All the People — and Amazing Color — We Saw at Olivette's Holi Festival

It was nothing but colors and joy at Stacy Park in Olivette as thousands of people joined together to celebrate Holi. The Hindu "Festival of Colors" was a riot of color as participants threw sweetly scented powder colors at each other and danced to popular Bollywood songs.

Local Nepalese and Indian vendors lined the parking lot of the park, selling a variety of Desi cuisines — and of course it wouldn’t be a celebration in St. Louis without a tent selling Bud Light.

Holi is a celebration that encourages participants to let go of their insecurities and embrace the richness of life. The festival represents eternal love, forgiveness, the start of spring and the victory of good over evil. The joy displayed at the Stacy Park celebration reinforced these tenets: strangers embracing one another, gently smearing color on each other’s faces with the same saying: “Happy Holi."