Holi Schedule of Events
Saturday
March 28,  2009

Temple after dark w crowd
Festival of Colors 2009
(tips and pointers # 1)
 
Please be our guest along with thousands of others at this anticipated Utah Valley event. In this newsletter we'll give you all the details of performances and activities on three different stages from 4 pm until 8 pm. If you come just for throwing of the colors you'll be missing wonderful cultural dance programs and dramas, so we urge you to arrive by 4 pm to enjoy the 'pre colors' festivities.

For a timely arrival, by pass the first Spanish Fork exit, number 257, which will be clogged with festival traffic. Come to the next exit, number 253, called "Benjamin". When you turn left at the exit ramp the temple will be visible. If you are GPSing your way to the temple, best to input 311 West, 8500 South, 84660. There are usually parking spaces available on the temple property. Thus there should be no need to park on the roadside and walk a long way (though most will do this nevertheless).

There is no admission fee for the festival.

Main Stage
Temple after dark w crowd
Entertainment 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Performance Schedule
 
4:00 pm, Nalini Landar performs Kathak dance
4:20 pm, Nepalese Folk Dance
4:30 pm, Ankith Ray and Friends, Oddisi dance
4:45 pm, Bonni Chowdhury and Kathak dance troupe
5:00 pm, Nalini Landar Part Two
5:15 pm, Drama, Transformation of Valmiki
5:30 pm, 'Devotion' by Shatakshi Goyal & troupe.
5:40 pm, Lighting of the bonfire, burning of the Hollika effigy, throwing of colors, Mantra Rock band starts up, dancing until the cows come home. Band members: Vocals, Jai Krishna Das, Govinda Dhattas, Vatsal Das, Lead Guitar, Curt Gordon, Bass Guitar, Troy Peery, Harmonica Joel Bradford, Drums Zachary Perry.
 

 
In the Temple Room
Kirtan Yoga Chants
Temple Room, 4:00 Pm - 5:45 pm
We'll have lots of great kirtan leaders on hand, like the two Govinda Dhattas from Los Angeles, Vatsal from North Carolina, Shatakshi from Boise, what to speak of our own Utah Valley's Jai Krishna Das and Sri Hanuman. They will be rocking in the temple room until they take the main stage at 5:45 pm.
 
Pavilion Schedule
Gamelan
Gamelan Concert & Dance 4 pm & 7 pm
Photo Courtesy of Eric Torrie
Gamelan Bintang Wahyu, Utah's first and only Indonesian percussion orchestra, will present an exciting concert of Balinese music featuring world- renowned gamelan musician and composer I Ketut Gede Asnawa, his wife, the esteemed dancer Putu Oka Mardiani, and their three daughters, Tarika, Yuni, and Yoni (also gifted dancers).
The performance will include traditional and contemporary gamelan music and dance, boisterous processional belaganjur music, and kecak, the famous Balinese "monkey chant".
Tickets for the 4pm show will be available through the BYU Fine Arts Box Office (http://www.byuarts.com), with any remaining tickets for sale at the door. Tickets for the 7pm will be sold at the door.
All tickets to the gamelan concert are $5.00.
After the first Gamelan concert 5 pm - 5:45 pm there will be additional performing arts presentations by the artists from the main stage recycled.
 
 Mantra Rock, Fire & Film
Temple after dark w crowd
tips # 2
Festival attendees are requested not to climb up on to the stage and not to put colors on the musicians.
Colors are safe and non stain, but do not wear your Sunday best. Colors may be thrown anywhere on body, or they can be smeared gently into others hair or onto cheeks, neck and fore head (avoid eyes).  Mimi, our EMT will be on hand in a visibly marked tent in case any one needs eye rinse or other related amenities. If you have not been to the festival before, it is strongly advised not to be smack in the middle of the crowd when the color throwing starts. According to one BYU student's blog last year, "I couldn't see anything for 7 minutes, three of which I couldn't breathe. It was great!!!"(not everyone would think so) After getting 'colored up', guests will be requested to dust off and wash their hands before reentering the building.
No colors may be thrown in the temple building or on the veranda. Spectators who would like not to get colored should feel these are "safe" zones.
Photographers and video graphers are advised to cover their lenses with some sort of plastic. We will appreciate your sending the temple any and all images (carudas@earthlink.net) so we can post them on our web site after the event.

 
Colors (Gulal)
Temple after dark w crowd
tips # 3
This year bags of colors have been pre packaged into $ 5.00 (two Indian bags and one locally made) and $ 10.00 bags (three Indian bags and four locally made) to cut down on the long lines waiting to purchase. Individual bags will be sold as single sale items only. $ 1.00 for locally made (smaller with no fragrance) & $ 2.00 for Indian bags (larger with more vivid colors and fragrance).
The Indian bags for authenticity have been custom made, bagged, and imported at considerable cost. The ingredients of the locally made bags cost about 40 cents and hundreds if not thousands of volunteer hours went into the packaging of them. Profit is about half, which helps pay for the costs of entertainment, advertising, sound, etc. Colors are not allowed from outside for health and safety reasons, as well as the fact this is the way the temple covers its many expenses.
 
Full Course Meals
Temple after dark w crowd
Hot meals 4 pm - 8 pm
Full course hot meals will be available for $ 6.00 throughout the evening. Items may include saag paneer, matar paneer, puris, papadams, channa masala, rice pilao, dahl, hallava, etc.