NEW ZEALAND, August 4, 2011: Over 20,000 people are expected to walk through the doors at the Trusts Stadium in Henderson to celebrate the Waitakere Diwali Festival – A festival of Lights on Sunday 25 September, says the Waitakere Indian Association (WIA).
In Waitakere this festival is celebrated by the whole community irrespective of their background, it is an opportunity to share and celebrate the colours, costumes and mouth watering food from the Indian Continent. This festival is also intended to attract the wider Kiwi communities to participate in the event. While New Zealanders of varied cultural background and ethnicity lived and worked together, there was little opportunity for them to witness and understand each others culture and heritage.
The Waitakere Diwali Festival has been running for ten years now, and the crowd has become more multi-cultural over the years. Association president Anand Naidu says that “We’re promoting the sharing of cultures. This year’s theme for the festival is health and wellbeing, so anyone can participate.” The festival is well known for its wide selection of food, crafts, dancing displays, fireworks and laser light show.