The Auckland Diwali Festival 2022 at Aotea Square brought the true spirit of the festival right to the heart of Auckland CBD.
The two-day event on October 8 and 9 was another momentous one for this ethnically diverse city.
From lip-smacking food, colourful decorations to energetic entertainment, beautiful lighting and engaging fun activities, the event displayed various facets of the Indian festival of Diwali.
Thousands of people, mostly wearing ethnic Indian dresses, thronged the venue comprising three sections of the CBD: the Aotea Square Stage, the Queen Street Stage and the Street Zone Performance area adjacent to the sprawl of 40-plus food stalls on Queen Street.
The 21st anniversary of the Indian Festival of Lights started with the official ceremony around noon on Saturday (October 8), with the dignitaries on stage followed by traditional lamp lighting. Attending the official ceremony were Priyanca Radhakrishnan, NZ Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, and Associate Minister for Social Development & Employment; (now former) Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, Leader of the Opposition Christopher Luxon, Hon Consul of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon, Craig Cooper, Director, Asia New Zealand Foundation and Nick Hill, Chief Executive Officer, Tataki Auckland Unlimited.
As is the tradition, the event commenced with the prayer ceremony by Pandit Devrambhai Raval of Radha Krishna Mandir of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, who blessed the event, followed by speeches by the dignitaries on stage.
Radhakrishnan, the first Cabinet Minister of Indian origin, and this year’s inductee into the coveted Indian Weekender Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame, extended Diwali wishes to the entire community and said, "Diwali is the biggest festival in the Hindu calendar and now on Auckland calendar as well. It is lovely to celebrate it with the pomp and festivity right here.
“It is an excellent opportunity for our Indian community to celebrate this festival and share it with other communities across NZ, which is an incredibly diverse nation. We are stronger because of it. The message of the Diwali is the triumph of light over darkness and hope over fear, which holds relevance for us all, irrespective of the communities and regions."
Auckland mayor Phil Goff said that Diwali is one of the most popular festivals on Auckland city's annual calendar that gives a glimpse of India to the citizens.
"As the festival is celebrated after a break of two long years due to the pandemic, Diwali, which signifies and symbolises the victory of Good over Evil, Love over Hate, Knowledge over Ignorance and Light over Darkness, assumes a significance greater than ever," he said.
Like the previous year, this year's festivities continued with over 200 performances, including classical Indian dances, Indian folk dances, live music and band performances across two days of the event.
The food stalls were packed from noon to the moon. The delicacies at those stalls included food and snacks from almost every corner of India, such as Idly, Vada, Chhole Bhature, Samosa, Mango Lassi, Indian Masala Tea, Pineapple shake, Jalebi, Makkeki Roti, Saag, Paneer, Dhokla etc.
Sunday evening, day 2 of the event, was a high-octane time as the crowd waited for the fireworks, leaving everyone asking for more.
Rahul Chopra - One of the organisers of the Auckland Diwali, said, “It was such an incredible feeling to get the community back together. We have been waiting for this weekend for two years, and we were so pleased to see people come in huge numbers with their families. All the performers also did a fantastic job and put in months of work to perform at their full potential. Can't wait for next year."
Even the Kiwi Indian community members couldn’t stop gushing about the fun they had at the event.
One of the attendees, Radhika Gulati, said, "It was so good to celebrate Diwali with the community at Aotea Square after a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The vibe, the music, and food…everything was incredible."
Sharing the same sentiment, another attendee Hardeep Singh, who travelled especially from Hamilton to attend the event with his family, said, "I had a wonderful time at the Auckland Diwali. The festivities and celebrations truly reflected our Diwali celebrations in India. I truly enjoyed the performance by NZ police and the spectacular fireworks."
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