Crowds gathered at Spinney Hill Park yesterday (Monday, March 2) to celebrate Holi, marking 51 years since the festival was first held at the site – but organisers said the milestone was overshadowed by disappointment over the lack of fire service support.
More than 3,000 people attended the annual celebration in Leicester, many travelling from outside the city to take part in the vibrant festival of colour, music and community spirit.
Picture credit: Pukaar News
The event is organised each year by Shree Hindu Temple and Community Centre, which has led the celebrations since they began in 1975.
Shital Adatia president of the temple, said the festival remains a powerful symbol of unity and renewal.
“Today is Holi at Spinney Hill Park – it’s the 51st anniversary that we’re celebrating Holi here. We started back in 1975. It brings the community together; it marks the end of winter and the start of spring,” he said.
“The temple puts on this event year in, year out and we should be grateful for our ancestors who started this back in 1975. We are lucky enough that we’ve been given the privilege to carry this forward for them.”
Picture credit: Pukaar News
However, this year’s event came with unexpected challenges. For the first time in five decades, organisers said Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service did not attend to help extinguish the traditional bonfire.
“Obviously we have to put applications in to the council – do risk assessments and site plans – and we’ve been doing that year in, year out,” Mr Adatia said. “Unfortunately this year Leicester Fire Brigade have decided not to support us to douse out the fire after supporting us for 50 years, which is a shame for the community.”
The fire service cited “operational needs” as the reason for its absence.
“They’ve put it down to operational needs, which have been there for the last 50 years,” he added.
Despite the setback, organisers secured support from a private company, which volunteered to assist with fire safety on the day.
“Where there is a will there’s a way. We have found a private company who’s going to come out and assist us on a voluntary basis,” Mr Adatia said.
The celebration continued with traditional rituals, music and the throwing of coloured powders, as families and young volunteers ensured the long-standing tradition endured.
Picture credit: Pukaar News
“Young people will carry on this tradition most definitely,” he said. “The people living around the surrounding areas here have come in with younger generations. You can see our volunteer base are youngsters and they are the future for us – for us and our temple going forward.”
As clouds of bright pinks, yellows and blues filled the air, Mr Adatia added: “It’s very colourful – and happy Holi to you too.”
Responding to organisers disappointment over their absense, Chief Fire Officer Callum Faint explained that as an emergency service, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service must always prioritise emergency response and public safety – something they are “uncompromising on and very proud of.”
“We recognise the cultural and community significance of Holi celebrations, as we do for many community events and celebrations across LLR, and have a proud history of supporting many events in our area, and we wish to continue with positive engagement wherever it can be done safely, lawfully and sustainably,” he added.
“However, the specific request for our Service to extinguish pre-planned festival fires presents challenges, as attending these pre-planned events removes our crews and fire engines from emergency availability, and risks delayed response times should emergencies occur elsewhere.
“This would set a difficult precedence of providing event fire cover that we would not be able to safely replicate for other public or privately organised events and is not what a publicly funded emergency service is for.
“Pre-planned events are the responsibility of event organisers, and they should on all occasions provide robust measures to control and extinguish pre-planned fires at all such events without the need and reliance on emergency services, taking us away from our statutory duties of providing an emergency service to our community.
“We have sought to engage with local partners and community leaders on this matter, to seek appropriate control measures to these events, and remain open and willing to engage with all affected groups but in doing so will not favour any event at the expense of continual community safety.”
