Description
Hosted by:
Sunday, March 8 • 2:30-4:30 PM • Prospect Park Boathouse & Lincoln Road Playground
Free with RSVP | Our powder packets are now all sold out, but please come enjoy the music, bonfire, and storytelling!
Join the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Prospect Park Alliance, the nonprofit that sustains Brooklyn’s Backyard, and Mixed Masala to celebrate Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, in Prospect Park! This celebration of the start of spring involves playing with colored powders (gulal) and setting bonfires (Holika Dahan). This joyful afternoon also features live music and storytelling performances, as well as the traditional Hindu artmaking of Rangoli.
- 2:30 pm: Musical performance at the Boathouse led by Indofunk Satish
- 3:15 pm: Bonfire, storytelling, and Rangoli artmaking at the Boathouse
- 4:00 pm: Parade from the Boathouse to the Lincoln Road Playground
- 4:15 pm: Powder-throwing on the playground! (Powder Packets now sold out)
Interested in Indian classical music? The night before this event, on Saturday 3/7, tabla prodigy Vivek Pandya will give a special performance and workshop on Hindustani music at BKCM in honor of the late tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain. Tickets are available here!
2:30 PM: Musical Performance (The Boathouse)
The event will begin with a performance led by Indofunk Satish, a pioneering trumpeter who has brought his unique fusion of Indian classical music, jazz, and funk to a wide range of musical endeavors, leading several NYC-based ensembles and supporting acclaimed artists from Brooklyn Raga Massive to Bruce Springsteen. He is known for playing an extremely rare trumpet called “The Firebird,” which has a half-length trombone slide that allows him to play the traditional South Indian music he grew up with.
SCHEDULE
3:15 PM: Holi Storytelling and Bonfire (The Boathouse)
Join Indian dance arts educator Aeilushi Misty to learn about Holika Dahan and create Rangoli motifs with vibrant flower petals. Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form where intricate patterns are created on the floor or ground using materials like colored rice, dry flour, colored sand, or flower petals. Holika Dahan, or the “burning of Holika”, celebrates Prahlada, who is known as a saintly figure and devotee of Lord Vishnu. Prahlada’s father, a King, and his sister, Holika, who was believed to be safe from the dangers of fire, sought to kill Prahlada. The King put Prahlada on the lap of Holika as she sat on a fire and Prahlada prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. Holika then burnt in the fire while Prahlada was left unhurt. Lord Vishnu then arrived in the form of a human-lion to rescue Prahlada, which is celebrated as the Hindu festival of Holi.
4:00 PM: Parade from the Boathouse to Lincoln Road Playground
We’ll make our way over from the bonfire to Lincoln Road Playground for the last part of the celebration: powder-throwing!
4:15 PM: Powder Throwing (Lincoln Road Playground)
A highlight of Holi is powder throwing, a joyous, centuries-old Hindu tradition where people smear and toss colored powders, known as gulal, to celebrate the arrival of spring, friendship, and the triumph of good over evil. It symbolizes unity, breaking down social barriers, and showering others with love and color.Note: If you plan to take part in the powder-throwing – which we highly recommend! – you can purchase a packet for $6 below and pick it up on the day of the celebration at the Lincoln Road Playground, beginning at 4 pm. We recommend one packet per person, and that you wear white clothing and expect to get messy. We ask that all powder-throwing be kept in the playground to help contain the starch from getting into the park’s landscapes.
EVENT HOSTS
About Prospect Park Alliance
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s Backyard, in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. Learn more at www.prospectpark.org.
About the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
BKCM is a non-profit community music school that provides high-quality music education and music therapy to more than 7,000 New Yorkers at its headquarters in Park Slope and at 90 schools and community organizations across all five boroughs. In the fall of 2026, BKCM will open a second location on Grand Army Plaza. Learn more at www.bkcm.org/future.
About Mixed Masala
Mixed Masala is a Brooklyn based group for families with connections to South Asia. While we are all very different, we have a lot in common. Some of us have one South Asian partner (“Mixed”), some have two South Asian partners (“Masala”), and others are connected to the South Asian community through their children. This group is about exploring and promoting our South Asian cultures and traditions within our contemporary multicultural NYC context. We aim to help our children understand and appreciate our rich cultural heritage. Learn more on our Facebook page.
Free to RSVP. Our powder packets are now all sold out, but please come enjoy the music, bonfire, and storytelling!