Spring will be welcomed with a Holi celebration in Riverside Park on Sunday, April 2, with the free event running from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rotary Bandshell.
The event, dubbed Rang de Basanti, was started by the TRU Students’ Union about 10 years ago. The city-wide version of the event was first held in 2019, but the pandemic put that to an end until this year.
“You dance to music, you have some food and you play with colours. That’s about it,” said organizer Arjun Kadaleevanam, president of the Holi committee.
Kadaleevanam said Holi is about the arrival of spring, the triumph of good over evil, making amends and starting fresh.
Activities will include dancing and throwing colours — brightly coloured chalk powder — while doing so.
About 700 people attended the event in 2019 and this year even more are expected. Kadaleevanam said 1,000 free tickets have already been reserved, with colour packages included. For those without tickets, colour packages will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, also for free.
A variety of street-style Indian food will also be available for purchase and music will be provided by Vancouver DJ Aftershock.
