Saturday, Mar 15, 2025 at 11:00am
Dances. Music. Drummers. Stories. Delicious food and powder play. The annual Holi celebration lets us shake off the winter blues and celebrate the arrival of spring. This year, the Seaport in partnership with The Culture Tree and the South Street Seaport Museum invite you to join the celebration of the traditional Indian festival of colors on Saturday, March 15, from 11:00am–2:00pm.
Bring the kids, bring your friends, and join us for a colorful day, which will include interactive dance performances and workshops, literary festival, delicious tastings, art activity, a puppet storytime, music and, of course, spirited fun with brightly colored powder.
Visitors can also sample traditional Indian cuisine enjoyed during this annual holiday, purchase Holi’s signature colored powders and shop at the outdoor Indian market at Pier 16 featuring nearly a dozen Indian owned-businesses.
No outside colors are permitted. Colors are available for purchase by Kulture Khazana. Please purchase your colors here.
In celebration of Holi, guests are encouraged to wear an all-white outfit to help amplify the Powder Play experience.
Holi Literary Festival
11am - 11:45am | All Ages | 213 Water St & 4 Fulton St
Meet renown Indian authors at the first ever Holi Literary Festival. Featured authors include Jugal Hansraj, Anu Sehgal, Kabir Sehgal, Jennifer Kurani, Monica Saigal, Niki Patel, Shweta Ganesh Kumar
We will start the festivities with a book reading from author / actor Jugal Hansraj and Anu Sehgal. Theme Colors of Holi.
Book readings by author Shweta Ganesh Kumar and Monica Saigal will take place at McNally Jackson at 2pm.
Holi Powder Play
12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm, 1:30pm and 2:00pm | Piers 16 & 17, Seaport Square | Free
We will count down to 5 powder plays with our dholi, so get your gulaal and cameras ready, as the Seaport sky turns rainbow with the colors of Holi (Holi Hai!!) The colors are provided by Kulture Khazaana.
No outside colors are permitted. Please purchase your colors here.
In celebration of Holi, guests are encouraged to wear an all-white outfit to help amplify the Powder Play experience.
Foods of Holi
11:00am-3:00pm | Piers 16 & 17, Seaport Square
Experience and taste the quintessential foods of Holi featuring our favorite Indian chefs and restaurants.
Holi Dance & Drum Performance
12:00pm | Piers 16 & 17, Seaport Square | Free
The Holi celebration continues with colorful and vibrant dance performances that include several Holi songs, followed by a dance performance and workshop by Shehnaaz Dance Academy, which will get everyone moving to popular songs, as Dholi Amrit from Premier Drummers will join in to provide a soundtrack of traditional beats. DJ Magic Mike will get everyone moving to our favorite Holi songs.
Holi Humor
12:20 | Piers 16 & 17, Seaport Square | Free
Join us for Holi Humor as comedian Kaneez Surka, a South African-born Indian now based in New York City, delivers her signature laughs and lively storytelling.
Holi Collaborative Mural
11:00am-5:00pm | Pier 16, Seaport Museum | Free General Admission
Visitors of all ages are invited to continue the Holi celebration with the Seaport Museum by joining in to create a vibrant collaborative mural inspired by the colorful pigment and balloon fights of the annual festival. Every participant will be provided with a colorful paintball to add their touch to the mural. Supplies are limited. This activity takes place outdoors at Pier 16 and walkups are welcome.
No additional registration required.
Our Speakers
Jugal Hansraj
Jugal Hansraj is a feature film actor, writer, and National Award-winning director from Mumbai, India. He began as a child actor in ‘Masoom’ (1983) and starred in notable films like ‘Papa Kahte Hain’ (1996) and ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000). More recently, he appeared in Netflix’s ‘Mismatched’ Seasons 2 and 3 and the film ‘Shiv Shastri Balboa’ (2023). His directorial debut was the animated film ‘Roadside Romeo’ (2008), followed by ‘Pyaar Impossible’ (2010). Also a published author, his children’s novels include ‘Cross Connection’ and ‘The Coward and The Sword’ series. Upcoming projects include the Lionsgate series ‘Nanda Devi,’ Netflix’s ‘Nadaaniyan,’ and ‘The Family Man Season 3’ on Amazon Prime.
Anu Sehgal
Anu Sehgal is an award winning children’s author and the Founder/CEO of The Culture Tree, the largest cultural literacy and language education company for kids that focuses on South Asia. Anu believes awareness of one’s heritage, culture and language is key for children to become self-aware and confident individuals. She holds an MBA from Yale University and has worked in the corporate sector for almost 15 years. She has received several awards and recognitions for her work in cultural literacy.
