I recently attended the annual Holi On The Downs event hosted by Nottingham Hindu Society.

My friends and I booked it on a bit of a whim, thinking it would be a fun thing to do on campus together before we graduate. I don’t think we quite expected how large scale the event actually would be!

Holi is an ancient Hindu festival that celebrates springtime, colour and love. This was certainly apparent at this NHSF event, well, apart from the overcast weather.

Nonetheless, this event was fun from start to finish. With each ticket purchase, entry was guaranteed along with a t-shirt to wear at the event and a variable amount of coloured powder depending on how much you paid for your ticket.

As The Downs grew busier, cultural music could be heard and clouds of coloured powder started to erupt into the air for all to see. It really was such a unique experience.

Once my friends had arrived, we collected our powder packs and joined the fun. Before long, we were covered from head to toe in colour: reds, blues, greens, pinks, yellows and oranges.

The powder was harmless, although it did get everywhere! Thank goodness it was hair wash night, because my hair was stained blue and yellow. It was all part of the fun, though, and it was great to see so much vibrant colour brightening up the complementary white t-shirts.

After all the powder had been thrown, everyone gathered in the centre as music was played louder and, quite unexpectedly, a mosh pit formed. It was, honestly, probably the most bizarre experience I have had on campus, but a good one all the same.

An Indian street food stall seemed to emerge from nowhere at that point and, while I didn’t actually have any, my friends told me it tasted great. This seemed to be a snack selection of onion bhajis, samosas, pakoras and other Indian delicacies.

When it was time to leave the event, there was a brushing off station so that you could brush your clothes down. This was a relief. That said, I did still walk back through Lenton with a face stained by coloured powder, which attracted a few funny glances here and there. I was definitely ready for the shower I had when I returned home!

Once my hair was clean and my clothes in the wash, I realised how much I’d enjoyed the afternoon of Holi celebration. It was an unforgettable experience and I would absolutely recommend the event to anyone who fancies going next year.