Diwali at Wembley Park

Diwali is coming to Wembley Park this year, as visitors and the local community alike celebrate the victory of light over darkness with events across several venues in the neighbourhood, over a three-day weekend.

Celebrations begin on Friday 1st November with a Diwali Spectacular at London Designer Outlet. From midday, visitors can enjoy upbeat Bhangra music and free body decorations by local henna artists. The event continues from 4:30pm to 6:00pm with the first of the celebration’s high-energy performances by BollyRed Dance Company, and Dhol drummers, setting the tone for the weekend ahead.

On Saturday 2nd, Wembley Park will light up with the ‘Diwali Utsav: A Celebration of South Asian Arts’ festival at the Sound Shell stage on Olympic Way. From 1:00pm, an eclectic lineup of artists from across South Asian communities worldwide will take the stage with a wide range of music, dance and poetry.

Earlier in the day, families can join free lantern-making workshops at Fresh Arts, an Arts Council England portfolio organisation in the heart of Wembley Park. As dusk falls, these handcrafted lanterns will light up Wembley Park Boulevard in a magical parade. Dhol2Dhol will lead the procession, to the energetic rhythms of the dhol, a double-headed drum central to Punjabi folk music and Bhangra. Joining the parade will be Jack in the Box’s life-size elephant puppets, inspired by the Indian elephant’s significance in Hindu culture and its association with Lord Ganesha.

Then on Sunday 3rd, the weekend reaches its crescendo with ‘Disco Diwali! BOXPARK Wembley x Kuch Kuch Nights at BOXPARK Wembley. From 5:00pm to 9:00pm, legendary DJ Ritu will host a special edition of her iconic club night, Kuch Kuch Nights, the UK’s longest-running Bollywood club night. From classic Bollywood to the latest hits, this high-energy set will keep the dance floor buzzing all afternoon. Free tickets for this event are available on BOXPARK Wembley’s website on a first come, first served basis.

This is an uplifting, positive and inclusive celebration of South Asian culture, music and lights, regardless of your beliefs – and who doesn’t need a bit of that in their life?