Location: 9 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YL
Date & Time: 12th March 2016 at 7.30pm
Cost: £8 each
Cinnamon Kitchen Website

Sooo this was an exciting new experience…. before we get into the nitty gritty of this colourful event, we’ll give you a little background info 😊. Holi is the spring Hindu festival of colours also known as Dol, Dol-Jatra or Hola Mohalla. It’s usually a two day event in remembrance of Holika Dahan and is celebrated in India on the full moon day of Falguna (Fagun) according to the Indian lunar calendar. The social celebration entails rubbing organic coloured powder on faces and other body parts, as well as splashing (more like throwing) colour at each other. If you do a quick Google search you’ll see a number of beautifully coloured images as well as a fare few action shots of people dancing.

We found this event in the Timeout,  it was only available for a short period from 4th March to 12th March, so it was good that we spotted the ad when we did. We decided to go on  a Saturday evening as most of the days were fully booked.  A little  weaving and bobbing was required to find the location but once we got close to the action, the music and colour powder was a dead give away. In actual fact, we got  there a little late and as we arrived we could see that every one was suited in their protective gear, armed  with an assortment of coloured powder and ready to go!

We headed to the main entrance of the restaurant where were greeted by two really friendly members of staff. They took our names and hurried us along  to ensure that we didn’t miss the fun. Getting into the one size fits all,  white perforated cloth onsie was an experience all on it’s own. We had to try and steady ourselves, placing a leg in at a time and being extra careful not to get the powder residue left on the floor on our clothes ( after you watch our video and look through the pics you will see why being careful was pointless.)

Here are some pics to share some of our experience with you. 

As soon as it got going, all you could see was dust, dust and even more dust. You could taste it on your tongue and it did’t stop there! It got in your nose, eyes and  even ears, it was literally everywhere. You’re probably thinking but Nifesi, Maria weren’t you wearing body suits??? -… well yes we were but it actually served no purpose at all, apart from giving a false sense of hope that your clothes would be protected.

Now,  when it comes to the art of powder throwing, we have learned that you have to move quickly. We were still trying to get our bearings when coloured powder started hitting us from left and right.

To help create the perfect atmosphere, the organisers had Indian music playing throughout the tent, so in addition to no vision, all other sense were also hindered. All these different elements added to the overall  colourful experience. Everyone was super friendly. There was lots of laughter and smiling as we danced in this dark tent bumping into one another.

Holi in the City created the perfect moment to let loose, jump around for no reason and be colourful.  The session lasted 30 minutes and to be honest, any longer than that in the dark tent with more powder might cause you breathing problems haha.

To top off this experience, looking like 5 year olds who had just had an arts and crafts session,  we walked around Shoreditch to grab a bite to eat. The stares that we got were hilarious but  only one person was brave enough to ask about our colourful appearance.

Overall experience rating:  

We have told, now it’s time for YOU to tell…Please let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below.

Until our next post continue to Taste, Experience, Laugh and Live life to the absolute fullest.
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