Roger Sherman Baldwin Park was the setting for India Cultural Center’s annual HoliFest on Saturday afternoon.
ICC, a non-profit organization that celebrates the arts and culture of India, organized the event as a way to bring to Greenwich the joy and playfulness of one of India’s most revered and celebrated festivals: Holi.
Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, originated in India, and is celebrated in other countries in South Asia and increasingly in Europe and North America. An ancient Hindu religious festival, Holi is a fun, national holiday in India and Nepal and marks the arrival of spring and new beginnings.
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
The event filled the park and furthered ICC’s mission of fostering inclusion by educating and engaging the community in Indian culture. The organization’s programs are targeted toward both the Indian American diaspora and the community at large.
Participants received several bags of color to throw and take part in the joyful celebration. The colors were safe and non-toxic, and made from high-quality cornstarch and food-grade colors that washes off and does not stain clothes.
Schools, churches, and other organizations attended HoliFest as Community Partners, and following the Holi tradition of wearing white, groups that registered in advance received white HoliFest t-shirts.
Saturday’s celebration featured music and dancing, teen and kids’ activities, and food vendors including Dhabewala Indian Shack, Pizza Vitale Truck and Kona Ice Truck.
The YMCA Greenwich organized “The Kid Zone,” where activities included the Mandala Mural, balloon badminton, mask decorating and a station to play Mancala.
Also popular among the throngs of people were the henna artists and the Teen Tent presented by Carnegie Prep.
Attendees enjoyed performances by Shivaay Dance Academy who engaged the crowd in Bollywood dance steps.
Dhabewala Food Shack of Greenwich served traditional Punjabi Food. Pizza Vitale provided pizza, while Kona Ice offered shaved ice, a popular Indian treat.
And of course, the highlight of the event was the color throw, where hundreds of people filled the air with a kaleidoscope of colors.
Learn more about the India Culture Center online.
Henna artists at HoliFest 2024 in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
YMCA Greenwich’s Delaney Sampson helped children with the Mandala mural at India Cultural Center’s HoliFest in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
India Cultural Center’s HoliFest took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. May 4, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager