Holi Festival of Colors, Free Local Event in Utah

My friends and I went to the Holi Festival of Colors on March 28, 2009 at 4 pm in Spanish Fork, Utah. We found out about the festival on Facebook. Thousands of people throwing powdered color on each other.

The festival of colors is celebrated by the Hindu culture. Here in Utah every year the festival is celebrated at the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. The festival celebrates the passing of winter into spring. Thousands attend the festival every year. The majority of the attendees are college students, but all ages attend the festival. The event starts at 4 pm There are traditional Indian dancers, a feast for a suggested donation of $6.00, live band, and the best part: the throwing of the colors.

Arrive early when driving to the festival. Cars will be parked miles down the road, but usually there is still parking up at the temple, so don't panic. They have 250 parking stalls at the site. Drive safe, last year we drove past 3 car accidents on the freeway to and from the festival. There is also a BYU bus that stops at the temple every hour. It is a 30 minute bus ride, but could take longer during the festival. You can purchase the color the day of the festival or they do have a pre sale to avoid the lines the day of. The lines were long, but they moved pretty fast. Just have your cash out ready to buy to help move the lines along. The colors do sell out so try to get there early. Unscented color is $1.00 and scented color is $2.00. My friends and I each bought the $10.00 pack. We discovered that was way too much. I suggest one or two colors per person. No outside colors are permitted and will be confiscated for health reasons. At 4 pm the festival begins with everyone chanting:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

After the chant a bonfire is lit. An effigy of the evil Holika is burned in the bonfire. The live band starts to play and everyone throws the color up at the same time. Everyone dances and throws different colors on each other. Pretty soon everyone is covered in color and racism and prejudices are put aside, because everyone looks the same. Everyone can enjoy the festival equally.

The colors do not stain, but wearing your best clothes is not advised. Some people come in crazy outfits like spandex body suits. Most wear white shirts. Shirts are available for purchase at the gift store. I survived the color festival. I wore jeans and, after a few washes, my jeans still have a pink tint to them. My friends and I stood in the middle of the crowd and when the colors were being thrown it was hard to see and color would get in my mouth. It did not have the best taste. Days after the festival I was still getting purple out of my ears. I would suggest wearing sunglasses, ear plugs and maybe even a painting mask. For young children I would suggest standing on the outside of the crowd.

The color part of the festival is all outdoors; no color is permitted in the temple. People who do not want to participate in the color throwing can stand on the balcony and watch the event and enjoy the music. The color throwing is really a neat event to see. Taking pictures can be fun, but bring a disposable camera unless you have a plastic cover for your camera; the color gets everywhere. Make sure to bring blankets or plastic to cover the seats in your car. The color is messy.

Driving directions:
You can get good directions from MapQuest or the Krishna temple web site at www.utahkrishnas.com. If you are heading from Salt Lake City, MapQuest suggests taking exit 257. But if you continue south to exit 253, the Benjamin exit, you can skip the congestion; it is less crowded and faster to exit. Once you get off exit 257 head east towards the mountains on 8000 S then turn right on State Road. The Krishna temple is on State Road. The temple is very distinct and easy to spot. It is in the middle of nowhere, farming country.

The festival of colors is a lot of fun. It is an unconventional activity that everyone can enjoy. The whole event is upbeat. It is a great cultural activity.

Krishna Temple
8628 S. State Road
Spanish Fork, UT 84660
www.utahkrishnas.com