Festival of Light: Diwali is set for Wednesday, Oct. 24 at the Clarke Theatre at Heritage Park Centre.
This year, the event features hip hop and spoken word artist Saint Soldier from Abbotsford. He (Amrit Saggu) will share his lively message of love and justice on stage at 8 p.m.
The free Fraser Valley event, which draws almost 1,000 people every year, begins with an ethnic buffet dinner at 5 p.m. It is followed by two hours of live entertainment starting at 6 p.m. and an ongoing marketplace where patrons can purchase Indian goods, have their hands painted by a henna artist, learn how to tie a turban or visit an array of community and commercial booths.
One thousand mini-lights on the gates of the Clarke Theatre entrance will herald the arrival of the public.
Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted for the Mission Community Services (MCSS) Food Centre.
MCs for the event will be Satti Grewal and Abbotsford’s Kelly Chahal.
“This family-friendly festival helps Mission become a more engaging, cohesive and knowledgeable community in cultural diversity,” said Sanjay Gulati, MCSS executive director.
Abbotsford Community Services is also offering its support this year.
An Abbotsford Sikh Temple crew is preparing the hot ethnic meals.
Food sponsor/supplier this year is the Mission Save-On-Foods. The event enjoys the support of 19 generous sponsors.
For more Festival of Light information, call Diwali organizing committee chair Rick Rake at 604-826-3634 or email rick.rake@missioncommunityservices.com.