Auckland skies were painted in vibrant colours by revellers who came to participate in Krishna Holi - Festival of Colours Auckland 2024 – on February 11.
The event at Kumeu offered a fun time to guests who smeared each other with bright colours. The event was held between noon and 4pm, and everyone who was there was immersed in the spirit of the festival of colours.
Holi is a popular spring festival that celebrates love and harmony. Lord Krishna and Radha's eternal love is celebrated through this festival of colours.
The triumph of good over evil is celebrated through this festival, as the festival also marks the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha, over Hiranyakashyap. A bonfire is lit the night before Holi to commemorate this.
Despite the fact that people had to drive 30 minutes from central Auckland to reach the venue, since public transport to the venue was limited, the event was well-attended.
One orgnaniser said about 9,000 people had registered for the event but nearly 15,000 turned up on the day.
“We had prepared our parking for 9,000 people, so we could have done something much better if we were aware of how many people would come,” the organiser said.
The family-friendly event saw everyone, including the elderly and children, smearing colour and dancing with much gusto. Colours used were non-toxic, and both the food and the colours were available for purchase at the venue.
Since the event was held on the temple ground, no alcohol or smoking or recreational drugs were allowed.
"Everyone was informed about the dos and don'ts. We also warned people to stay away from the main crowd if they were allergic to corn starch dust since the colours were made from food-grade corn starch and we did not want any medical emergency," said an organiser.
Guests were left wanting for more as the day drew to a close. Seema Kaplesh, who participated in the event, said, “Hare Krishna 🙏 So beautifully organised thank you for the event and will definitely be back next year 👌👌[sic].”
The long queues of vehicles leaving the venue spoke for the event’s success. Oganisers said there were two entrances and one exit at the event, and some attendees were arriving while others were leaving, slowing down traffic.
“We concluded that safety of the people was our number-one priority. We could understand that frustration was there, but it was for their own benefit,” said an organiser, adding parking was definitely something they would work on for next year’s event.
ISSUE
.jpg)