The Colour Trail is coming back to Dorset Adventure Park on Saturday the 10th of August. This will be the fifth year of the Colour Trail at Dorset Adventure Park, which has proven so popular that some of the sessions are selling out already! Running every hour from 10am through to 3pm, each session lasts up to two hours as you battle your way through 50 obstacles, wade through the mud and for one day only, get absolutely covered in colour too! With six colour stations positioned along the trail, participants will be gleefully chucked with clouds of colour. These clouds of colour are completely non toxic and are not harmful to the environment – crucial considerations for an outdoor waterpark set in the beautiful Purbeck woodlands and surrounded by the picturesque scenery, the local countryside and the stunning Corfe Castle. This year, the spectacular colour trail will be using 200 kg of powder paint, in 8 different colours. The powder paint for the clouds of colour is made from 99 % cornstarch and 1 % food grade dyes. For this extra special annual event, ticket prices are £15 for adults and £12 for children (under 16’s). Click here to book your tickets.
There is something euphoric about becoming immersed in an explosion of colour. It is almost as if it is a physical manifestation of joy and the ultimate act of playfulness. It could be argued that inspiration for events like the Colour Trail, the global Colour Run and even the trend for colour smoke bombs at weddings, originated in the Holi – the Hindu festival of love, colour and spring. Known as the ‘festival of colours’, where crowds of people of all ages gather and celebrate by throwing coloured water and smearing paint on each other. The images of this festival have been famous around the world and what stands out amongst the kaleidoscopic waves of rainbows of colour in these photos, is the ecstatic expressions of joy on everyone’s faces. Holi, amongst other things, celebrates the mischievous Hindu god Krishna and isa time for fun, practical jokes and embracing playfulness. That is certainly the spirit of the Colour Trail at Dorset Adventure Park, where families and friends can literally get stuck into the fun!
Colours have carried different symbolic meanings for centuries. The same colours, however, can hold different meanings in different cultures. We may not think that colour-theory or the symbolic meanings of colours has much significance in modern western society but as soon as it is time for the wedding season or to decorate a house or even just for Christmas, the symbolism and associations we ascribe to different colours still hold strong. In western culture brides traditionally and typically wear white to a wedding. This long standing tradition is rooted in the desire for brides to be ‘pure’ and throughout western history, white is the colour we associate with purity. In Hindu culture, it is not a bride who wears white but a widow and whereas in western culture we wear black to funerals, in Hindu culture, they will traditionally wear white. However, both cultures associate the colour white with “purity, peace, and spirituality”.
Instead of white, Indian brides traditionally wear vivid saffron red. Writer Neha Tandon explains for Bride magazine, “within Indian culture, everything deemed significant has a meaningful symbol, and colour is no exception to this rule. More specifically, yellow, orange, white, and green all have powerful symbols attached to them, with red being the most prominent hue.” In this culture red is regarded as an auspicious colour. Sisters and designers Niki and Ritika Shamdasani revealed how, “In our culture, it means new beginnings, passion, and prosperity. Red also represents the Hindu goddess Durga, who symbolises new beginnings and feminine power.”
The colour purple is still associated with royalty in western culture and is a tradition that stems back to ancient Rome. Purple dye was such a rare commodity that it became worth its weight in gold. Only the wealthiest could afford to be covered in this exclusive colour but even when citizens could afford it, the right to wear purple was only granted to emperors and a stripe of purple for senior senators and senior magistrates. Even today, in the UK the coronation crown worn by all monarchs is purple and sits on a purple velvet cushion.
Green in many cultures symbolises new life, nature and growth. The currency of American dollars is printed green because according to the U.S Bureau of Printing and engraving, the colour green was associated with stability.
Colours at Holi festival clearly have significance but most significant of all is the explosive blending of the colours until they become new colours, new experiences and in that shared experience, given a whole new meaning.
Whether you want to immerse yourself in the brown mud, anoint yourself in regal purple or feel yourself invigorated and jubilant by bursts of saffron reds and yellows, the colour trail is waiting to celebrate with you.
If blue is your favourite colour, then enjoy diving into the blue waters of the two lakes and taking leaps of faith and joy across the colourful inflatable obstacles. Afterall, everyday is like a festival of mischief and fun at Dorset Adventure Park.
