It has come to my attention that the Holi Festival of Colors was asked to move to another venue next year from West Stadium park because the “neighbors have complained”? I live in Ogden and find this festival to be an uplifting and positive event for Ogden, with delightful music, performances, culture and wellness classes like yoga. Unlike the Pioneer Days Rodeo that occupies this neighborhood for a week every year, the coordinators of the Color Festival always clean up after themselves, there is no drug or alcohol use, and the park looks clean afterwards.

The rodeo on the other hand is noisy, disruptive, makes it so residents cannot get into their driveways, shreds the grass at West Stadium Park, leaving tire treads in the grass, makes it so our children cannot play at the park, leaves an insane amount of trash in the gutters, yards, sidewalks, park and river walkway and there is overt drug use and drunken drivers and hecklers in the streets and neighborhood all around children. So I find it very hard to believe that the neighbors are complaining about the Color Festival which is demonstrably less disruptive and more positive.

I hope that this is not being driven by religious intolerance and ethnic discrimination. My understanding is that they are asking the Color Festival to move because a neighbor complained about it disturbing our neighborhood. However, given that the reason for asking them to find a new location is that it’s disruptive is ridiculous given that the rodeo causes far more destruction, noise pollution, etc. It is fine that the rodeo comes to our neighborhood, but it’s far more destructive and disturbing than the Color Festival, therefore it leads me to believe that they are being asked to find a new location because of religious intolerance and ethnic discrimination. That would be unfortunate if that were the case. 

I would like to keep the Color Festival at West Stadium Park in Ogden as it brings a positive, good message and healthy, wellness classes to Ogden.

Thank you for your time,