Diwali celebrations held at Wembley Park

A three-day Diwali festival was held in Wembley Park last weekend. The free-to-attend event from 1 to 3 November featured a diverse lineup of music, dance, and interactive workshops across various venues in northwest London, a statement said.

The celebrations kicked off on Friday (1) at the London Designer Outlet, with Bhangra music and henna art. This was followed by a performance from the BollyRed Dance Company and dhol drum musicians.

On Saturday (2), the 'Diwali Utsav: A Celebration of South Asian Arts' festival took place at the Sound Shell stage on Olympic Way.

Artists from across South Asian communities worldwide took to the stage, showcasing everything from Indian classical dance to blended folk and classical music, according to a statement.

“The Wembley Park Diwali Weekend 2024 has been a huge success, connecting people from across the neighbourhood, the local area and beyond through a glorious celebration of the diverse aspects South Asian culture," said Claudio Giambrone, head of cultural programming, Wembley Park.

"We are thrilled to have provided such a memorable event for so many or our visitors and residents, lighting up the neighbourhood in the true spirit of Diwali.”

Maryam Shakiba captivated the audience with a classical Indian Odissi dance, which was complemented by spoken word poetry from Niroshini Somasundaram. Other highlights included the sounds of the bansuri (traditional Indian flute), Laughter Yoga sessions, and a blended folk and classical trio performance from musicians Preetha Narayanan, Giuliano Modarelli and Harkiret Singh Bahra.

DJ Ritu MBE, a pioneer of the British club scene, curated the musical contributions with Kate Jones of Found in Music, and also performed at the event.

Younger attendees were delighted by the presence of life-size elephant puppets from Jack in the Box, which paraded through the area as the rhythmic beats of Dhol2Dhol's drummers filled the air.

A fire dance performance was also held during the weekend. Families also created handcrafted lanterns, which were paraded through Wembley Park Boulevard.

The celebrations also included a display of entries for the Wembley Park Rangoli Art Competition 2024, hosted in partnership with Hindu Council Brent, with the winners announced on the main stage.