youth performancesThe late-winter puja where many Sangam kids give their first stage performance. The 2026 Saraswati Puja drew 110 people and, in the President's words, 'funds raised with no deficit'. Watch the events page for the 2027 date.
Details on their site ↗Baisakhi Adda — Poila Boishakh
Everyone · limited capacity, RSVPSpring · 2026 was Saturday, May 2, 2:00–8:00 PM · Symphony Hills Clubhouse, Olathe (2026) · 2026: $25 adults · $10 kids · under 5 free
Bengali New Year done Kolkata-style: Rabindrasangeet, 'Smarane Rabi Thakur' for Kabiguru's birthday, Flavors of Kolkata on the menu, and games — 2026 brought Didi No. 1 and Dadagiri to Kansas City for the first time. 81 people came and, per the President, nobody noticed six hours go by.
Details on their site ↗Sangam Summer Festival
Everyone · kids below high school freeJune · 2026 was Saturday, June 13, 3:00–9:00 PM · Westridge Middle School, Overland Park (2026) · 2026: $85 patron · $50 regular · $40 early bird · $25 students
An evening of Bengali theatre and Indian classical music, snacks and dinner included. In 2026 Natya Sangam staged Manoj Mitra's 'Narok Gulzar' (directed by Dr. Animesh Dhar), followed by a classical evening with Vidushi Piu Mukherjee, Pt. Ashis Sengupta on tabla and Sudhangshu Kulkarni on harmonium, and a recognition ceremony in between.
Details on their site ↗Annual Picnic in the Park
FamiliesSeptember · 2026: Sunday, September 13, 4:00–7:00 PM · Heritage Park Shelter 3, Access Rd, Olathe · $10 per family · $5 individual or student · under 5 free
A relaxed afternoon outdoors with dinner included. RSVP by September 8 through the member portal.
Details on their site ↗Natya Sangam
Community actors and crewSangam's theatre wing. Its June 2026 production of 'Narok Gulzar' was, the President wrote, 'executed at a truly professional level' after more than two months of rehearsal; director Animesh Dhar received Sangam's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Bengali theatre.
ABKC Sangam Youth Seva
Middle- and high-schoolers, college studentsA youth-led, community-focused group: help local shelters, food drives and clean-ups, earn community-service hours for college applications, meet other Bengali kids and build friendships beyond school and events. Contacts on the Youth page.
Details on their site ↗The Sangam Newsletter
EveryoneMonthly
A two-page monthly with the President's desk, a spotlight interview (an EC member, a youth performer), the month's birthdays and anniversaries, and upcoming events. Issues from January 2026 on are on the Documents page. Send your stories and special dates to sangam.bong@gmail.com.
Details on their site ↗Membership
Bengali families and anyone who loves the cultureMembership is managed in the ABKC Sangam member portal (app.abkcs.org) — sign in or create an account there. You do not need to be a member to come to events, buy tickets or donate. Membership fees are set inside the portal; they are not published on the public site.
Details on their site ↗
About ABKC Sangam
The Association of Bengalis Kansas City — a 501(c)(3) serving the Bengali community of Kansas and the surrounding Midwest since 1995. Its Durgotsab, now past three decades, is the anchor of the calendar; a volunteer executive committee runs the cultural programs, sports and community events around it.
ABKC Sangam is the Association of Bengalis Kansas City — the Bengali cultural non-profit of Kansas and the surrounding Midwest. It started before it had a name: from 1991, Bengali-speaking families from Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska were driving to Wichita every autumn to hold Durga Puja together. At the 1995 puja they agreed they needed something more permanent, and on November 18, 1995, at Dr. Ashim Mitra's home in Overland Park, Sangam was formally founded. It has celebrated Durga Puja in Kansas every autumn since.
There is no building — every gathering is a booked hall, a temple basement, a school auditorium or a park shelter, and the year runs on volunteers. The pattern is a spring Poila Boishakh adda, a June evening of theatre and classical music, a September picnic, then the autumn that everything builds toward: Mahalaya, three days of Durgotsab in Overland Park, and Kali Puja. Saraswati Puja is where many of the kids first get on stage. A theatre wing (Natya Sangam), a youth service group (Youth Seva) and a monthly newsletter fill in the months between.
You don't have to be Bengali to come. Part of the mission, in their own words, is to promote mutual understanding and respect between American and Bengali cultures, and events are open to the wider community; tickets and donations don't require membership. Sangam is a registered 501(c)(3), run by an executive committee and a board of trustees with no paid staff — 'there is no paid staff between your gift and the community'.
Three days of Durgotsab 2026
At Camelot Ballroom, 6635 W 151st St, Overland Park. What their Durga Puja page has announced so far — the hour-by-hour schedule and the food menus were still marked 'coming soon' on September 2:
- Friday, October 16 — Inauguration: the chief guest lights the diya, and for the first time the celebration opens with both national anthems. Group music by local artists, Navratri-style garba and dandiya by community members, then Manasi Ghosh (Indian Idol winner) with a Bollywood set.
- Saturday, October 17 — Ashtami & Navami: games and activities for all ages through the day; the evening opens with the dhunuchi dance and arati, then out-of-town guest artists and community performers, closing with the fusion band Krosswindz.
- Sunday, October 18 — Dashami & Bijoya Sammelan: devi boron and sindur khela, Durga Puja-themed competitions, local artists in the evening, and Subhamita Banerjee to close.
- Sponsor Durgotsab, Call for Vendors, Volunteer and Buy Tickets buttons are on the Durga Puja page; ticketing runs through the member portal.
How Sangam began
- 1991Bengali-speaking families from Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska start gathering in Wichita every Durga Puja
- Autumn 1995At the Wichita puja, a consensus forms to organize an association
- Nov 18, 1995Sangam is formally founded at a meeting at Dr. Ashim Mitra's residence in Overland Park
- Every autumn sinceDurga Puja in Kansas — Sangam Durgotsab, now the largest Bengali festival of the year in the state
Mission
- Promote the cultural, educational, literary and religious traditions of Bengal, primarily among Bengali-speaking communities in the Midwestern states.
- Promote charitable activities for the benefit of deserving people and institutions in the USA and in India.
- Promote Indo-US relations through mutual understanding and respect of American and Bengali cultures and traditions.
Who runs it
A volunteer executive committee, elected each year, and a board of trustees. The 2026 team, from their About page:
- Arup Majumdar — President · Shantanu Bhattacharya — Vice President
- Rahul Mazumdar and Saurav Saha — General Secretaries · Ajoy Pal and Jaydip Sen — Treasurers
- Chairs: Dithi Banerjee (Cultural), Amrita Mitra (Communication), Aishiki Banerjee (Decoration), Jasod Roy (Sports & Logistics), Nayanika Dey (Food), Rishav Mukherjee (Digital Sangam)
- Also on the EC: Abhik Saha and Aparna Dasgupta (Digital Sangam), Shelley Bhattacharya (Health & Safety – Youth Seva), Kishalay Biswas, Ravi Singh and Sudhir Pramanik (purchase, storage, floor)
- Tatini Roy Chowdhury and Madhurima Das (Cultural), Mahuya Nandi (Media), and EC members Sreerupa Sanyal, Sangita Bhattacharya and Paulomi Majumdar
- Board of Trustees: Ranjana Mitra, Minati Dhar, Dolly Ganguly, Debabrata Bhaduri, Debjani Roychuri, Amitabh Chaudhuri, Sipra Ghose
ABKC Sangam Youth Seva
'Small acts become bigger together.' Youth Seva is Sangam's youth-led group — not just another volunteer club, in their words, but a place to meet new people, celebrate a different culture, earn service hours and build friendships that go beyond school and events. Its purpose: help local shelters, food drives and clean-ups, and support those in need.
2026 so far, from the President's desk
What the monthly newsletters reported this year:
- Saraswati Puja: 110 attendees, funds raised with no deficit; Baisakhi Adda: 81 attendees, a small surplus (May issue).
- June's Summer Festival staged 'Narok Gulzar' to a professional standard; Animesh Dhar received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Bengali theatre and Sangam (July issue).
- Sangam hosted FIFA World Cup watch parties while Kansas City staged six matches (July issue).
- In August, Sangam took part in IAKC India Fest, meeting other regional organizations and sponsors (August issue).
- For Durga Puja 2026: new décor themes, new photo-booth looks, and dedicated prime showtimes for performers from within the community (August issue).
Flyers & photos
Tap one to open it full size — handy for forwarding.
Questions people ask
What does ABKC stand for, and do I have to be Bengali?
Association of Bengalis Kansas City. No — anyone interested in Bengali culture is welcome; promoting understanding between American and Bengali cultures is written into the mission, and events are open to the wider community.
When is Durga Puja this year?
Friday to Sunday, October 16–18, 2026, at Camelot Ballroom, 6635 W 151st St, Overland Park. Mahalaya kicks the season off on Saturday, October 10 at the Hindu Temple basement in Shawnee (10:30 AM–4 PM, $5), and Kali Puja follows on November 7.
Do I need a ticket for Durgotsab?
The Durga Puja page has a Buy Tickets button that goes into the member portal (app.abkcs.org). As of September 2, 2026 the ticket prices, day-by-day schedule and food menus had not been posted yet — check the page closer to the date. Bhog is served to everyone who comes.
How do I become a member, and what does it cost?
Membership is managed in the member portal at app.abkcs.org — sign in or create an account. Fees are inside the portal and not published on the public site, so we can't quote them. You do not need to be a member to attend events, buy tickets or donate.
Where do events happen?
Sangam has no hall of its own; each event books a venue and it changes. In 2026: Symphony Hills Clubhouse in Olathe (Baisakhi Adda), Westridge Middle School in Overland Park (Summer Festival), Heritage Park in Olathe (picnic), the Hindu Temple basement in Shawnee (Mahalaya) and Camelot Ballroom in Overland Park (Durgotsab). Always check the event page for the address.
Is there something for kids and teens?
Yes. Kids under 5 are free at ticketed events, and at the Summer Festival everyone below high school gets in free. Youth performances are a fixture — many kids' first stage is Saraswati Puja — and ABKC Sangam Youth Seva is a youth-led group doing shelter drives, food drives and clean-ups that count toward community-service hours.
How can I volunteer or perform?
Both are wanted. The July newsletter asked for volunteers for Durga and Kali Puja, whether a few hours or a bigger role, and for Durgotsab 2026 the committee is creating dedicated prime showtimes for performers from within the community. Use the Volunteer button on the Durga Puja page or the contact form at abkcs.org/contactus.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
ABKC Sangam is a registered 501(c)(3); they ask you to consult your tax advisor on how a particular gift is treated. Donations go through the member portal (Donate link on this page) and you don't need to be a member. There is no paid staff — gifts fund the festivals, Youth Seva and charitable work in the US and India.
How do I keep up with what's happening?
The Sangam Newsletter comes out monthly and is posted on the Documents page (January–August 2026 are up), the Events page lists everything ticketed, and recordings go to the ABKC Sangam TV YouTube channel. To get your family's birthdays, anniversaries or stories into the newsletter, email sangam.bong@gmail.com.
Who comes — is it only Kansas City?
Sangam serves Bengali-speaking families across Kansas and the wider Midwest — the Kansas City metro, Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa and Wichita, with members from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska. For Durgotsab, families travel in from Wichita and Topeka.