Holi in India: How 6 Cities Come Alive During the Festival of Colors

Every year on the first full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna, cities and towns in India are covered in a splash of color. Holi, commonly called the “Festival of Colors,” celebrates the arrival of spring, the triumph of good over evil, and the divine love story between Lord Krishna and Radha. On the first night, bonfires symbolize cleansing evil with fire. The next day, dense crowds of joyous revelers playfully toss and smear bright powders, called gulal, along with buckets of water. Sweet confections are shared alongside bhang, a spiced milk drink infused with cannabis. Music fills the streets.

Holi is one of India’s most popular festivals, and there are Holi celebrations held around the world. Still, travelers, religious and not, have long been drawn to India to experience the country’s most colorful festival first-hand. What that experience is like varies from region to region.

Filmmakers Jackson Nettleship and Kiely Mizumoto, of the creative studio Low Light, traveled across six locations in India to document the nuances of how different communities celebrate Holi. In their new short film Colors of Unity, vivid scenes from Delhi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, Agra, and Jaipur capture aspects of the essence of each location.

“What surprised me was how different the energy was in each place,” Nettleship says. “Some spots were wild and chaotic, others felt way more spiritual and community-focused.”

The establishing shots, filmed in Delhi and Agra, serve as a contrast to the exuberance of the festivities. In Nandgaon, they captured Lathmar Holi, the “Holi of sticks” that happens a few days before the main celebration, where women playfully hit the men with sticks as they try to shield themselves — a representation of the story of Krishna traveling to Radha’s village of Barsana and being chased away by women with sticks after his playful teasing. They headed to Jaipur for Holika Dahan, the night the ceremonial bonfires are lit. For Rangwali Holi, the main colorful event, Nettleship and Mizumoto filmed in Mathura and Vrindavan, which are central to the legend of Lord Krishna and Radha.

“Holika Dahan in Jaipur really stood out to me,” Nettleship says. “It was surreal. I remember starting to film at the beginning of it and four hours later realizing how deep into the night and city we had gotten — just wandering through alleyways and neighborhoods, seeing fires everywhere. Every family, every block had their own fire. You could feel how much this festival meant to people, and the energy was just unreal.”

Photo: Jackson Nettleship and Kiely Mizumoto

Filming in an environment like Holi is no small task. Gulal and buckets of water don’t exactly mix well with expensive gear, and protecting everything is a battle even with rain covers and plastic bags over it all. Groups are easily separated in the crowds. Even getting to the right place at the right time is a challenge, one that Nettleship and Mizumoto overcame with the help of a local photographer named Vansh.

Nearly all of the filming took place outside, with a notable exception for Banke Bihari Temple (dedicated to Krishna), in Vrindavan. Inside, separated from the crowds and buckets of water, both Nettleship and Mizumoto found peace in the high-energy singing and dancing.

Photo: Jackson Nettleship and Kiely Mizumoto

The final film connects deeper than the surface-level things that Holi is known for elsewhere in the world. It’s an invitation to learn more, and perhaps even book a trip of your own to see one or more of the specific regional aspects.

“I hope people see how much more there is to Holi than just throwing colors,” Nettleship says. “Every region does it differently, and there’s so much culture and history behind each celebration. And honestly, that’s India as a whole — so much diversity in traditions from town to town. I hope the film gives people a glimpse into that.”

Photo: Jackson Nettleship and Kiely Mizumoto

For a Holi trip to India, Nettleship has some advice: “Go beyond the big touristy spots. Find the smaller towns like Nandgaon or Barsana, where Holi is so tied to the community and history. You’ll get to experience not just the colors, but the meaning behind them. It’s one of those things you can’t really understand until you’re standing in the middle of it.”