Holi Festival in India: A Colourful Travel Experience

The colourful Holi festival in India had been on my bucket list for years, and so when I realised a couple of years ago that Holi would land on my Birthday this year, I knew that this year was the year I had to go!

So I gathered a couple of friends that I knew also had Holi on their bucket lists and a bit over a year later there we were celebrating Holi together!

What is Holi?

The Holi festival is an ancient Hindu celebration observed across India each year, welcoming the arrival of spring with joy, colour, and connection. Widely known as the Festival of Colours, Holi represents renewal, love, the mending of relationships, and the triumph of good over evil.

Holi’s origins are woven with ancient legends, One of the most well-known stories is that of King Hiranyakashipu and his son Prahlad. The king, angered by Prahlad’s devotion to the god Vishnu, plotted his son’s death with the help of his sister, Holika, who was believed to be immune to fire.

However, in a turn of events, divine intervention saved Prahlad while Holika was consumed by the flames—symbolising the victory of good over evil. Another legend is that it celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna.

Holi celebrations often begin days before the main event. On the eve of Holi, communities gather to light large bonfires in a ritual known as Holika Dahan, representing the burning away of negativity and the renewal of hope.

Traditionally, the vibrant powders thrown during Holi were made from natural plants and flowers, creating rich, earthy hues. Today, many of the colours are synthetic, but each shade still carries symbolic meaning, adding depth to one of the world’s most colourful festivals.

 The colours of the festival all have different meanings associated with them.

• Red-  Often associated with weddings and marriage, it represents love, passion and fertility.
• Green-  represents Nature, growth, new beginnings and Spring’s arrival.
• Pink- affection, and compassion, friendship, playfulness and kindness
• Yellow- represents health and prosperity, sunshine and happiness
• Orange- Energy, prosperity, positivity
• Blue – Represents the Hindu god Krishna, who was blue. It also represents  peace, tranquility and harmony and connection with the divine.
• Purple-  represents royalty, power and wealth 

When and Where is Holi?

The festival of Holi follows the Hindu calendar and the lunar moon cycle (landing on the full moon), and the end of Winter, and to celebrate the beginning of spring,   which means each year the date changes, landing somewhere in March each year.

For 2026 Holi lands on the 4th March. In 2027 it lands on Monday 22nd March. All over India, Holi is celebrated, however it is more prevalent in the northern states. It is also celebrated in hindu communities around the world. 

One of the most popular places in india to celebrate is in the city of Jaipur due to the Royal palace celebrations and events taking place over holi. Other great places to experience Holi are Delhi, Mumbai and Varanasi.

Is Holi safe for women?

One of the more concerning things I’d heard about Holi before attending were the safety issues, particularly for women. After speaking with other female travelers who had celebrated in previous years, many described feeling uncomfortable in the crowded street parties, with incidents of harassment being very common. Those attending with a male partner seemed to have fewer issues than women traveling solo or in all-female groups.

If you’re planning to celebrate Holi, I suggest going with a group of people you know and trust, so you can look out for one another throughout the day. There are many incidents of men becoming aggressive during festivities, and incidents of sexual harassment, groping, and assault have occurred.

To stay safe, keep valuables to a minimum, avoid wearing expensive jewellery, and remain alert to pickpockets in busy areas.

Most tour companies or private tours these days organise private Holi events with host families, where travellers can still enjoy the festivities, but also feel a bit safer at the same time compared to the street gatherings. That doesn’t mean that incidences don’t occur at these private gatherings too.  

What to wear for Holi?

The colourful powders that are used during holi tend to stain.. Your clothes, your skin and hair. This stuff gets everywhere! Most people will wear old white clothes due to this.

Many will buy a long loose white top and pants while in India, alternatively you can bring some cheap white clothes from home- I did this, along with some $5 enclosed canvas shoes that I could throw out afterwards.

 I also recommend bringing a cheap pair of Sunglasses to wear to protect your eyes from getting powder in them also to protect yourself from the bright sunshine.

I made the mistake of wearing my Maui Jims and it took days to get all the powder out of all the nooks and crannies! Someone also took them and I spent 20 minutes running around trying to find who took them, but that’s another story!

If you have light coloured hair I highly recommend covering your hair with a scarf to help protect it from alot of the powder as these powders DO stain alot, no matter what they say over there- Especially when mixed with water.

My blonde hair had pink and green in it for MONTHS! By the end of May, 2 ½ months after Holi, I still had remnants of green in my hair. It can also take up to several days for the colour to come off your skin too- depending on how hard you scrub!

Some people do recommend using coconut oil or suncream to create a barrier against your skin so the powder doesn’t stick as much.

What should you take to Holi?

I suggest limiting the amount of things that you bring to Holi, Like many festivals around the world, pick pocketing is huge, so make sure you dont take anything your not willing to lose.

I suggest taking a limited cash supply, cheap sunnies a ziplock bag or water proof case for your phone. If you want to take a bag, I suggest taking a small cross body bag that you dont mind it getting ruined. 

I also recommend taking a water bottle and tissues—you’ll almost certainly end up with coloured powder in your eyes at some point. So it’s handy to have some clean water to rinse and wipe them.

If you’re like me and wear contacts, I recommend taking a tiny bottle of contact solution. This was a lifesaver for me as i did have a aggressive man come and smash (and i mean smash) powder into my face and rip my scarf off my head. 

Even though I was wearing sunglasses at the time the amount he used just pushed it all up behind my sunglasses into my eyes and my mouth. I couldnt see a thing, but managed to wash it out of my eyes after.

But I also had to take my contacts out and wash them too, which I luckily could do as i have a little contacts box in my bag all the time. The box includes a mirror, contacts case, tweezers and a tiny refillable bottle for solution. For anyone who wears contacts- I highly recommend these for travelling.

Should Holi be on your Bucket list?

Yes, Holi should absolutely be on your bucket list, it is definitely a once in a lifetime experience!!