Duvall schedules Holi festival at Depot Park; city to host 'Show Your Pride' art gallery in Visitor Center

City staff announced plans for two spring events during the Cultural Commission meeting on Feb. 24: a Holi spring festival to be hosted at Depot Park in partnership with local Hindu community members, and a city-led “Show Your Pride” art gallery at the Visitor Center that would display community-created artwork during the summer.

The announcements came during staff reports when City staff described ongoing conversations with Hindu organizations that have educational display materials and are helping to shape the planned Holi festival. Staff said the Depot Park site is the intended location and that details — including programming such as a DJ and food vendors — were still being finalized. "We are in communication with some of our Hindu community members and Hindu organizations, and we are planning a Holi festival," a staff member said during the meeting.

Commissioners discussed how the city event should relate to nonprofit-run Pride activities. Staff said some local nonprofits asked not to duplicate the large, day-long Pride events they organize; the city wants to provide recognition without taking resources or public attention away from those groups. To balance visibility and calendar congestion, staff proposed several scheduling options, including a show that spans mid-May through mid-June or a single-day community art-creation event followed by an extended exhibition.

Commissioners and staff settled on a tentative approach: hold a day of community creation around May 10 (the commission discussed May 10 as a likely date) and display submitted or created works in the Visitor Center through Duval Days. One staff member noted that holding the exhibit across May and June would keep artwork visible during Duval Days and would ease logistics: "From a logistics point, it's way easier for us to manage something in May," staff said.

Staff said the city — not the Cultural Commission itself — would handle setup and management of the Visitor Center gallery. Commissioners volunteered ideas for exhibit elements, including a historical display about LGBTQ+ rights, hands-on art-making stations for visitors and children, and signage explaining the events. A commissioner suggested splitting visibility across May and June to avoid overloading performers and vendors in Pride Month and to ensure visibility during Duval Days.

Next steps: staff will finalize details with the Hindu groups and notify the commission when a date and programming are set. Staff also proposed a call for artists and a one-day art-creation event on or near May 10 with continuing submissions accepted through the exhibition period. Commissioners were asked to send suggestions by email if they could not provide input at the meeting.