NEWS | FEATURES | PREVIEWS | EVENTS

Red Baraat Brings Their Festival of Colors to SOPAC

originally published: 01/25/2022

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Red Baraat brings their Festival of Colors to New Jersey for the first time ever! The 7-piece “serial party starters” (The Guardian, UK) are a pioneering band from Brooklyn, New York. Conceived by dhol player Sunny Jain, the group has drawn worldwide praise for its singular sound, a merging of hard driving North Indian bhangra with elements of hip-hop, jazz and raw punk energy. Created with no less a purposeful agenda than manifesting joy and unity in all people, Red Baraat’s spirit is worn brightly on its sweaty and hard-worked sleeve. They will come to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on Friday, March 11 at 8:00pm.

Red Baraat Festival of Colors celebrates the Hindu holiday of Holi with a colorful array of South Asian sounds. Traditionally, Holi is marked by public gatherings of families and strangers sharing songs, dance. It signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and for many, a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships. Sometime we all could use in COVID times. Red Baraat Festival of Colors debuted in 2012 at a sold out Le Poisson Rouge in New York City and it has since expanded to over a dozen cities in the United States.

Red Baraat Festival of Colors is an immersive celebration through music, dance and visuals. After presenting a multi-city annual for nine straight years that showcased South Asian artists during the Hindu holiday of Holi, Red Baraat has taken the spirit of the festival to the next level: a year round show of communal revelry that brings together what NPR has called “the best party band in years,” a montage of classic Bollywood visuals, and a fiery dancer.

Tickets are $25-$35 and available for purchase online.

Traditionally, Holi is marked by public gatherings of families and strangers sharing songs, dance and the exchange of ‘colors.’ It signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and for many, a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.

 

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

---

Red Baraat Festival of Colors debuted in 2012 at a sold out Le Poisson Rouge in New York City and then expanded to over a dozen cities in the United States. Bandleader and dhol player, Sunny Jain, curates a night of music highlighting the South Asian Diaspora through a diverse range of styles. Past festivals included DJ Rekha, Vidya Vox, Falu, Heems (Das Racist/Swet Shop Boys), Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi (a film by the late, award-winning filmmaker, Prashant Bhargava, with score by Grammy-nominated composer, Vijay Iyer) and so many more.

Red Baraat Festival of Colors is a full blown immersive experience as the band, the visuals, the dancer are like a mélange of colors, each bold on its own but commingling to form a stunning panorama.

The ever-evolving Red Baraat is a pioneering band from Brooklyn, New York. Led by dhol player Sunny Jain, the group has drawn worldwide praise for its merging of hard driving North Indian Bhangra with elements of Funk, Go-Go, Rock and raw Punk energy. Created with no less a purposeful agenda than manifesting joy and unity in all people, the band’s effortless outlook empowers their audience in a near hedonistic celebration of music and dance. “A knitted blend of poly-rhythmic panache exploring what it means to communicate music between individuals and across cultures,” states SPIN Magazine, and NPR has dubbed them “the best party band in years.”

On the heels of their 2018 album release, Sound The People, Red Baraat are very much taking their sonic signature to a new astral realm, while firmly placing it within the context of a globalized generation. NPR’s All Songs Considered called their latest release “wildly infectious, soul-grooving music.” and Stereogum said “Red Baraat delivers an explosion of sound. A frenzy of Funk, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Indian Bhangra.”

Red Baraat has released five albums prior, including 2017’s Bhangra Pirates (#4 on World Music Charts Europe), 2012’s Shruggy Ji (debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Music Charts) and their debut release in 2010, Chaal Baby, which was featured in FX TV show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Their beloved live show has crisscrossed the globe including stops at Bonnaroo, Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain), Austin City Limits, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Luxembourg Philharmonic, New York City’s iconic Bowery Ballroom and Vienna Concert House. The band has performed at the request of The White House (Obama), TED, and the Olympic Games, and they’ve been curating their multi-city Red Baraat Festival of Colors for the past 9 years, based on the Hindu holiday of Holi.

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is located at One Sopac Way in South Orange, New Jersey. Please know that SOPAC is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of our entire community and we thank you in advance for reviewing our Covid-19 Precautions & Policies when planning your visit.