Students gathered to celebrate Holi on the lawn near Acorn Amphitheatre at Sacramento State on Thursday, March 5, 2026. The “Festival of Color & Community: Heartbeat Holi” was promoted on the Hornet Heartbeat Instagram account.
Holi is a Hindu festival also known as the “festival of colors” that celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring, along with the defeat of good over evil. This celebration marks new beginnings, renewal and is a day filled with love and positivity. The event was organized by the Hornet Heartbeat, Associated Students Inc., and the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Center.
The festival is an ancient tradition that holds spiritual meaning in Hindu mythology and is associated with various legends and tales.
Two of the most common stories include Vishnu, a form of the divine. One story depicts Vishnu saving his devoted follower Prahlada from his father Hiranyakashipu, a king who attempted to kill him for his devotion to symbolize the defeat of evil.
Another well-known tale is the love story of Radha and Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna is shown to place colors and water on Radha as a sign of playfulness and affection.
Vibrant puffs of green, yellow, blue and pink powder streamed across the sky, as music filled the air and people danced in the quad, bringing a sense of community to the campus.
Kabir Dua, a third-year student majoring in hospitality and tourism, said celebrating Holi in the United States meant a lot to him as an international student from India.
“I’m an international student from India and have celebrated Holi my whole life. It’s very special to be celebrating Holi here in the U.S. for the first time; it’s really special. Everyone’s made it great,” Dua said.
Across the quad, students took turns playing giant Connect 4 making bracelets and practicing ax-throwing.
KSSU provided music on the main stage, playing Bollywood and Punjabi music. The environment was lively and colorful, with attendees receiving free white T-shirts with “Happy Holi” printed on the front. Hands stuck up from the center of vibrant colors decorated the shirts, placed above the letters.
The smell of fresh grass and clouds of color powder filled the air as students danced, ate food and chased each other throughout the quad.
Iris Palencia, a second year social work major, celebrated Holi for the first time and discussed what it meant for campus diversity.
Palencia described the festival as cheerful and intimate, as people came up to her wishing her a happy Holi before swiping color on her face. Each color symbolizes something different, such as renewal, life, harvest, positivity and much more.
“It’s a good way of educating us like, ‘Hey this is what we do.’ It’s a good way of showing other people different cultures,” said Palencia.
Related: Sacramento’s Fourth Annual Golden Harvest Festival Highlights The City’s Multicultural Richness
As the clock struck 5:30 p.m., students gathered in a giant circle around the KSSU stage. The DJ told everyone to grab fresh color packets from the Heartbeat table and wait for the cue.
The crowd then shouted “Heartbeat!” and “Holi!” before triggering a massive burst of color.
As the event came to a close, the Hornet Heartbeat table became a cleanup station, providing a space for students to shake off excess powder, gather their backpacks and head home.
Nahom Semere, the director of operations and innovation for the Division of Student Affairs, said he was surprised at the number of students that went and immersed themselves in the festivities.
“People are just dropping their backpacks and getting into it and it’s beautiful to see,” Semere said. “If I didn’t have to go back into the office, I’d be out there.”
An attendee at Heartbeat Holi, a festival of color and community, places colored powder on another attendee’s face on Thursday, March 5, 2026. Each color symbolizes a different meaning.