Redmond Senator Wins Diwali State Recognition as Holi Festival Returns to City Hall

Washington state's South Asian community secured two significant civic milestones in early 2026. State Senator Manka Dhingra of Redmond shepherded Senate Bill 6044 through the Washington State Senate, formally recognizing Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas as non-legal state holidays. Weeks later, Holi celebrations were confirmed for communities across the Seattle area, with a Festival of Color event at Redmond City Hall organized in partnership with the city.

🗳️ Washington Senate Passes Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas Recognition Bill

The Washington State Senate passed Senate Bill 6044, legislation formally recognizing Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas as non-legal state holidays, with Sen. Manka Dhingra of Redmond serving as the prime sponsor. Dhingra framed the bill as a statement about belonging and recognition for Washington's Indian American community. "Recognizing these important holidays is about belonging," Dhingra said. "This bill is about acknowledging our state's religious and cultural diversity and making sure our Indian American community feels seen, respected, and celebrated." Diwali, widely known as the Festival of Lights, is observed by more than a billion people worldwide, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, and marks the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, symbolized by the lighting of lamps. Sikhs observe the same day as Bandi Chhor Divas, which commemorates liberation and reflects values of courage, justice, and selfless leadership. Both observances fall on the new moon day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik, typically between October and November each year. Co-sponsor Sen. Vandana Slatter of Bellevue noted that growing up, she never saw Diwali recognized on school calendars. "Today, we helped change that. This bill doesn't just add a holiday to the calendar. It recognizes Indian Americans and their traditions as part of our shared civic life," Slatter said. Washington state already recognizes Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha as non-legal holidays, making this expansion a continuation of a broader trend toward inclusive civic recognition. [1]

🎉 Holi Color Festival Returns to Redmond City Hall and Seattle Region

Communities across the greater Seattle area were scheduled to celebrate Holi with a series of color festivals featuring music, dance, food, and family activities in early spring 2026. The Northwest Asian Weekly reported that the first major event, called the Festival of Color, was scheduled for Sunday, March 8, at Redmond City Hall, organized in partnership with the City of Redmond. Holi is widely known as the Hindu festival of colors and is celebrated annually at the onset of spring, carrying deep cultural and religious significance for South Asian communities in India, Nepal, and across the global diaspora. Typically observed in March, the festival celebrates love and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation, encouraging participants to embrace the positive and let go of negative energy as the new season begins. Among Holi's most recognizable traditions, celebrants dressed in all white gather in public spaces to throw brightly colored powders at one another, leaving behind a vivid kaleidoscope of pigments. Music, dancing, and food are central features of the celebrations that follow the powder throwing. The March 8 event at Redmond City Hall was among several Holi-related events planned across the Seattle metropolitan area for the 2026 spring season, reflecting the growing visibility and civic mainstreaming of South Asian cultural traditions in western Washington, particularly in communities like Redmond with substantial South Asian populations. [2]

Sources: [1] Washington Senate Democrats (.gov) · [2] Northwest Asian Weekly