Color photo. A person with long, dark, curly hair, facing the camera. Their eyes are closed, and the skin of their face is completely covered in splotches of yellow, blue, green, and magenta Holi powder. Most of their hair is also covered, as is the front of their shirt. Next to them and beyond them are many other people, coated in colorful powder splotches.

A friend reached out last week. She’d been feeling the need to get out of the house and was interested in going to the Holi celebration at Seattle Center on Saturday. Would I like to go too?

I very much did. I’ve been going through a rough patch lately, and getting out of the house to attend something lively and colorful felt like a great plan. So I said yes.

Holi celebrations happen here every year in mid March, and it’s a Hindu celebration of spring, love, forgiveness, and the triumph of good over evil. I was aware of the Redmond event, but hadn’t ever made it out, and shouldn’t have been surprised that there was another in Seattle Center. There’s a whole slate of cultural events there throughout the year, and the few I’ve managed to get to have always been great.

My friend and I met at the Armoury, had the requisite caffeine, catching up, and lunch, and then wandered into the courtyard next door. There was a DJ, loud, lively music, dancing, and color. So much color!

I’m glad I went. I think we could all use some celebrating the triumph of good over evil right about now.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S

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Color photo. A person in a black sweater, seen from the back. Their shoulders are coated in yellow, and they hold a bag of magenta Holi powder in their left hand. Their right had is raised and they are pointing at the sky. Next to them and beyond them are many other people, coated in colorful powder splotches.
Color photo. A person with long, dark, curly hair, facing the camera. Their eyes are closed, and the skin of their face is completely covered in splotches of yellow, blue, green, and magenta Holi powder. Most of their hair is also covered, as is the front of their shirt. Next to them and beyond them are many other people, coated in colorful powder splotches.
Color photo. The head of a person, seen from the side. They are in the act of shaking powder out of their wavy hair, making their head surrounded by a cloud of magenta.
Color photo. A small child with long dark hair, seen from the side. Their clothes, from top to bottom, are absolutely coated in colored powder. Next to them is an adult holding a packet of yellow Holi powder, which is puffing a cloud into the air as they pour some into their palm. The child is cupping their left hand, holding powder to throw.
Color photo. A crowd of people along the bottom half of the photo, all of them covered in colorful splotches. Hands are raised above the crowd, throwing more powder into the air, creating colorful clouds.
Color photo. A person bent over, digging powder out of their ear. Their face and hair are almost completely coated in red powder. They are smiling, and there is even powder on their teeth. The area around their eyes is mostly clear, and they are holding sunglasses in their left hand.
Color photo. The Space Needle rises above a crowd of people celebrating Holi. They are all covered in colorful splotches, and a person in the foreground has their magenta colored hands raised in the air.
Color photo. A rare photograph of the photographer himself, smiling broadly. He is wearing a flat cap, dark round glasses, and a deep blue jacket. A grey bag hangs from his shoulder. Everything is dotted with yellow and red powder splotches.