Thousands gather on Leicester’s Golden Mile for Diwali celebrations

Thousands gathered on Leicester’s Golden Mile for Diwali on Sunday 8 November, with Belgrave Road closed to traffic as families and friends arrived from 3pm.

Diwali Village returned to Cossington Recreation Ground, where visitors found South Asian food and drink stalls and Billy Bates Funfair. Stage entertainment began at 5pm, with Bollywood dancing, music and theatre.

Councillor Kulwinder Singh Johal addressed the crowd from the stage. The Aakash Odedra Company and the Philharmonia Orchestra featured in the performances, alongside a laser display and the Heliosphere aerial act.

Shops and restaurants along the Golden Mile welcomed customers during the celebrations, while the 110ft Wheel of Light was illuminated.

The return to the recreation ground followed a scaled-back event in 2025, after the local Safety Advisory Group raised concerns. The return also aimed to reduce congestion on Belgrave Road and Melton Road. Leicester City Council said there would be no public fireworks display in 2026 because of the group’s concerns about crowd congestion.

Himanshu, an employee at Quality Restaurant and Bar, expressed relief that this year’s arrangements had not been reduced to the same extent.