Preview Holi Festival’s return to Baton Rouge this Saturday
Music, dance and lots of color will mingle in Repentance Park this Saturday as Holi Festival makes its return to Baton Rouge.
The festival, organized by the local nonprofit Colors of the World Inc., is technically in its second year. A successful inaugural event in 2019 was followed by two years of pandemic-related postponements.
According to Manisha Patel, president of Colors of the World, the first event was organized after she recognized a desire within Baton Rouge’s Indian community to celebrate the traditional Hindu festival right here in the Capital City.
“Holi is a huge holiday in India, and there are several of us in the Indian community who wanted to do something, but nobody ever pulled the trigger,” Patel says. “So we decided to see what we could do.”
For those unfamiliar, Holi is an ancient Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring and the blossoming of love. Central to the celebrations are brightly colored powders that are thrown in the air or smeared on one another.
Patel says she only expected a couple hundred attendees for the 2019 event, but the actual turnout far exceeded those expectations, with the festival drawing over 500. She’s optimistic that Saturday’s celebration will draw a similarly large crowd.
This year, you can expect music from DJ Volcanic, traditional and Bollywood dance performances, henna art, face painting and, of course, lots of color.
Admission to the family-friendly event is free of charge, and powdered color packets, food and drinks will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Global India Foundation, the Three O’Clock Project and the Vince Ferachi Community Garden.
“We’re thrilled to present such a fun and exciting event that celebrates the cultural diversity of our community,” Patel said. “Come and experience something you haven’t experienced before.”
Holi Festival is set to take place on Saturday, March 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Repentance Park in downtown Baton Rouge.
