This story was originally published on March 30, 2026 in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Writer: Can Doga Bolukbasi
The Penn Hindu and Jain Association hosted its annual Holi festival at College Green on Friday.
The March 27 event was organized in collaboration with Penn’s Spiritual and Religious Life Center to celebrate the Hindu festival and was open to all students. Holi featured live performances from several Penn dance teams, included a DJ, and involved students throwing colored powder to celebrate the arrival of spring.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, College sophomore and HJA Vice President Nikhil Pochana expressed the importance of “celebrating things that you did growing up with people who you met at Penn.”
“One of the biggest things about Penn is its diversity, and this gives one of the perfect opportunities for us to showcase our culture with people who are not necessarily from that background,” he said.
The over two-hour event began with free T-shirt distributions to Penn undergraduates, followed by an introduction to the event by HJA. Five dance groups — Penn Raas, PENNaach, Penn Dhamaka, Penn Masti, and Hype Dance Crew — performed before bags of colored powder were distributed to attendees.