Burning News About The Diwali Festival

It’s now less than four weeks until Auckland Diwali Festival 2013 and the heat is on. There’s no doubt that with more than 50 food and craft stalls, an amazing line up of music and dance, and more room than ever before for the public to enjoy the festival, this will be the most exciting event yet.

We are thrilled to announce some of the fantastic international performers who’ll be at the festival this year, as well as exhibitions and workshops showcasing the best of Indian culture.

• YouTube sensation Superwoman, all the way from Toronto, Canada, will be taking the stage to share her hilarious and inspiring insights on life as a young Indian woman in the 21st century. Find out more here.

• Trinetra Chhau Dance Centre from Jharkhand state in east India will be performing their thrilling martial arts displays. The troupe is led by Gopal Dubey, who studied Seraikella Chhau dance from the age of 14, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who has performed for royalty and now teaches masterclasses all over the world. The Trinetra Chhau Dance Centre is visiting New Zealand courtesy of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Air New Zealand.

• See the compelling collection of artworks from creative duo Lipika Sen and Prabhjyot Majithia’s New Zealand experience Inhaling the Spirit. The exhibition was first shown at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi a few years ago to the acclaim of art patrons, artists, diplomats and industry heads from around the world.

The many colourful stalls at Diwali are such an important part of the event, from the delicious food to jewellery, art, crafts and fashion. Last year Rekkies Oracle, which sells a range of authentic Indian crafts and jewellery, won the Best Decorated Stall award. We talk to the owner Reshmi Fox about her experience at Diwali.

"Diwali is one of the most important festivals for Indians globally. This time of year is when family and friends gather to share blessings and enter a new year with new memories of love, laughter and celebration. The Diwali festival held here in Auckland has allowed these same experiences to flourish and for our culture and belief system to be shared.

I have enjoyed and appreciated the chance to display my stall at Diwali and have always spent months planning in advance. I always get the children involved too, so it’s now become a real family affair.

I love the comments of appreciation from people at the festival about the stall and what I am selling. This is something that allows me to enjoy my culture and be amongst others of my culture – and many other cultures from around the world. It is a memorable time of the year for my family and each year I look forward to being part of something that is so wonderful for the community.”

Sustainability tips

As always, we strive to make the festival more sustainable every year, with the support of everyone involved.

City Parks Services is our waste management company this year. They will be responsible for keeping the festival clean and tidy and will be sorting the rubbish to ensure we divert as much waste as possible away from the landfill.

We are also working with two companies that will help us ensure the festival is as ‘green’ as possible: the not-for-profit organisation Glass Packaging Forum and Love NZ, an organisation dedicated to promoting recycling in New Zealand.

All food vendors are also asked to use biodegradable food packaging. Sorting waste and separating recyclable and compostable waste from landfill rubbish is a critical part of waste management at Diwali.

Auckland’s Diwali Festival is organised and run by ATEED in partnership with the Asia New Zealand Foundation. There is also a wonderful group of sponsors and supporters on board for this year’s event.

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