Diwali festival lights up Marina Park with family fun and performances

Dancers (from left) Rashna, Divya and Mahek – part of Desibeat, a Bollywood-style dance group from Auckland – perform at the Diwali Festival of Lights in Gisborne.

There was a big turnout at the Diwali Festival of Lights free community event last weekend and people thoroughly enjoyed the festivities at Marina Park.

Organised by Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council (TMC), the event provided a range of activities from workshops to henna painting.

“We were happy with the high level of engagement at the festival and it was great to see so many families attending,” TMC president Arish Naresh said.

Evening performances featured Bollywood-style dance groups The Garagewalas and Desibeat from Auckland, as well as many local performers, with the youngest being only 7 years old.

The first time TMC hosted the event in 2013, Naresh said there were only a few local performers. By providing them with an event to perform at more, Gisborne dancers were now taking part.

“Being able to bring this inclusive, family-friendly celebration to the community is something we take a lot of pride in,” Naresh said.

The event was opened by Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz and East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick.

The festival was also the ideal setting for the launch of a TMC book called Diverse Tairāwhiti.

Described by Naresh as “a heartfelt collection of stories that highlights the journeys of diverse migrants who have made Tairāwhiti their home”, it features stories from former Mayor Meng Foon, who shares his experiences as the son of Chinese immigrants and his journey to becoming the mayor of Gisborne, advocating for inclusion and understanding across cultures.

TMC collaborated with the Sunrise Foundation and Columbine to produce colourful socks made with off-cuts that would have otherwise gone to waste. The socks were sold at the events, with all proceeds going into Sunrise’s General Fund.

“This collaboration is a way to say thank you to Sunrise for supporting us with a grant over the last few years,” Naresh said. “It is from the General Fund that we received our grants so it feels only right that this ongoing collaboration will support that fund.”

Gisborne dancers Barleen, Ameya and Avelyn perform a Bollywood-style routine at Lawson Field Theatre.

A workshop by Auckland group The Garagewalas invited members of the audience onto the stage at the Diwali performance at Lawson Field Theatre.

A Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council stall at the Diwali Festival of Lights event at Marina Park.

Dancers of all ages took the stage at the Diwali Festival of Lights workshop led by The Garagewalas, an Auckland Bollywood-style dance group at Lawson Field Theatre.