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PHOTOS: Colours fly at first Downtown Kamloops Holi Festival

Plenty of locals got the chance to experience the most vibrant festival India has to offer, as the Kamloops Holi Festival took place at Riverside Park for the first time this afternoon.

Also known as the festival of colours, the Hindu event celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring by tossing dried paint powder around and dancing.

The festival was organized by Downtown Kamloops, TRU World and Amit Goel. 

"I think it's doing really well so far. I never thought we would have so many people coming at 12 o'clock, so that's wonderful," Goel told KamloopsMatters about half an hour in. "We're almost out of colour already so we still have to survive another couple of hours."

DJ Aftershock and Harp Sohal provided the music for the afternoon, while Maurya’s Fine Indian Cuisine served up the food.

In the past, Holi events have been held at Thompson Rivers University, but when Downtown Kamloops began exploring putting on a festival all groups decided to merge.

"It is a great turnout, almost an overwhelming turnout," says Karla Karcioglu, Downtown Kamloops marketing specialist. "We weren't expecting this many people but of course, it's fantastic. I'm really impressed to see how many people in the Kamloops community have showed up, that it's not just a majority of TRU students here but its a great mix of people. Lots of kids, family groups and friends hanging out and having fun."

For this year, they ordered 320 kilograms of coloured paint from Surrey. The festival ran from noon to 3 p.m. 

As for the coloured grass left behind, the paint will wash right out.