Diwali festival of lights in Hastings attracts crowd of close to 2000

Police officers Amanpreet Kaur, left, and Ramandeep Kaur Sandhu, right, from Hawke's Bay Police, performing a Punjabi dance at the 2022 Diwali festival of lights in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor

Crowds were drawn to a Hawke's Bay park that was illuminated with the light of Diwali for the first time on Saturday evening.

Close to 2000 people attended the event at the Mitre 10 Sports Park, which organiser Angeline Chand said was a big success for the event's debut at a new venue.

Anaisha Zaveri of Napier cutting an ethereal figure inside the fog and light of Diwali on Saturday evening. Photo / Paul Taylor

"The grounds were full and there were queues of people waiting," she said.

"It was a mix of cultures as well, there were Kiwis, there were Filipinos for example, there were Māori. It was good to see different ethnicities come to celebrate Diwali."

Angeline Chand (left) and Sonam Bhandari, organisers and volunteers for the Diwali festival of lights at the Hawke's Bay regional sports park in Hastings on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor

She said everybody loved the Punjabi dance performance by Hawke's Bay Police officers Amanpreet Kaur and Ramandeep Kaur Sandhu.

Kaur Sandhu said the decision to perform came at the last minute.

"We thought we'd give it a go, it was a last-minute plan."

She said she hoped to encourage more Indians to join the police and perhaps have a bigger dance group next time.

Organisers estimate over 1000 people attended the event, which was held at Mitre 10 Sports Park for the first time. Photo / Paul Taylor

Chand said the five-day long Diwali festival, which officially began on Sunday, came from a story from holy books that were thousands of years old.

"The main reason we celebrate Diwali is to celebrate the return of Lord Rama who defeated an evil demon [king] and returned to his kingdom after 14 years," Chand explained.

Chand said the Filipino community were one of several cultures participating, including Indian and Māori. Photo / Paul Taylor

"People lit diyas [little clay lamps filled with ghee, clarified butter] to celebrate his return. The kingdom was decorated beautifully with diyas, and this is the reason Diwali is called the Festival of Lights."

She said Diwali was about gathering with friends and family, sharing food and making lives brighter.

She said the Hindu Council of Hawke's Bay hope to bring the event back to Mitre 10 Park annually.