The Indian Social and Cultural Club, Christchurch (ISCC) hosted a mega Diwali celebration in North Hagley Park in Christchurch on October 22 . Large crowds, drawn from the Kiwi Indian community and the wider public, thronged the venue.
Diwali has emerged as one of the most significant events on New Zealand's ethnic calendar, with major celebrations marking the festival across various cities of New Zealand. The recent expansion of the Indian community in Christchurch has helped the annual festival reach massive proportions.
Preparations at Entertainment Triangle, North Hagley Park, started a few days ago with the setting up of a grand stage and marques. The excitement in the community was palpable to have the festival back.
Covid had led to a year-long hiatus for the Christchurch Diwali festival. Over 20,000 people attended the 2020 edition.
Families began to arrive at the location around 1 p.m., marking the beginning of the festival. People were kept busy by different food and trade stalls in the venue. The first stall to get really busy was the face-painting booth which had kids lining up to have their faces painted.
The festival was officially inaugurated with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and dignitaries highlighting the significance of the festival and the diversity of Christchurch city in their brief addresses.
Some of the dignitaries who attended were Minister of Conservation and Disability Issues and MP for Chch East, Poto Williams; MP for Christchurch Central, Duncan Webb; MP for Banks Peninsula Tracey McLellan; MP for ACT Party, Toni Severin; MP for Ilam, Sarah Pallett; MP for Labour Party, Dan Rosewarne; John Daunton and Li Ying Cai from Police; Events, Partnerships and Development Advisor Christchurch City Council, Sina Mulitalo; and Community Board members Shirish Paranjpe.
The food stands opened at 2:00 p.m., and a large crowd lined up to eat. Some of the city's most popular restaurants had their stalls set up, offering the best of Indian street food.
Bikanerwala's Pao Bhaji was particularly popular, with people waiting in long queues.
The venue filled up by 5.30 p.m. as cultural performances started on the stage with Ganesh Pooja. The ISCC had lined up 24 dazzling performances, including Bharatnatyam, Bhangra, Bollywood, Latin, a Bangla traditional dance, Jazz, and Hip Hop. The acts encompassed the whole spectrum of Indian culture. Emcees Monty and Krish added to the fun with their unique style.
After a dazzling 5-minute fireworks at 9.30 p.m., the crowds broke into a frenzy of dancing on the Bhangra beats before dispersing.
Preparation and planning for the event were on for many months and there is no doubt that the success of this festival is due to the ISCC team led by Monty and Anshu, alongside other young, dynamic members supervised by an experienced team.
Summing up, ISCC president Monty said: "A big thanks to all who attended the event, the sponsors, the supporters, the stall holders, the production team and thanks to my team for putting in countless hours to make sure the event is well planned and successful."