Diwali Festival Auckland CBD

A chap told me today people of Indian extraction comprise the third largest ethnic group in New Zealand and it certainly seemed so, there were thousands of people at the Diwali Festival.

The centre of it was Aotea Square in central Auckland, and parts of the main thoroughfare Queen Street had been blocked off for secondary stages and food stalls.

Around the area there were large numbers of people heading to or from the festivities. The women were all incredibly presented, in saris. You could tell the blokes who were married from those who weren’t, as the wives of the former had obviously insisted they make a bit of an effort too.

Many of the cultural performances feature children who’ve obviously practised a great deal for the big day. My impression is the inter-generational cultural preservation aspect is of particular importance to the ex-patriot community.

-SRA. Auckland, 20/x 2024.