A celebration of Spring with color powder play and dance, enriched with Pakistani dandiya stick performances & traditional Indian snacks.
The Challenge:
The Indian Heritage Club at Maharishi International University commissioned an authentic Holi festival experience. The requirement was to design and produce an event which catered to the East Indian community and their traditions but would also accommodate effortless fun and group engagement for guests from other cultures.
Logistically this would mean putting systems in place to fully 'railroad' color powder play for guests who had never participated before - with zero barrier of entry.
Our Solution:
We designed a two-stage offering - beginning with passive engagement through dance performances so guests from all cultures could sit, enjoy, & mingle. When the performances were complete, all guests were invited to the designated Color Play Area, where we had ten (10) staff stationed at individual color booths, each trained to monitor, strategically ration, and provide guests access to the color powder. Upon entry to the Color Play Area, our Welcome Staff would hand each guest a small personal bowl to fill & refill as needed once the madness began. With a countdown over the loudspeakers from our MC, the assembled crowd sprang into action at "ZERO" as the music boomed over the play area amid squeals and laughter.
Fresh samosas & gulab jamun, and water to pour on the head and face were available for the participants after the play and dancing had exhausted them. Highlights include Indian guests 'blessing' non-Indian guests with a color powder smudge upon the forehead - lovingly placed in the spirit of inclusion and togetherness.
In Numbers:
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95 attendees
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3 cultural performances
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3 contributor partners (Indian Heritage Club, Dandiya Dance Club, India Cafe)
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150 lbs of Color Powder