03-07-2025
Leicester's Diwali party to stay in Golden Mile
Leicester's Diwali celebrations are to remain in the Golden Mile after the city council had considered relocating them due to crowd safety the authority has said the event will undergo "major changes", with the stage entertainment and firework display no longer idea of moving the festivities had prompted local businesses to say they wanted the celebrations to stay in the following several meetings, the council has said the Golden Mile will "continue to be the focus for Diwali Day celebrations".
The city council said about 50,000 people were believed to have attended last year's Diwali celebrations, with record numbers coming over the past two said a number of meetings had been held by a Diwali safety advisory group, featuring representatives from the police, fire service and the NHS, to consider alternative included relocating to Abbey Park or the city centre, extending it onto Belgrave Circle or moving it to Melton Road.
'Format change needed'
Changes were agreed at a meeting on Wednesday with City Mayor Peter Soulsby, councillors, representatives from the Leicester Hindu Festival Council, members of the Jain and Sikh communities, and Belgrave Business Diwali Day will continue to be celebrated on Belgrave Road, which has been the centre of festivities for more than 40 years, it will be closed to all traffic for the than 6,000 lights will be installed along Belgrave Road, and the Wheel of Light will also return, but there will be no stage entertainment or firework display, while Cossington Street Recreation Ground will no longer feature as part of the Dempster, assistant city mayor for culture, said they had been "strongly advised" to change the format "due to the unrestricted and growing crowd numbers that it attracts"."Unfortunately, Leicester's annual Diwali festival has become a victim of its own success," she said."We are absolutely determined that Diwali continues to be part of the city's festive calendar."We also understand the depth of feeling to see it continue on the Golden Mile where it began over 40 years ago, [and] to do that, we must ensure that it can take place safely."
