Colorful family-friendly festival celebrates the coming of spring March 23
OLYMPIA – Feb. 27, 2019 – The Washington State Parks Folk and Traditional Arts Program invites the public to celebrate spring at the 2019 Holi Celebration — the Festival of Colors — at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah.
The celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Road in Issaquah. (Driving directions.)
The free annual event, which takes place at the park’s kitchen shelter, will include a Bollywood DJ, traditional music and dance and family-friendly activities sponsored by the Urban Wildlife Refuge Partners. Colorful, environmentally friendly paint powder and vegetarian Indian food will be available for cash purchase.
Holi, an ancient Hindu spring festival, is also known as the Festival of Colors or the Festival of Love. Each year, in India and everywhere Indians have migrated, Holi is celebrated with great joy. Festivities often involve people splashing or powdering their own or their companions’ skin and clothing with vibrant dyes. This carnival of colors is a special time, when participants of all ages, genders, classes and castes come together to socialize and say goodbye to winter.
A Discover Pass is required for those attending the festival by vehicle.
About the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program
The Holi Celebration is part of a broader series of events celebrating Washington’s diverse cultures presented by the Folk and Traditional Arts Program, with funding provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as support from the Washington State Parks Foundation
For more information about the Folks and Traditional Arts in the Parks program, including upcoming events, visit: http://parks.state.wa.us/folkarts or contact Makaela Kroin, Program Coordinator, at Makaela.Kroin@parks.wa.gov or (360) 902-8635.
News media contacts:
Makaela Kroin, Folk and Traditional Arts Program, (360) 902-8635
Toni Droscher, communications Office, (360) 902-8604
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About Washington State Parks
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages more than 100 state parks and properties totaling approximately 120,000 acres. The Commission provides a variety of recreation opportunities for citizens and provides stewardship protection for a diverse array of natural, cultural and historic resources. State Parks’ statewide programs include long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation.
News release number: 19-009