Edinburgh Diwali hosts its annual celebration of the festival of lights tomorrow (Sunday 3rd November), one of several fireworks events taking place the weekend before Bonfire Night.
This year will be the tenth celebration of the Indian festival in Scotland’s capital city, the largest public Diwali event in the country, which celebrates the triumph of light over darkness the world over.
Free to attend and open to all, Edinburgh Diwali celebrates community and diversity in Edinburgh with a diverse and colourful programme of music and dance, parade, and fireworks display.
Procession through the New Town
‘‘We are celebrating our 10th Diwali, Festival of Light, complementing 900 years of Edinburgh city," said Rajnish Singh, President of Edinburgh Diwali.
"Diwali is one of the most widely celebrated Indian festivals across the world by the Indian diaspora. We at Edinburgh Diwali organise the festival in such a way that anyone interested can participate with no barriers – open to all and free to attend in the city centre. We had to refresh the event in 2021 post Covid, and are really pleased that it has become one of the most popular communities led event in Edinburgh in a short span of time. We take pride in the way we celebrate the core message of light over darkness with an array of multicultural dance and music and fireworks - Uniting Communities, Celebrating Diversity."
Other Edinburgh fireworks events tomorrow include the annual SLA Fireworks at George Watsons Rugby Stadium, a longtime, Scottish-Indian celebration that supports children in need in India.
The Fawkes Festival is also coming to the Royal Highland Centre tomorrow.
The Edinburgh Diwali is organised by a committee, volunteers, performers, with the support of City of Edinburgh Council,Consul General of India, and sponsors.
This year's celebrations will begin again at St Andrew Square, where performers from across Indian and Scottish culture will converge before setting off on a parade through Edinburgh’s New Town en route to Princes Street Gardens.
Lord Provost and Chair of Edinburgh Diwali, Councillor Robert Aldridge, who will join the head of the procession with the Consul General of India and the Edinburgh Diwali Committee, said:
“Diwali is a vibrant, family-friendly festival of lights, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Free and open to all, it has become one of Edinburgh’s unmissable events in recent years. I'm delighted to see it continue to grow and flourish. This year marks the tenth celebration of this Indian festival in Scotland’s capital, offering a lively programme of music, dance, and lights.”
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will be joined at the head of the procession by pipers and drummers from the Stockbridge and Glencorse Pipe Bands.
Following in their wake, the Edinburgh Noise Committee will provide a soundtrack for seven different dance troupes representing the different regions and diversity of Indian Culture.
Students from Ahalya Dance Academy will showcase the ancient art form of Bharatanatyam - a form of classical dance that takes its name from the Tamil words for expression, melody, rhthym, and dance.
Meanwhile, the University of Edinburgh’s first South Asian fusion dance society Junoon Dance and Edinburgh Bhangra Crew will showcase modern day India with a display of contemporary South Asian dance styles. The different states and regions of India will be represented with traditional dance displays from Bihar, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu; and Edinburgh Diwali celebrates multiculturalism in Edinburgh by welcoming Soles Del Peru, who will bring a touch of Latin America and carnival spirit to the parade.
Ross Bandstand programme
Celebrations continue with the main event at the Ross Bandstand in West Princes Street Gardens from 15:30, with a programme of music, drama, and dance: Indian fusion, Scottish Highland Dancing, and Bollywood all feature with performances from BollyFeat, Dance@Studio21, and Edinburgh’s longest running Indian dance school, Dance Ihayami.
Community members from Bharatiya Ashram, Dundee’s Dudhope Multicultural Centre, will depict the traditional story of Diwali with a dramatisation of the Ramayana, an Indian epic that follows the life of Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
The evening will culminate with a headline performance from one of the UK’s leading British Asian fusion bands, Kaykay & Co.. Led by Kaykay Chouhan, performing Bollywood bangers and Western pop classics.
Edinburgh Diwali climaxes with a fireworks display designed by 21CC beneath Castle Rock at 18:30.
"Triumph of good over evil"
Consul General of India, Edinburgh, Mr Siddharth Malik said: “Diwali, the festival of lights, is a celebration that transcends cultures and unites people in the spirit of hope, joy, and the triumph of good over evil. This beautiful festival, commemorating Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya, is now celebrated globally, and I am delighted to see the vibrant community in Edinburgh embrace this tradition with such enthusiasm."