Holi Festival Explodes with Color but Keeping It Free is Costly
Thousands flocked to the 2026 NYC Holi Festival at the South Street Seaport, turning the waterfront into a vibrant celebration of color, music, and community—while organizers grapple with the rising costs of keeping the event free.
| 12 Mar 2026 | 06:24
Hair, faces and clothes all covered with powder at the March 7 celebration of the Holi Festival at the South Street Seaport. (
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Dancers in native costumes take the stage with the Abu Seghal (for right) a driving force behind the growing Holi festival and Jonathan Boulware, the president of the South Street Seaport Museum. (
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Hi-five at the Holi Festival at the South Street Seaport March 7. (
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Holi, which has its roots in a Hindu religious celebration of spring is also called the Festival of Love. (
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What, me worry? (
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Food vendors were added to the celebration this year at the Holi Festival at the South Street Seaport. (
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This happy vendor is sold out. (
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Kids join in the fun at the festival of Holi. (
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Food vendors helped defray some of the costs of the free Holi Festival which just held its sixth annual celebration at the South Street Seaport. (
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This young mom has a youngster in tow as she makes her way toward the vendors. (
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Covered in colorful powder, but a fine time was had by all. (
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The crowd was estimated at close to 10,000 at the 2026 Holi festival on March 7 at the South Street Seaport. (
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Participants wear old clothes, often white, because by the end they will be covered with a rainbow of colored powder. (
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She’s ready to sell you some sweets as vendors of Indian food became a big part of this year’s Holi Festival. (
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Thousands of people packed into the historic South Street Seaport for the 2026 NYC Holi Festival celebrating Indian culture, turning the waterfront into a rainbow explosion of color, music, and pure joy.
Often called the Festival of Colors or Festival of Love, Holi marks the arrival of spring, joy and social unity on the Hindu calendar.
Colorful powder is tossed into the air in a joyous celebration of the season and it showers down on the the hair, faces and clothes of participants with every color of the rainbow. What started six years ago with just a few hundred friends has ballooned to close to 10,000 people at the festival this year on March 7th, doubling last year’s crowd.
Holi at its roots is a Hindu religious festival but today it is widely celebrated as part of a cultural tradition in India and across the cultural diaspora.
During Holi, people typically wear casual or old clothes, often white since they know they’ll be covered with bright colors from the powder, called gulal that is traditionally made from tumeric, neem, flowers and rice flour.
Yet behind the smiles and flying powder, the organizers are facing a tough truth–throwing a massive, completely free event in New York City is no small feat, and costs are climbing fast.
Anu Sehgal, is the mastermind behind the annual Holi festival. She’s the Founder and CEO of The Culture Tree, which promotes South Asian voices through cultural programs, education, language classes, and community gatherings.
“We kept it completely free for everyone,” Sehgal said. “There’s a lot that has gone into this preparation—we have had a few nights of not sleeping—but we want to share the festival of Holi, one of the most inclusive festivals in the world that celebrates not just the colors, renewal, love, friendship, and just being with the community.”
“It’s growing because it’s free... and social media amplifies it,” Seghal said. “Funding is a struggle,” she concedes.
She then introduced Captain Jonathan Boulware, CEO and President of the Seaport Museum, who said, “It is our deep honor to welcome the Indian community of Greater New York to this event.”
He pointed to the museum’s flagship vessel, the Wavertree, which sailed to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, in 1895. “The ocean connects us,” he said.
Then came the candid part everyone felt in the air:
“These events are free. Producing them is not free. Our members and supporters underwrite that,” he said. Membership in the South Street Seaport Museum starts at $65 for a single adult and offers senior and family discounts and he was offering 50 percent discounts for anyone who signed up that day.
Deputy Consul General of India in New York, Vishal Harsh, making his first visit to the Seaport’s Holi festival was impressed. “Holi is a festival of color celebrated all over India,” he said. “Even here, despite winter still ongoing, the enthusiasm is amazing.”
Community organizer Japneet Singh took the mic next and brought the heart to the celebration.
“Can we give the Culture Tree a big round of applause?” Singh asked. “Everyone who grew up here, who never had a platform to come together—this would not have been possible without your hard work.”
He reminded everyone that the moment was bigger than just powder: “It’s not just powder we’re throwing—we are amplifying hope and light. Hug your neighbor, tell them you love them.”
As a first-timer in NYC, lawyer and influencer Himanjali Gautam couldn’t stop smiling as she danced with her college friends from around the world.
“It’s my first time celebrating Holi in the city,” Gautam said. “I love Holi and wanted to celebrate my culture here in New York.” She said her friends “loved it and wanted to know more.”
When asked about the festival’s growing popularity, she laughed. “Everyone loves the colors, the vibe, the festivity, and the music. It’s very joyful.”
Vendor Tanishka Chaudhry who was working one of the vendor booths said the festival this year seemed to attract a more diverse crowd than in the past.
“There are more non-Indian attendees, which is exciting.”
Photographer and longtime supporter Rashmi Gill rattled off the names of sponsors including Lux Me, Organic India, and Culture Kazana, then smiled: “Any support helps make the event stronger, more fun, and more community-oriented.”
Sehgal said she began plotting the festivals expansion a year ago in with the Seaport Museum and Seaport Entertainment Group and this year added vendors, cultural performances, kids’ dances, adult dancers, and a full food festival.
And she feels it will continue to grow in the years ahead. “America is ready to embrace a cultural festival from another country that is inclusive, joyful, and about togetherness.”
“Everyone loves the colors, the vibe, the festivity, and the music. It’s very joyful.” Himanjali Gautam