Celebration: A Festival of the Arts and Holi, also commonly known as the Festival of Colors, will bring all things humanities to Eastern this weekend.

Celebration is “a sure sign of the return of spring,” according to the press release, which includes music, theater, food and much more.

Festival director Dan Crews said Celebration is a good event to end a long winter and begin a promising spring with. Considering how long of a winter the Eastern and Charleston community experienced, he said he believes this is the perfect excuse for people to finally get outside and enjoy themselves.

On the long list of activities of this year’s festivals, a number of bands and musical groups will perform live, one such being Charleston High School’s production “The Music Man” (7 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday).

For the first time ever, the Holi Festival is combining with Celebration. Holi is a festival of colors and “the most dynamic” Hindu festival, according to the schedule of events.

It is customary for festivalgoers to play with colors and water, creating quite a colorful atmosphere.

Admission into the festivals is free, and parking is also provided. The times of the events are subject to change.

Eastern’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and sponsors Doudna Fine Arts Center, Consolidated Communications, the City of Charleston and the EIU International Center for Global Diversity are the hosts of Celebration.

The News Staff can be reached at 581-28112 or at [email protected].