Holi 2026 ads that added emotions to the festival of colours

Holi kab hai? Kab hai Holi? That was the question up until this morning, in group chats, at office desks, and probably in the heads of a few social media managers too. Should you go to that pre-planned Holi event today, or hold off and celebrate the festival of colours tomorrow?

The confusion was real. The calendar said one thing, the colony said another.

But while the rest of us were busy figuring out our plans, brands had already made theirs. Marico's Parachute, McDowell's Soda, Surf Excel and many others did not wait for the date to settle. They dropped their Holi campaigns early, and most of them went beyond just splashing colour on a screen.

Parachute released ‘Na na wali nahi, nariyal wali holi’ with an ad film showing women running into a sea of colour, not carefully, not hesitantly, but all in. The idea behind it was straightforward: Holi is a festival you should be able to enjoy without worrying about your other priorities that day. 

Surf Excel took a different route. Their film this year carries the line, 'Jo Daag Duriyaan Mitade, Woh Daag Acche Hain.' The story builds around small moments at Holi where one person reaches out to another, across the kind of distances that do not show up on a map.

The film showed children playing with colours in their society, while some other kids kept watching and wanting to join the celebration, but could’t beacuase of the unseen walls of society. While a child’s innocence does not believe such walls, the children in the society brought the kids outside to celebrate the festival with them.

The brand has been telling versions of this story for years now, and this one keeps that thread going, that a stain from Holi is only worth it if it comes from a moment that meant something.

Meanwhile, Dabur Real and Allen chose to release musicals for the festival with its campaign.

Here is a look at some of the Holi campaigns that brands put out this season, and what made them stand out.

Surf Excel

Parachute

Allen

House of McDowell's Soda

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Siyaram's

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Medusa

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Dabur Real

Did you come across any other campaigns around Holi? If yes, then share it with us at content@socialsamosa.com or post it in the comments section below.