THOUSANDS of Hindus in Berkshire came together at The Atrium Health Club to celebrate one of the religion’s most important annual festivals.
Put on by the Reading Indian Community, Saturday’s Holi Milan proved to be a hit once again, with organisers even successfully negotiating a last-minute venue change.
The afternoon culminated in the traditional throwing of colours, a celebration of the beginning of spring and the spreading of love and happiness.
Volunteer Sanjay Singh said: “It was a wonderful, wonderful event. More than 2,000 people attended and it was good to see so many of the local and Indian community come together.
“The objective was to bring everyone together and expose people to the culture – we were delighted to see so many secondary school students and teenagers.
“We had a last minute hiccup, and at one point in time we were thinking we might have to postpone it, but we were able to pull it off.
“We would like to thank the [Atrium Health Club] manager, Josh, for accommodating the event at the very last minute and all the support he and his team provided.”
Organisers were informed on Thursday that the original venue at Reading Cricket Club was out of action following inclement weather. Thankfully, they were able to find a new venue at short notice.
Visitors enjoyed live cultural performances, such as live Bhangra dancing, Bollywood and Punjabi music and dhol drumming.
Among the attendees was Mayor of Wokingham, Cllr Caroline Smith, who was on-hand to soak in the festivities.
