Tomorrow marks the first night of the month-long Hindu celebration the Holi festival. This festival of color signifies Spring’s victory over Winter and is most widely celebrated in India. But as New Yorkers know, we never pass up a chance to party! Here are some of the best places for you to eat, drink, dance, throw colored dye, and celebrate the Holi Festival NYC style.
Holi Festival NYC: Where to Celebrate?
[Photo: Lightness of being]
Upscale Holi Happy Hour and Social
When: Friday, March 2nd
Where: Zaika New York, 230 East 44th Street
Time: 7pm to 10pm
How much: Free
To kick off this month’s Holi Festival NYC in style, check out this classy happy hour for Desi Professionals for cheap colorful Holi style drinks while listening to traditional Holi style jams. The event is free, but guests are encouraged to “dress to impress”. What a great way to ease into the wild paint-filled weekend! Check out more info about this happy hour here.
A Holi-inspired Festival by C.A.M.P
When: Saturday, March 3rd
Where: A secret location in Greenwich Village
Time: 1pm to 6pm
How much: $100
This event hosted by the pop-up party company C.A.M.P. is probably what most people will be looking for if they want to dance away your winter blues. The secret Greenwich Village location of this event is being kept a secret for now and will be revealed to attendees once they purchase their tickets. Tickets are pretty steep at $100 a pop, but once you get to the party there will be Food, DJ’s to get people dancing, a Cacao Ceremony (chocolate!), a guided sound meditation and other performances. The people at C.A.M.P ask festival goers to wear white as they are bound to be covered in colorful paint before the party is over. Buy your tickets here.
YUVA Holi Party with Color
When: March 3rd until early March 4th.
Where: Basera, 745 9th Avenue
Time: 11 pm to 3 am Sunday morning.
How much: Free with a suggested donation.
If you are getting a late start on Saturday or just want to keep the festivities going after the C.A.M.P party, then this Bollywood inspired dance party is for you! The late night Hell’s Kitchen party promises drink specials, “bolly-latin beats”, a special drag performance by Lal Batti, and oh yeah … tons of colorful paint. Tickets for the event are free with a suggested donation, but you can register online here.
And if you miss your chance to celebrate the Holi Festival NYC style this weekend…
[Photo: Lightness of being]
Holi in the City
When: Saturday, March 31st
Where: Stage 48, 605 West 48th Street
Time: 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm
How much: $25 – $50 (for now)
If you missed out on going to a Holi Festival NYC style rave this weekend, this Holi inspired brunch party will be your last true chance to dance, drink and toss around colored paint with your friends until next year. Tickets will run you between $25 and $50 for now, but don’t sleep on them as the organizers warn that they “will be going up significantly (100% +) the closer you get to the event date” and that they typically sell out. Buy your tickets here.
