Wanganui is the only city in New Zealand where a range of other cultures will be celebrated during the Indian festival of Diwali.
This year's Diwali Cultural Night at the Wanganui War Memorial Centre is on November 1, Multicultural Council of Rangitikei/Wanganui president Vijeshwar Prasad said.
It features a series of free cultural performances, including some by Samoan groups, as well as Indian and Bollywood dancers and famous Wellington singer Jimi Nathu.
"The most important thing, and my aim, is to get people from different ethnic groups together," Mr Prasad said.
He's encouraging everyone to dress up in colourful clothes and come out to celebrate. Whanganui MP Chester Borrows and Wanganui Mayor Annette Main will be there. Ms Main had been fitted with a sari for the occasion and said she didn't want to miss the Samoan dancing.
The evening begins at 6pm, when stalls will be selling vegetarian food. Some are yet to be confirmed but it could include Indian, Vietnamese, Cook Island and Samoan dishes, and Indian sweets locally made by Satish Chand's Whanganui Confectionery 'n' Snax. None of it will be priced over $5.
There will also be henna tattoos on offer, and a variety of other stalls. The celebration evening is made possible by a donation from the Whanganui Community Foundation.
It follows the Wanganui Festival of Cultures on Saturday.