TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The proceeds from the annual "Indian Holi Taipei" festival, which will be held at a riverside park in New Taipei on Saturday (April 10), will be donated to a relief fund for victims of the Hualien train derailment.

The festival, hosted by Bhartiya Kar-Seva Mandali Taiwan (BKMT), is titled "Indian Holi Festival Taipei 2021." It will take place at New Taipei City's Green River Park (綠光河岸公園) near the Dingxi MRT station on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In the wake of the deadly derailment of the Taroko Express No. 408 in Hualien last Friday (April 2), the organizers of this year's event will be donating all proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships to a government relief fund for the victims and their family members.

Children under the age of three can get in for free, and kids over that age but under 100 cm in height will be admitted at half price. Tickets are NT$450 and will include an Indian vegetarian lunch, bottled water, snacks, beverage, and colored paints.

The Holi is a "festival of colors" where participants throw colored dye and powder at each other. The festival is normally held in March but was delayed a couple of weekends due to smaller Holi celebrations held in other parts of Taiwan as well as the Tomb Sweeping Festival.

The local Indian community has been organizing Holi since 2012 on a non-profit basis to bring the community together with the idea that "We are one world," similar to the splashing of colors that blurs cultural and ethnic differences. According to the organizers, the use of the auspicious colors marks the beginning of a new season and the victory of good over evil.

This event will not use any colored powders, as these are no longer permitted in Taiwan. Organic, non-flammable, non-toxic, water-based paints that wash off easily will be distributed evenly in packets to each participant.

For more information, visit the official Facebook page for the Indian Holi Festival Taipei 2021.