Festival of Colors to brighten Naperville's Riverwalk
Just before the dazzling natural colors of spring burst onto the landscape, a cultural tradition featuring kaleidoscopic pops of yellow, blue, red, green, orange and violet will come to Naperville's Riverwalk on Saturday.
Celebrants at Holi — The Festival of Colors revel in the renewal of the season by singing, dancing, eating and throwing colored powder, said Sarita Sharma, of Simply Vedic Cultural Society, a Naperville nonprofit cultural organization.
“It comes from India. For thousands of years, they've been doing it there,” Sharma said. “It's a unique festival. It's a lot of fun. It has a lot of significance. There are a lot of reasons to celebrate this festival: the arrival of spring, the arrival of a new harvest.”
Sharma said people of all cultures and religions are invited to participate in the free event held near the Grand Pavilion in Centennial Park, just west of Centennial Beach.
“We all want to welcome spring, we all want to have friendship with each other. We all want to get out of the house after a long winter,” she said.
The Festival of Colors is celebrating its ninth year in Naperville. The first fest was held in Knoch Knolls Park on the city's south side before moving to its current location the second year.
Sharma said organizers are hoping for clear skies.
“This whole festival is outdoors and a lot depends on weather. Last year the weather was near perfect. We had a lot of people come. It went very, very well,” she said.
This year, should favorable weather conditions prevail, Sharma said a crowd of 4,000 to 5,000 is expected.
Attendees may bring or purchase flour-based colored powder, she said, which is playfully sprinkled and flung throughout the day, especially after a countdown at the top of each hour.
“You throw your worries to the wind with a handful of color,” Sharma said. “You can forget about everything and just play with each other with color.”
The colored powder is nontoxic and washes off. It can be purchased online and reserved for pickup when attendees arrive at the festival, she said.
Vegetarian dishes prepared on-site will be available for purchase.
An American band will entertain, along with folk dancers and musicians, she said. And merchants will sell traditional clothing and jewelry.
“This festival has universal appeal. It's not limited to anyone. In the end, we are all the same. We all are human beings,” she said. “Getting people together in one place, we have a sense of togetherness. We feel happy, we feel peaceful.”
If you go
What: Holi — The Festival of Colors
Who: Simply Vedic Cultural Society
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 7
Where: Grand Pavilion at the Naperville Riverwalk
Admission: Free
Info: thefestivalofcolors.org