Manchester: Holi and Diwali Unite City's South Asian Community
Manchester's South Asian communities marked two of Hinduism's most beloved festivals — Holi and Diwali — with public celebrations spread across the north-west of England in early 2026. Meanwhile, the British-Pakistani crime drama 'Apnas,' set in Manchester's streets and centred on the bond between cousins, is building momentum ahead of a nationwide cinema release that promises to spark wider conversations about representation and identity.
🎉 Holi Festival of Colours Brings Celebrations Across North-West England
The ancient Hindu festival of Holi, known as the festival of colours, brought vibrant celebrations to north-west England in March 2026, with events planned across the region over a ten-day period following the festival's official date. Holi marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring, and holds deep religious significance in Hinduism as a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, rooted in the legend of Prahlad and the demoness Holika. For Hindus, it also carries a spirit of renewal, forgiveness, and communal joy, expressed through the beloved tradition of throwing brightly coloured powders and water over family members and friends. The BBC reported on the wave of events across the region, which featured music, dancing, and singing alongside the colourful powder play, drawing participants from all backgrounds to share in the celebrations. Manchester and its surrounding towns and cities have a substantial Hindu, Sikh, and wider South Asian community that has embraced Holi as one of the most publicly joyful festivals of the year. Events ranged from community gatherings in parks and open spaces to organised charity runs and family-friendly outdoor parties. The inclusivity of Holi — which warmly welcomes participants regardless of background — has contributed to its growing popularity as a shared civic occasion in multicultural northern cities. For the South Asian diaspora across the north-west, the festival serves both as a spiritual occasion and a powerful expression of cultural pride, with turnout growing year on year as awareness and enthusiasm for Holi spreads beyond the community into the wider public. [1]
🪔 BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Celebrates Diwali and Annakut in Manchester
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha marked the arrival of Diwali and the Hindu New Year with its signature Annakut celebrations at its Manchester centre, drawing devotees from across the region for one of the most spiritually significant occasions in the Swaminarayan tradition. Diwali, the festival of lights, is observed with great fervour across South Asian communities in Manchester, which has a large and well-established Gujarati Hindu population alongside its broader Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim communities. The Annakut ceremony — in which hundreds or thousands of vegetarian food items are arranged and offered as a devotional tribute to God — is a centrepiece of the BAPS Diwali observance and draws large congregations who come to view the display and receive prasad. Manchester's BAPS centre has served as an important spiritual home for Gujarati families in the region for many years, providing regular religious services, youth programmes, and cultural education that sustains tradition across generations. The Diwali and Annakut celebration is among the most widely attended events on the community's annual calendar, attracting not only regular worshippers but also families seeking to reconnect with their heritage during the festive season. The event reinforces BAPS's role as a pillar of the Hindu community in Manchester, helping to sustain religious traditions in the diaspora context and fostering a sense of collective identity, spiritual continuity, and cultural belonging across the generations of British-Gujarati families who call the north-west of England home. [2]
🎬 'Apnas': British-Pakistani Crime Drama Set for Nationwide Cinema Release
Eastern Eye reports that 'Apnas,' a British-Pakistani crime drama centred on a pair of cousins drawn into the Manchester underworld, is building strong momentum ahead of a nationwide cinema release. The film has generated significant anticipation within British South Asian communities, representing a rare major screen production that places British-Pakistani characters at the centre of a gritty, urban narrative set in one of England's most culturally vibrant and diverse cities. The title 'Apnas' — an Urdu and Punjabi term meaning our own people — signals the film's thematic focus on community, loyalty, kinship, and the pressures faced by young British Pakistanis navigating identity between their heritage and the realities of modern life in northern England. Crime dramas exploring the British-Pakistani experience have found growing mainstream audiences in recent years, with productions like 'Ackley Bridge' and 'The Responder' demonstrating appetite for stories rooted in northern English cities with diverse and complex communities. 'Apnas' appears set to capitalise on that momentum, bringing a distinctly Manchester flavour and a focus on familial bonds and moral complexity within the British-Pakistani community. The nationwide release is expected to spark wider conversations about representation, identity, and the portrayal of British South Asians on screen — themes that resonate deeply with Manchester's substantial Pakistani diaspora, one of the largest and most established Pakistani communities anywhere outside South Asia itself, with deep roots across neighbourhoods in Longsight, Levenshulme, and Rusholme. [4]
Sources: [1] BBC · [2] BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha · [4] EasternEye