Phagwah Parade

Phagwah, or Holi, is the Indo-Caribbean Hindu celebration of the new year. Every spring, the Sunday after the first full moon of the Hindu calendar is when this celebration takes place. If you are here with your Queens car rental at that time, you too can enjoy this festival, you just need to find out when it happens in the year you are visiting.

What is Phagwah?

Phagwah is the celebration of Holi, which is a Hindu festival. Immigrants from Guyana and Trinidad brought the tradition with them and started making a big party of it in 1990. Indians went to the Caribbean as indentured laborers in the 19th and early 20th century and the tradition caught on. The parade is similar to other parades with floats that carry people from the community through the parade route.

What happens?

When you are here during Phagwah with your Queens rental, you will find that the streets re filled with kids and adults that color each other with a special dye and powder that symbolizes chasing away the winter grays. The Phagwah Parade in Richmond Hill in Queens is the biggest of its kind in North America with up to 25,000 people joining in on the fun.

Beware!

Dye will get splattered from the floats when you are here, and even if you stand back on the sidewalk to observe, there is a chance that you will get spots on your clothes. When you are here with your Queens car rental, make sure to wear something you don't mind getting stained.

Where is it?

You will need to check out when the parade will happen in the year that you are here, but it happens in early March. The parade starts at Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street in Richmond Hill. It moves west on Liberty, then north on 123rd Street, then east on 95th Avenue, where it makes its way to Smokey Oval Park at 125th Street. There are music and cultural performances that take place at Smokey Oval Park after the parade. The celebration ends at 6 p.m. so get there early with your car rental Queens.

Where to eat

When you are here with your rental car Queens, you may get hungry. Why not try some of the Indo-Caribbean food that you are celebrating. Singh's on Liberty Avenue has a view of the parade. This is a cafeteria-style diner where you can adjust the spice levels of the food you are eating. Not far from here is Sandy's Roti on Liberty Avenue and Anil's Roti. This is a great place to try roti, which is an Indian flatbread that is generally served with curry. For a light snack, you may want to try Trini Delite or Windies, where you will find the fluffiest rotis in the area.

Parade rules

There are a few rules that apply when you visit with your Queens car rental. You are not allowed to drink alcohol at the parade. There are many restaurants in the area where you can grab a drink after. Powers and dyes are supposed to be restricted to Smokey Oval Park and the formation point. Only religious songs should be sung and no political banners are allowed.

When you are here with your Queens car rental, you will find that the Phagwah Parade is a great place to learn about another culture while you have fun. This is a great festival that is designed to usher out winter and welcome the spring. But make sure you wear something that you don't mind getting stained as there are dyes used in the parade and you may fall victim to getting sprayed!

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