Swan Festival of Lights celebrates Deepavali

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Category: Arts & Culture; Published: 13 October 2017

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Photo Credit: Swan Festival of Lights

It’s that time of the year again as the annual Swan Festival of Lights comes alive to celebrate Deepavali. This year, the event will be held at the scenic riverside location of the Supreme Court Gardens.

Deepavali is a world-wide celebration of the Inner Light that resides in all of us – that of the positive qualities of hope, peace, harmony, knowledge, joy and truth. This year also marks a rather special one being the 10th year anniversary of the festival!

The weekend’s festivities over the weekend will provide an extravaganza of dance, music, painting, rhythms, and Indian folklore on offer, from both local and international artists.

On the musical front, highlights include Qawwali music by Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad and their troupe who are renown worldwide for their Hindustani classical voices.

There will be plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy including yoga, painting, food demonstrations, camel rides, and beautiful handicrafts to purchase from the Lavanya arts stall. And last but not least, take the time to savour homemade Indian vegetarian food from the stall holders who are cooking up a storm to showcase the best of Indian cuisine.

Favourite dishes that will be available include delicious poori, dosa, nasi lemak, and mee goreng; savoury snacks to go such as samosas, curry puffs and muruku; and Indian sweets such as gulab jamun and burfi.

Thanks and appreciation to the many volunteers of the two non profit organisations Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya (SMV) and Annalakshmi Cultural Centre of WA who contribute many hours of their time to make this event happen for everyone in the Perth community to enjoy.

Perth’s Punjabi community will show off its Bhangra dancers with a Punjab village scene with the theme “Bhangra under the Stars” and there will be fireworks display on each evening in celebration of Deepavali. The Swan Festival of Lights will be going off with a bang for sure.

Event Details:

Event: Swan Festival of Lights

Dates: Friday 13th October to Sunday 15th October 2017, free entry from 430pm each day

Location: Supreme Court Gardens, Riverside Drive, Perth

Organiser: Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya (SMV) and Annalakshmi Cultural Centre of WA

Transport: walk, ride, bus, train, or car

For public transport options, the Supreme Court Gardens is an easy 15 minute walk from the Perth train station and Perth Underground, or a 10 minute walk from the Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.

Further information: Swan Festival of Lights website at sfol.com.au

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