Mayor Brenda Stevenson, Foyle MP Mark Durkan at the Diwali Festival with Sarika Shah, Sumeeta Gupta, Natasha Gupta, Rahul Shah, Dr. Mukesh Chugh and Jyoti Chugh. (Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
It was a weekend of culture and song across Derry and the city’s Mayor, Councillor Brenda Stevenson, has paid tribute to the organisers of both the multi-cultural Diwali Festival of Light and the City of Derry International Choral Festival for their delivery of two major cultural success stories for the city.
Thousands of locals and visitors turned out to enjoy the weekend’s events which provided the perfect lead in to the internationally renowned Banks of the Foyle Hallow’en Carnival celebrations which are in full swing this week.
Derry City Council’s Hallowe’en festivities began with a multi-cultural celebration of one of the most significant festivals in the Indian calendar, Diwali, which attracted large crowds to the Millennium Forum yesterday for a truly unique taste of India.
The piazza area was transformed into a magical kingdom of lights for the festival which is traditionally celebrated by Indian communities across the world, and the Forum was buzzing with craft activities as well as traditional Indian cuisine, Bollywood music and dance.
Cllr Stevenson said both events demonstrated the city’s cultural diversity and wealth of talent.
She added: “The Diwali Festival provided a unique opportunity for all communities to come together to learn more about Indian culture, which has an increasingly important presence in the city.
“And it was fantastic to see the event so widely supported again this year following on from last year’s success.
“It was also wonderful to see the return of the City of Derry International Choral Festival, another significant legacy event which was a major highlight of last year’s City of Culture Programme.
“The festival is very much in keeping with Derry’s rich musical history and it was so enjoyable to see such a high calibre of international guests performing alongside local choirs during the event.
“It was also fantastic to see the number of local schools competing in the choral competitions and the special Choral Trail which brought music to community locations across both the city and Waterside.”
IMG 670 – Sumeeta Gupta with her daughter Natasha at the Rangoli. (Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
IMG 721 – Mayor Brenda Stevenson, Foyle MP Mark Durkan at the Diwali Festival with Sarika Shah, Sumeeta Gupta, Natasha Gupta, Rahul Shah, Dr. Mukesh Chugh and Jyoti Chugh. (Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
