Holi at Redmond City Hall, Indian Food Production Space Leased, and BAPS Marks Diwali at State Capitols
Redmond and the greater Seattle area are home to a thriving South Asian community whose presence is felt from city hall festivals to food manufacturing corridors to the steps of state government — three stories this week capture that breadth.
🎉 Holi Color Festival Comes to Redmond City Hall as Seattle Area Celebrates Spring
Holi, the Hindu festival of colors marking the arrival of spring, is being celebrated across the Seattle metropolitan area in 2026 with a series of public events, including a major celebration at Redmond City Hall organized in partnership with the City of Redmond. The Festival of Color at Redmond City Hall was scheduled for Sunday, March 8, running from noon to 5 p.m. and featuring music, dance performances, food vendors, and the signature tradition of throwing colored powders in a joyful expression of renewal and community. Organizers required advance registration for entry and raffle participation, but admission was free. Additional Holi events in the region included Holi: The Colors Festival 2026 – United, hosted by Beats of Washington on March 14 at Crossroads Park in Bellevue. Northwest Asian Weekly, which covered the seasonal roundup, described Holi as a celebration of love, rebirth, and the release of negative energy — rooted in Hindu religious tradition and observed across South Asia and the global diaspora each spring. The participation of Redmond's city government as a co-organizer of the Festival of Color reflects the growing civic recognition of South Asian cultural traditions in the Eastside's increasingly diverse communities, where Indian Americans represent one of the largest and fastest-growing demographic groups. [3]
🏢 Indian Food Maker Leases Commercial Production Space in Redmond
An Indian food manufacturer has secured a lease for commercial production space in Redmond, Washington, according to reporting by the Puget Sound Business Journal, signaling continued growth in South Asian food production and distribution businesses in the greater Seattle market. The Eastside has seen sustained demand for Indian and South Asian food products driven by a large and affluent Indian American population concentrated in Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, and adjacent communities — many of them employed at major technology firms headquartered in the area. Commercial kitchen and production facilities capable of supporting the scale needed for retail, foodservice, and e-commerce distribution have become increasingly sought after by ethnic food entrepreneurs looking to move beyond home-based or commissary kitchen operations. The leasing of dedicated production space represents a meaningful step in the formalization and growth of an Indian food business serving the Pacific Northwest's South Asian community and beyond. The Puget Sound Business Journal's coverage of the transaction reflects broader regional interest in the food manufacturing sector as a growth area, with South Asian cuisine among the fastest-expanding categories in specialty food retail nationally. [4]
🪔 BAPS Seattle Joins National Diwali Celebrations at State Capitols Across America
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha's Seattle chapter, based in Redmond at 15440 NE 95th Street, participated in the national Diwali at State Capitols initiative in October 2025, joining BAPS communities across the United States in bringing the festival of lights to the symbolic heart of state governance. The event, held on October 26, 2025, was part of a coordinated BAPS effort to mark Diwali with celebrations that emphasize service, light, and community at state capitol buildings nationwide — a tradition that has grown into one of the most visible expressions of Hindu American civic participation in the country. BAPS communities across the US used the occasion to share the cultural and spiritual significance of Diwali with elected officials, government staff, and the general public, positioning the festival as a celebration of values — the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and community over isolation — that resonate across cultural lines. The Seattle-area BAPS congregation, which has maintained an active presence in Redmond for many years, continues to be a pillar of the local Hindu community, hosting regular religious programs, youth exams, and cultural celebrations that serve thousands of South Asian families across the Eastside. [5]
Sources: [3] Northwest Asian Weekly · [4] The Business Journals · [5] baps.org