By Callum McLeod
Leicester celebrated its 40th Diwali celebrations with thousands of people in attendance.
The Diwali Day celebrations on Sunday (NOV12) began at 3pm on Belgrave Road and Cossington Street Recreation Park, consisting of stalls selling food and souvenirs, with every restaurant along the road packed with hungry festival-goers.
At 5pm, the parade of light began, featuring music and puppets that marched down Belgrave Road, also known as ‘The Golden Mile.’
Around the same time, Cossington Street Recreation Ground began displaying a laser show and a fire garden display that both captivated and warmed the audience who braved the rain and the cold to enjoy the festivities.
There was also the ‘Wheel of Light,’ a huge fairground wheel offering rides to all and providing a spectacular view of the lights and festivities around Leicester.
Eye-catching: one of the giant puppets
The main attractions began as the evening continued, including music and dancing on the main stage, presented by the Leicester Hindu Festival Council, giant puppets roaming around the event, including ancient giants and a firework finale worthy of any anniversary celebration.
One man said: “It was an experience of a lifetime, with lots of good food, lots of nice people and lots of crazy colours.”
Another said: “It was interesting to learn about Diwali and to see the large puppets, including the monkey. It was also lovely to partake in the activities of Diwali.”
Unfortunately the event had to be ended 15 minutes early due to fears of crowd congestion when leaving the festival.
Diwali is a major festival for people of Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths. It is known as the festival of light, and celebrates the start of new beginnings for people of this faith.
