Auckland’s Diwali Festival: biggest celebrations in Indian diaspora calendar
This year the traditional Auckland Diwali Festival, which is celebrated at Aotea Square, will enter into its sixteenth consecutive year of celebrations.
This is certainly the biggest public event in the calendar of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand along with being the biggest public festival in the events calendar of Auckland Council.
Like many other places around the world, the festival of Diwali has gradually moved from the relatively private sphere of ritual and performance within the Indian community to a public display and outward celebration in New Zealand as well.
The festival has certainly played a crucial role in helping the Kiwi-Indian community in establishing itself as a culturally vibrant group and in reinforcing its cultural identity in New Zealand.
The sheer numbers of visitors, performers and patrons coming to this festival could easily put it in the league of being one of the biggest Diwali celebrations in the Oceania region, if not in the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Within the Asia-Pacific region, this festival would only be outnumbered by festivals in North America, particularly one at the New York City’s iconic Times Square.
The Times Square event currently claims the honours of being the largest Diwali celebration outside of India.
To that end, our Auckland festival beats the one in Times Square in history and antiquity as it is in its 16th consecutive year as opposed to the 5th edition of the event in Times Square, plus Auckland’s Diwali festival is organised in our own iconic Aotea Square.
Added to this is the elegant presence of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition of the country, along with Mayor of the country’s biggest city together at the Auckland Diwali Festival, which probably Times Square event cannot match yet.
This is a testimony to both, Auckland’s credentials as a vibrant multi-cultural global city and the relative position of strength of the Indian diaspora within the broader socio-cultural milieu of the host city that is Auckland in this case.
Moreover, Auckland’s Aotea square is no less iconic than New York’s Times Square.
Aotea Square is a large paved public area in the CBD, of Auckland, New Zealand which was officially opened in 1979 by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson next to Queen Street and reworked in November 2010 to make it appropriate for use by crowds of up to 20,000 people.
If that is the capacity of Aotea Square then probably we are very near to a stage where we can hear that Auckland Diwali Festival has outgrown the Aotea Square as the official numbers from last year suggest that about 25,000 people were in attendance at one particular time for a total of about 50,000 crowds over the two day festival.
These numbers are certainly big numbers for a country of the size of New Zealand, both in terms of territory and population.
Talking about population reminds us of the panic set by some elite commentators in mainstream media, who seemingly got scared at the changing face of New Zealand at a visit to a department store last weekend.
Probably they might need to come out of Kmart’s self-service island and visit Auckland Diwali Festival this weekend (a better use of time as well), and see the ‘real’ changing face of New Zealand.
That face will be reflecting far more social inclusiveness mutual respect of each other’s culture, tolerance and social cohesion.
Probably a visit to Auckland Diwali Festival on this weekend might help to get rid of the panic brought in the last weekend over New Zealand’s changing face.
The food, the music, Bollywood, cultural performances, the indomitable spirit of the Indian diaspora and above all the all welcoming and inclusive attitudes of the fellow New Zealanders would be on full display in the festival.
This year the traditional Auckland Diwali Festival, which is celebrated at Aotea Square, will enter into its sixteenth consecutive year of celebrations.
This is certainly the biggest public event in the calendar of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand along with being the biggest public festival in...
This year the traditional Auckland Diwali Festival, which is celebrated at Aotea Square, will enter into its sixteenth consecutive year of celebrations.
This is certainly the biggest public event in the calendar of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand along with being the biggest public festival in the events calendar of Auckland Council.
Like many other places around the world, the festival of Diwali has gradually moved from the relatively private sphere of ritual and performance within the Indian community to a public display and outward celebration in New Zealand as well.
The festival has certainly played a crucial role in helping the Kiwi-Indian community in establishing itself as a culturally vibrant group and in reinforcing its cultural identity in New Zealand.
The sheer numbers of visitors, performers and patrons coming to this festival could easily put it in the league of being one of the biggest Diwali celebrations in the Oceania region, if not in the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Within the Asia-Pacific region, this festival would only be outnumbered by festivals in North America, particularly one at the New York City’s iconic Times Square.
The Times Square event currently claims the honours of being the largest Diwali celebration outside of India.
To that end, our Auckland festival beats the one in Times Square in history and antiquity as it is in its 16th consecutive year as opposed to the 5th edition of the event in Times Square, plus Auckland’s Diwali festival is organised in our own iconic Aotea Square.
Added to this is the elegant presence of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition of the country, along with Mayor of the country’s biggest city together at the Auckland Diwali Festival, which probably Times Square event cannot match yet.
This is a testimony to both, Auckland’s credentials as a vibrant multi-cultural global city and the relative position of strength of the Indian diaspora within the broader socio-cultural milieu of the host city that is Auckland in this case.
Moreover, Auckland’s Aotea square is no less iconic than New York’s Times Square.
Aotea Square is a large paved public area in the CBD, of Auckland, New Zealand which was officially opened in 1979 by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson next to Queen Street and reworked in November 2010 to make it appropriate for use by crowds of up to 20,000 people.
If that is the capacity of Aotea Square then probably we are very near to a stage where we can hear that Auckland Diwali Festival has outgrown the Aotea Square as the official numbers from last year suggest that about 25,000 people were in attendance at one particular time for a total of about 50,000 crowds over the two day festival.
These numbers are certainly big numbers for a country of the size of New Zealand, both in terms of territory and population.
Talking about population reminds us of the panic set by some elite commentators in mainstream media, who seemingly got scared at the changing face of New Zealand at a visit to a department store last weekend.
Probably they might need to come out of Kmart’s self-service island and visit Auckland Diwali Festival this weekend (a better use of time as well), and see the ‘real’ changing face of New Zealand.
That face will be reflecting far more social inclusiveness mutual respect of each other’s culture, tolerance and social cohesion.
Probably a visit to Auckland Diwali Festival on this weekend might help to get rid of the panic brought in the last weekend over New Zealand’s changing face.
The food, the music, Bollywood, cultural performances, the indomitable spirit of the Indian diaspora and above all the all welcoming and inclusive attitudes of the fellow New Zealanders would be on full display in the festival.
Leave a Comment