Big crowds at the Diwali Festival – Wellington
Following hot on the heels of the Auckland Diwali Festival is the Diwali Festival of Lights in Wellington. Held at the TSB Bank Arena down on the Queens Wharf, India’s best loved festival will once again be returning to the capital in what promises to be another spectacular event. Kicking off at 1.30pm on Sunday 23 October, Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and the renewal of life and the festival is a huge celebration of Indian culture.
Wellington’s 15th annual Diwali Festival
This year Wellington will be celebrating Diwali for the 15th time and the festival will once again be cram packed with things to do. The event is free for all the family and is a great chance to sample the bright colours, wonderful smells and some of the spicy tastes of India. There will be something for the whole family throughout the day and the event runs through until 9.30pm where it will conclude with a spectacular and traditional fireworks display.
Traditional dancing is a big part of the Diwali Festival as seen here last year
The festival will have lots of traditional stalls selling crafts, lanterns as well as delicious Indian cuisine. Highlights of the festival, thanks to the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, include performance by Kathak dancer and Assamese film star Meghranjani Mehdi (“Lakhimi”, “Abhimani Mon’, “Tumi Dusokut Kajol Lole”), fun for kids with Rajasthani puppeteers, plus demonstrations by Gond artist Venkat Shyam and paper cutter Parth Kathekar. These star turns will make their way down from Auckland following on from the Diwali Festival to be held there the weekend prior.
See the light this Diwali
Diwali is about the triumph of light over dark
To read more about Diwali and its history, please check out our Diwali Festival Auckland blog post where you will find out more about the traditions of this wonderful festival. If you have never attended a Diwali Festival, this is the perfect opportunity to come down and explore, meet the local Indian community and try some delicious food.
For more information, you can visit the Absolutely Positively Wellington page.