Auckland Diwali Festival has grown to become New Zealand's premier Indian cultural festival, showcasing traditional and contemporary Indian culture
With a large Indian community spread across various parts of New Zealand, Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated across the entire country. However, the biggest celebration in the country takes place in the largest city, Auckland, located in the northern fringe of North Island.
Over 60,000 persons attend the Auckland Diwali festival every year, which showcases not only traditional Indian heritage, but also the contemporary New Zealand Indian culture. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic, the festival could not be held after 2019 and hence this year, the festival staged a massive comeback, with tens of thousands turning up again in various parts of the city to celebrate the festival.
The highlight of this year’s celebrations, held earlier in October, was the enthusiastic participation by two stars of the Black Caps, Kyle Jamieson and Tom Blundell. The celebrations featured bright lights, energetic dance performances, incredible Indian delicacies and spectacular fireworks on the concluding evening.
The highlight of this year’s celebrations was the enthusiastic participation by two stars of the Black Caps, Kyle Jamieson and Tom Blundell
The Auckland Diwali Festival is produced by the region’s cultural and economic agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, on behalf of Auckland Council. Amongst other key organisations involved in the festival are Asia New Zealand Foundation and The Diwali Advisory Group, a representative body of Auckland’s Indian communities.
Over the past two decades, the Auckland Diwali Festival has grown to become New Zealand’s premier Indian cultural festival, showcasing traditional and contemporary Indian culture and Auckland’s diverse Indian communities.
The main celebrations take place in various spots of Auckland, notably at Aotea Square, Queen Street and Bledisloe Lane. As thousands of people watched, several dance performances were held over two days, representing a range of styles on three different stages. Live music performances and numerous contests and competitions were also part of the festival. A large range of Indian delicacies, with special Diwali flavor, are an important part of the Auckland Diwali.
On October 9, the festivities concluded on a high note with a sparkling display of fireworks from the Aotea Centre rooftop.
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