Christchurch: Indian community celebrates Diwali at QE II Park as Holi draws thousands nationwide
The Indian community in New Zealand marked two of its most celebrated festivals in recent months. More than 1,000 people attended a Diwali celebration at Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch, while Holi events drew over 7,000 people across New Zealand, with the largest gathering held in Auckland.
🎉 Diwali at Queen Elizabeth II Park draws over 1,000 in Christchurch
The Press of Christchurch reported on October 26, 2025 that more than 1,000 people gathered at Queen Elizabeth II Park to celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, in an event organised by the Indian Social and Cultural Club. The celebration featured food, art, and stage performances showcasing Indian culture, including traditional dance routines and Bollywood numbers. Members of the Timila Dance Academy Rising Stars performed for the crowd, rehearsing backstage before taking the stage. Among those attending was Gurdas Singh Sandhu from Hornby, one of many faces in the crowd that evening. Four young women from Christchurch, identified in the report as Dhwani Tupe, Surbhi Dafade, Sanika Patil, and Kanan Yadav, dressed in traditional attire for the occasion. Diwali, according to the report, is observed on the 15th day of Kartik, which is regarded as the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. The date shifts each year, falling in October or November depending on the lunar cycle. The festival is described as a special time for people of Hindu faith worldwide to celebrate together, share stories, food, and goodwill. The Indian Social and Cultural Club event at Queen Elizabeth II Park brought together the Indian community in Christchurch for an evening of cultural performance and festivity. [5]
🎉 Holi draws over 7,000 in Auckland as Indian communities celebrate nationwide
Radio New Zealand's IndoNZ team reported on April 16, 2026 that more than 7,000 people attended one of Auckland's largest Holi celebrations, held at Henderson Trust Arena and organised by the Waitakere Indian Association. South Asian communities across New Zealand marked the Festival of Colours, with several Holi events taking place earlier in March and festivities continuing through the end of the month. Holika Dahan, the bonfire ritual that precedes Holi, was observed on 2 March, with fires lit to symbolise the victory of good over evil. Rangwali Holi, also known as Dhulandi, followed on 4 March, when participants threw coloured water and powder at each other while singing, dancing, and enjoying festive foods. The festival also marks the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The RNZ report recounts two legends associated with Holi: the story of Prahlad, whose devotion to Lord Vishnu saved him from the flames of a pyre set by his aunt Holika, symbolising the triumph of good over evil; and the story of Lord Krishna playfully applying colour to Radha's face, said to have given rise to the tradition of smearing coloured powder during Holi. The Krishna Holi celebration in Kumeu, which typically opens Auckland's season, did not take place this year because of construction work on a temple. [1]