THUNDER BAY – Kaushal Shetty said he’s been waiting for the Festival of Colours since 2019, when he arrived in Canada from southern India.
It’s a reminder of home, he said on Saturday, his face caked in a rainbow of corn-starch based colours at the 12th annual edition of the event.
“Everyone’s gathering, like in India, where we have family and friends who come together and dance. We throw colours. It’s fun,” Shetty said.
When he decided to move to Canada, Shetty said he had no idea he’d find a taste of India in his new hometown, especially not something as popular as the Festival of Colours.
It was a bit surprising, but certainly made him feel at home, he said.
“I was not expecting it. I was thinking I was going to be missing everything from back India ... But it’s feeling like back home,” Shetty said.
Tripthi Kishore, who also hails from southern India, said she’s been in Canada since 2018 and was thrilled to find her home country’s traditions celebrated so widely in a city like Thunder Bay, where the Indian population has grown significantly in recent years.
“It’s awesome to enjoy the Festival of Colours here. It’s the Festival of Colours and everyone loves colour and playing with the colours and throwing it on each other,” she said.
“That’s the most fun part here.”
The event, usually held at Marina Park, once again was a drive-through experience, in keeping with COVID-19 precautions – though when the colours started flying and the music started hopping, the crowd began dancing en masse in front of the stage, though mostly sticking with those they arrived with at the back of the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds.
Dr. Prashant Jani, who founded and continues to organize the festival, said the event continues to gain popularity as the city continues to diversify.
“Thunder Bay is no more the Thunder Bay of 50 years ago. Now there’s a large multicultural community growing here,” he said, adding the one-day festival has been a tourist draw in the past.
“For the Festival of Colours we get a lot of visitors from North Bay, Terrace Bay, Fort Frances – sometimes from Winnipeg. This contributes a lot to the local businesses as well, and it brings the people of diversity together, in terms of music, dance and food.”
Colour festivals have been held for centuries in India, where they are known as Holi. The throwing of colours is done to welcome the arrival of spring, is a joyful reminder to toss away bad feelings and throw one’s worries to the wind.”
The festival ends at 4 p.m.
