The exhilaration of dancing while being doused from head to toe in coloured powder is unbeatable. Add a cheerful community of students and young families, plus some activities and games, and you’ve got a  great event for your September calendar.

Halifax Colour Festival photo by Helen Earley
The Halifax Colour Festival is organised by Indian Festivals Club of Nova Scotia (IFCNS) and is one of Halifax’s newest and most exciting cultural festivals. The history of the festival is best described by the description on the IFNS website:
“Indian Festivals Club Of Nova Scotia” was founded in 2013 by Group of enthusiastic Friends who wanted to celebrate the events that can break the bridges between cultures. We Started by celebrating the Navratri Festival, One of the most famous festival in West India, and then added Diwali right after that. After succession of these two festivals we started celebrating Colour Festival from 2015…and that became the one of the most beautiful events in year.”
The Colour Festival therefore, celebrates many cultures and many things, including the welcoming of new and returning students to Halifax for the fresh academic year.
Having booked and ordered our festival package online, we arrived and headed straight for the registration desk where we grabbed sunglasses, festival-t-shirts and most importantly, those exciting bags of coloured powder. The opportunity to throw the coloured powder happens every 30 minutes, during a “colour smash”.

There’s no need to check your watch. At the appointed time, the DJ will call everyone to a central spot and count down. Then – just throw, dance – and be doused! It’s even OK, within reason, to rub powder into your friends’ hair and clothes.

Halifax Colour Festival photo by Helen Earley

Manufactured in India, the powder claims to be completely non-toxic, non-irritating, smooth, free of heavy metals and biodegradable. The ingredients listed on the package are cornstarch, colour and fragrance. We had no adverse reactions to the powder at all, although one of the bags did smell a bit musty.

The powder goes quickly, but there is additional powder available for sale. My daughter became pretty enthusiastic about ripping open the packets. One or two throws, and it’s gone! If you’re on a tight budget, consider prepping your kids by telling them that it’s not an unending supply (when we visited, extra packets were $5.00 each, or 5 for $10.00)

There are other activities too, including field games such as tug of war. When we attended, there was a fun kiosk sponsored by Halifax Water, where we won a towel in exchange for answering a quiz. The main sponsor of The Halifax Colour Festival is RBC.

Halifax Colour Festival photo by Helen Earley

Is the festival safe? We thought so! Is it suitable for families of all ages? Absolutely, so go, and get colourful! It’s an experience that your kids are unlikely to forget.

The Halifax Colour Festival promises to be a great day out, especially if the weather is good.

Halifax Colour Festival

When: September 17th, 2022
Time: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: Alderney Landing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/3058350717739494/