Aurora Town Square comes to life this month with bursts of colour, nostalgia

Spring is just around the corner and Aurora Town Square is ready to welcome a busy month with a huge splash of colour.

This Sunday, March 15, Aurora Town Square will host the Town's second-annual Holi Festival.

The celebration this year builds on the success of the inaugural event in 2025, expanding popular Bollywood-themed dance programs and colourful cavalcades for that were a hit with the community.

“We had incredibly positive feedback last year, so of course we wanted to bring it back again this year,” says Nichole Campsall, Cultural Development Coordinator for the Town of Aurora. “We're kicking it off with a Bollywood dance workshop hosted by Karishma, who is absolutely incredible. Because we had such a great turnout last year in the Dance Studio, we've moved it this year into the Performance Hall. From 10 a.m. to 10.45, we're all going to gather in the Performance Hall for an energetic, interactive, fun Bollywood dance workshop and then, at 10.30 a.m., we will open up activities downstairs at the Café level.”

Activities on the café level, she says, include children's crafts, a photo booth, and complimentary samosas while supplies last.

The morning of fun concludes in a spectacular fashion: colour-throwing in the outdoor square.

“Some participants who came up to us last year just mentioned that they hadn't had this type of community celebration for Holi in quite a few years, so it was a very emotional experience just to see the families together celebrating pure joy and happiness,” says Campsall. “We did see those who would traditionally celebrate Holi and there were a lot of community members who had never celebrated it before and who were dancing, colour-throwing, and just celebrating – and it was a great community experience.”

The celebratory atmosphere will continue on Saturday, March 21, when generations will be thrilled to spend the day with Sharon Hampson of the iconic music group Sharon, Lois & Bram.

Hampson will be hosted jointly by Aurora Town Square and the Aurora Public Library.

A family-friendly Storybook Singalong and Meet and Greet with Sharon, her daughter Randi, and grandson Ethan will take place at 10.30 a.m. in the Aurora Public Library. There, Hampson will also host a book signing before taking the Performance Hall stage at 2 p.m. in conversation with Andrew Applebaum of the Toronto Legends podcast.

“We're so thrilled to be able to partner with the Library on this, another very important community partner that we just collaborate with at every opportunity,” says Campsall. “We know that certainly Sharon, Lois and Bram will resonate amazing childhood memories with so many members of our community. I definitely watched Sharon, Lois and Bram and listened to the music – everybody knows The Elephant Show! This is a great opportunity, not only for those of us in the generation that has those special childhood memories, but also for us to share it with our children. I think there's a really special nostalgia to that.

“We're just so excited that this opportunity came to us and really excited to see the community come out, the questions that they have and how it all kind of comes together. We're very lucky that this opportunity came to us. We're very excited.”

The Aurora Public Library is not the only community partnership that will take centre-stage this month.

On Thursday, March 19, the Aurora Museum & Archives will join forces with the Aurora Historical Society to host Toronto's Lost Shipwreck, a presentation by Heison Chak.

“Uncover the hidden history resting beneath Lake Ontario,” say organizers. “This presentation explores the four pillars of exploration through the recent rediscovery of a 200-year-old schooner in Toronto. Discover how modern technology and local research bring maritime heritage to life—showing that world-class discovery can begin right close to home.”

For a full roster of March programs at Aurora Town Square, as well as ticketing and registration information, visit aurora.ca/whatson.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter