The Krewe da Bhan Gras brought Indian and South Asian dance to Carnival parades from Marigny to Uptown in recent weeks. Now it’s got a stage spot and another parade at the NOLA Holi Festival. The Indian festival Holi heralds spring and is meant as a celebration of unity.
The third NOLA Holi Festival is Sunday, March 8, in Washington Square Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and there’s a parade in the Marigny and French Quarter starting at noon. The festival features music, dance performances, food vendors and the holiday’s signature dousing of colors.
Holi is a celebration of unity and the triumph of good over evil and has its roots in Hinduism and an account of the love between the god Krishna and goddess Radha. Krishna saw Radha’s fair complexion and applied colors to her skin to make the two of them seem more alike. That’s the inspiration for the splashing of colors, and that part is more specifically called Rangwali Holi.
Though it’s now most commonly done through colored powders, all sorts of things have been used in the past, from flower petals to fruits. Some colors have significance, including red for love, green for new beginnings and blue for Krishna.
The festival’s ancient or
igins trace to northern India and Nepal, but now the festival is celebrated across the globe, and elements vary, sometimes including bonfires, prayers and more. There are big Holi festivals in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta and several events in New York.
In Louisiana, there has been a Holi celebration in Lafayette’s Girard Park since 2011. Its founder, University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor Arun Lakhotia, launched the New Orleans festival in 2024. He dedicated it to his late wife Michelle Lakhotia.
The initial festival featured a bhangra parade through the French Quarter that ended at Washington Square Park. Now it’s a daylong event in the park.
In the park, there will be constant eruptions of clouds of colored powder, some thrown in the air and some applied more directly. It’s recommended to wear white clothes to the event, and expect that they’ll most likely end up looking like a Jackson Pollock-esque splattered canvas. The colored powders are made of dyed corn starch that’s non-toxic, biodegradable and shouldn’t stain. The powder packets will be available in the park. It’s appropriate to get consent before throwing powder on another person.
The entertainment lineup features Houston percussionist Dave Sharma playing the dhol, DJ Rxxo from New York, and DJ Prashant from Texas. Performances include folk and classical dance as well as Bollywood dance and more. Performers include the Krewe da Bhan Gras and Ruby Creative Dance.
The parade features the Krewe da Bhan Gras, Indo-Caribbean Chutney-Soca, DJ Shivvy, Dave Sharma and more. A Hare Krishna group will start the parade with an opening invocation, a Bharatanatyam dance. The route starts on Royal Street in the Marigny and proceeds into the French Quarter. It turns onto St. Philip Street and then returns to Marigny on Chartres Street. The public is invited to walk in the parade or watch.
The festival’s food vendors primarily offer Indian dishes, but there are other options as well. Vendors include Aroma, Destination India Restaurant & Bar, Indian Delight, LUFU NOLA and more.
There also are kids’ activities, a market and an information booth about the history of the festival.
For information, visit nolaholi.org.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
