Auckland’s Queen Street and Aotea Square will be transformed into a colourful and mouth-watering spectacle when Auckland Diwali Festival takes place October 12 and 13.

Bright lights, energetic dance performances, incredible Indian delicacies and fireworks will excite and delight festival goers of all ages and ethnicities.

The hunt is now on for the best producers of Indian cuisine, crafts and performance with registrations open for stallholders and performers for the upcoming festival.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Auckland Diwali Festival producer Leilana Meredith says the vegetarian festival will see hundreds of performances take place across the two days as well as more than 60 street stalls set up on Queen Street.

“Food is such an important part of traditional and contemporary Indian culture and the festival provides an excellent opportunity for Auckland-Indian businesses, organisations and individuals to showcase their authentic food and products.

“We are looking for retail and food stallholders to showcase a myriad of fresh flavours, exotic spices and aromas, handmade crafts and jewellery, from all corners of India. Whether that’s knowing how to make jalebi, gulab jamun, the best chaat or other flavoursome treats then we’d love to hear from you.

“If performing is more your thing, we are also looking for a wide range of contemporary, traditional, classical or folk Indian performances to feature on the Aotea and Queen Street stages, or as part of the street performances.”

The festival is free to attend, alcohol-free, smoke-free and family friendly.

Further information including online application forms can be found on www.aucklandnz.com/diwali or by emailing the Auckland Diwali Festival team at diwali@aucklandnz.com.

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