Holi festival brings celebration of color, community to Navy Pier

Colored powder floats in the air as an attendee laughs during a Holi celebration, which is a Hindu tradition, at Navy Pier, Saturday, March 23, 2024. “Global Connections: Holi” is a free event that features performances, live music and powder throwing. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times — Colored powder floats in the air as an attendee laughs during a Holi celebration Saturday at Navy Pier.

If you ventured to Navy Pier on Saturday afternoon, you may have seen splotches of bright colors on coats or vibrant handprints on hoodies as Chicagoans celebrated Holi — the Hindu festival of colors that marks the beginning of spring.

Chromatic clouds rose from the Navy Pier Beer Garden as a crowd of people slung bags of brightly dyed powder at each other.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Gabriela Ayala, 32, of Evanston, who was attending the festival for the first time. “I think I swallowed a bunch of it, but it’s also very fun and liberating.”

Hosted at Navy Pier since 2018, the free Holi celebration also featured DJs spinning Indian music and American pop songs, as well as performances inside the Aon Grand Ballroom. Part of the pier’s Global Connections series, the event was presented by ComEd and supported by several organizations, including the Patel Brothers Indian grocery chain.

Organizers said 4,000 to 5,000 people usually attend, depending on weather, which was at least sunny despite the chilly temperature this year.

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But the event is deeper than an excuse to party. Attendees shared that Holi is a time to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and praised the festival for bringing together people from all walks of life.

“To come together with people that are very different from you, it’s a reassuring thing,” said Ayala, who was invited to the event by her friend, Lijo Luke, who is Indian. “It’s a reminder that maybe it’s not all lost. There are still things that we can embrace to keep us afloat, just as a community.”

Gabriela Ayala throws colored powder on her friend during a Holi celebration, which is a Hindu tradition, at Navy Pier, Saturday, March 23, 2024. “Global Connections: Holi” is a free event that features performances, live music and powder throwing. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times — Gabriela Ayala throws colored powder on her friend Saturday during a Holi celebration, which is a Hindu tradition, at Navy Pier.

Luke, 30, of Crystal Lake, agreed.

“That’s what I love about Chicago,” he said, “because people from all around the world come here and they just share their values and culture.”

Holi attendee Priyas Patel said he was happy to see other people beyond those of Indian heritage at the event.

“I think that’s how we should celebrate all of the festivals from all cultures,” said Patel, 22, of Albany Park, who also shared that Holi reminds him to “find happiness in small things.”

Out-of-towner Brett Baty was eager to embrace the culture; he just happened to be at Navy Pier as the Holi festival was starting. He and his partner, Quad Cities resident Katrina Erickson, decided to join the celebration.

“It was awesome,” said Baty, 34, who lives in Washington state. “It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. … I’ll definitely dive into [the history] and be more educated about it.”

Dancer Meera Viruru said she was well-versed in the religious origin of Holi because it was passed down through generations of her family.

“As a story, it’s very mythological,” said Viruru, 25, of Edgewater. “It’s supposed to [teach] that Lord Vishnu will protect you, and in good versus evil, good will come out on top.”

Viruru performed at the event with the Meher Dance Company, founded by Gopi Engineer, which specializes in Bollywood and other forms of Indian dance.

A dancer with Meher Dance Company performs during a Holi celebration, which is a Hindu tradition, at Navy Pier, Saturday, March 23, 2024. “Global Connections: Holi” is a free event that features performances, live music and powder throwing. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times — A dancer with Meher Dance Company performs Saturday during a Holi celebration at Navy Pier.

“I’m originally from Minnesota, and there really isn’t a big Holi celebration where I come from, so it’s super nice to see it at a platform as large as Navy Pier,” Viruru said. “I love performing here. This is one of my favorite events of the year.”

Prior to the Navy Pier event, there wasn’t a large Holi celebration in the city, said Dylan Hankey, director of programming and production at Navy Pier.

“When we started doing it, I had no idea what it was,” he said. “It was a big learning moment, and discovering things that are so important to other people is really special. To me, it’s a celebration of love, spring, friendship, unity and just bringing people together and having a good time.”