Warm spring days with chilly breezes, a perfect time to have some fun in the sun. However, with school still in session and pools still closed, many are left to wonder how to spend some time outside.
Festivals, though not always the first option, are a fun and different way to spend a day out since most have food, activities, and friends. Many teenagers such as junior Ankit Maharana and sophomore Riley Sayers are currently planning on attending upcoming festivals in Columbus.
Maharana is not only attending but also planning an upcoming Holi festival with other members of Olentangy and Dublin Jerome High Schools. This is their first year coordinating an event like this.
“It kind of just happened. A club from Olentangy began a collaboration project with Jerome and then it just developed into this event,” Maharana said, “If all goes well, we would love to work together more, but it may or may not be another Holi event. The clubs involved are wonderful to work with.”
Maharana’s Holi Festival will take place on Saturday May 13 so warm sunny weather can be expected. It will be from 11am to 2pm at the Coffman Park Pavilion and all are welcome to join.
“We’re going to have some henna stalls set up as well. We have food trucks so make sure to bring some money for those. You can wear whatever you’d like but typically either dirty clothes that you don’t mind getting stained or dirty or a white shirt so you can stain them on purpose,” Maharana said.
This specific event is celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi, the festival of color, and is celebrated with a color war. Though the festival has a background of Hinduism, Maharana invites everyone interested to come and celebrate.
“Holi events are usually massive community events or small ones with friends and family, so it’s really rare to have just kids your age celebrating together. It will be right after AP exams so it’ll be a fun way to decompress. Overall, I highly recommend you come no matter if you’re Indian or not. It’s all about bringing the community together not creating barriers,” Maharana said.
This festival is a great opportunity to get out with some friends and have some colorful fun. But if color wars don’t sound too appealing, the Columbus Arts Festival June 9-11 at the Scioto Mile is a good way to see some colorful art, especially for Sayers.
“I want to go to the festival to look at some of the art and participate in activities that are offered. I heard there’s a lot of cool performances and an outdoor art gallery from local artists so I’m mostly going to see those,” Sayers said.
According to columbus arts festival.org there are more than 200 visual artists attending, three parts of performances and a large number of food vendors at the event, not to mention the hands-on art activities and demonstrations.
“I’m most excited to look around and explore all the different art throughout the festival in demonstrations and eat some really good food,” Sayers said.
Therefore, whether it’s some colorful art exhibits or an exciting color war, join Sayers and Maharana with some friends at riverfront in the Scioto Mile for the Columbus Arts Festival June 9-11 or the Holi festival May 13. For more information visit columbusartsfestival.org or the collaboration group’s Instagram @JeromexTangy.
