Celebrate Holi in Delhi with a Local Family: Festival Experience

4.87

(23 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing that hit me was the smell of fresh masala chai drifting from the kitchen as we walked in—felt like home right away. Our hosts greeted us with big smiles and those little tilak marks on our foreheads. I remember the living room buzzing with chatter and plates of samosas and sweet gujiya making their rounds. Before we even got started, our host explained why Holi is such a big deal here—something about good winning over evil, but honestly, it’s mostly about letting loose and having fun together.

We all headed down to the apartment park, arms loaded with bags of colored powder and water balloons. Kids were already running around, their laughter echoing off the buildings. Someone handed me a bright pink cap and sunglasses—trust me, you’ll want them! The next hour was pure chaos: colors everywhere, water splashing, Bollywood hits blasting from someone’s portable speaker. I got ambushed by a group of aunties with green powder—couldn’t stop laughing. Between rounds of color fights, there were trays of jaljeera (that tangy drink) and crunchy snacks passed around. My hands were stained blue for days.

Afterwards, we changed into clean clothes (bring an extra set—you’ll need it) and sat down for lunch with the family and neighbors. It was all vegetarian—dal, sabzi, fluffy rotis—and finished off with creamy kheer for dessert. We swapped stories about past Holis while sipping more chai. Before leaving, they handed out small souvenirs—a little reminder of the day I actually felt like part of Delhi’s wildest festival.