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For more than 20 years, the Indo-Caribbean and Hindi community in New York City has been celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, with a huge Phagwah Parade and a day of activities. This year, the community in Queens, NY brought together an estimated 20,000 people to commemorate the day. It was a colorful event!
The day began on 133th St. and Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY. Parade goers marched down Liberty Ave and ended at Smokey Oval Park where a stage was set up and the park designated for throwing colorful mixtures of powders and liquids. Many attendees dress in white to start, but they don't end that way.
The festival is a fun-filled day of raucous activities.
As soon as we got to Richmond Hill, Queens, it was clear today was no ordinary day.
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Parade goers prepare to march.
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Revelers dance alongside floats.
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And drummers drum.
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And there are lots of cymbals.
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It can get very loud and lots of people were using ear plugs.
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It can even be too much for some to handle.
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Many groups ride in floats.
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Where they cheer.
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Others walk along the route, many in elaborate, traditional outfits.
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But the day is all about getting colorful and everywhere people are throwing powders and dyes.
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But you have to get them open first.
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Everyone gets covered.
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Baby Powder is a popular way to cover people.
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And some will fill old spray bottles with dye.
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Watchers stay on the side of the street.
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At points the crowds got very big.
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This woman is reaching in for some colored powder as confetti falls around here.
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Meanwhile on the ground things are getting wild.
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Don't worry, she gets her revenge.
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People embrace as they see family and friends.
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People watch from everywhere.
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Everyone gets covered, young and old.
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These kids got their fill!
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But with all the powder you need to be careful and sometimes need to clean it off.
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These girls pose before getting back into the revelry.
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As friends meet they dose each other in baby powder.
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It is why everyone ends up looking like this.
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As the parade ends people enter the park.
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There is a stage set up for performances and speeches later on.
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And now everyone is getting colorful.
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And plenty of non-community members participate in the fun.
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But at the end of the day, it can tough to get clean.
Daniel Goodman / Business Insider
This guy was smacking his head to get some of the powder off.
