Come together: After record year, Ogden’s Festival of Colors returns to Lorin Farr Park
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- In this undated photo, celebrants enjoy a previous Holi Festival of Colors event in Ogden.
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- The Festival of Colors in celebration of Holi return to Ogden’s Lorin Farr Park this Saturday, May 24, 2025.
OGDEN — An annual event promoting positivity, connection, life and color will be back in Ogden for its 11th go around this weekend.
Saturday will mark the return of Ogden’s Holi Festival of Colors to Lorin Farr Park, located at 769 Canyon Road. The event is an offshoot of the Spanish Fork celebration, which draws several thousand attendees each spring.
Caru Das of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork tells the Standard-Examiner that last year’s Ogden-area festival was the biggest to date, drawing some 1,500 participants.
“We can’t let the darkness overwhelm us,” Das said. “We have to live in the light and not in the shadows. That’s the message of the Festival of Colors — live in the light. Don’t let the shadows affect you.”
Rooted in the ancient Hindu celebration of Holi, which announces the arrival of spring and winter’s passing, the Festival of Colors combines sacred tradition with modern music, group dance, interactive experiences and the iconic throwing of colored powder. This year’s event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with color throws happening hourly.
“It’s meant for just getting goofy, not taking yourself very seriously, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, enriching relationships with people you already know,” Das said. “The way we do it, we give you a chance to meet new people, too, because we encourage a lot of interaction among strangers and free hugs and things like that.”
Performers at the festival will include Malini, Sharika & Troupe, Namrock, Prema Mani, The Butter Thieves, Agni & Krishna Presthaya and Das himself. There will also be yoga lessons and a variety of vegetarian and vegan food options.
Although the Spanish Fork festival has become one of the biggest of its kind in North America — and Das has been invited to emcee festivals internationally — the local celebrations have emerged from humble beginnings.
“We came to Utah in 1980 because we had the chance to put a down payment on a small AM radio station in Spanish Fork,” Das recalled. “We relocated from Los Angeles. I was doing radio, Krishna radio, in Los Angeles, but I was renting time from a station out of Pasadena.”
Das decided to make the jump to the Beehive State after discerning that he could own a station for what he was paying to broadcast in Southern California. Over the years, Das’ reach grew, the local temple was eventually designed and built, his broadcasts began reaching a worldwide audience online and the color festivals rose to prominence.
In the end, though, Das is more concerned with fostering connection than personal success.
“Think of ourselves as part of the same spiritual family, even though, materially, some of us are Latino, some of us are Asian, some of us are Caucasian. But, in the spiritual sense, we’re not these bodies. We’re parts and parcels of the divine,” Das said. “So, try to revel in each other, enjoy each other, celebrate each other as parts and parcels of God. When we honor each other, we honor our creator.”
His advice to first-time festivalgoers: come with an open heart and mind, wear white, and don’t be offended if someone throws colored powder at you.
“That’s part of the process. You get to do the same,” Das said. “Be prepared to meet new people. We encourage people to give hugs and introduce themselves.”
Tickets for the Ogden Holi Festival of Colors are available for $8 online, and will also be available for $10 at the gate. For more information, go to https://www.festivalofcolorsusa.com/.
