BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival Celebrations will light up Tāmaki Makaurau in October
Published: Monday 1 September 2025
The BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival is back for 2025 - bringing light, vivid colours and celebration to Aotea Square, Queen Street and Rutland Street in central Auckland on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October.
The two-day event will run from midday to 9pm across both days, inspired by the celebration of Diwali, also known as Deepawali – the festival symbolising light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
The festival will feature modern and traditional Indian cultural performances across three stages, plus theatre, music, dance, exhibitions, art installations and light projections, yoga classes and Bollywood movies.
The BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival is free to attend, and for the first time has the added attraction of ticketed events held from 7 October across the Auckland Town Hall, Aotea Centre and Q Theatre. The line-up includes a performance of Bollywood Meets Jazz, music concert Lucky Ali, Miss IndiaNZ, and dance productions Ram Leela: A Timeless Tale of Valour and Devotion of Lord Rama and Kundalini: The Awakening.
Visitors can also enjoy returning favourites - delicious sweet and savoury vegetarian food, arts and crafts, activities and workshops for all the family, and finishing with a spectacular public fireworks display to close the festival on the Sunday night.
The festival is an Auckland Council Event, delivered by council-controlled organisation Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), the region’s cultural, events and destination agency.
TAU Chief Executive Nick Hill says, “The BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival is one of the region’s most popular and beloved festivals. With tens of thousands of Aucklanders attending every year and sharing in this celebration, whether they are part of Auckland’s Indian diaspora communities or other backgrounds, everyone can experience this joyful cultural tradition.
“Events like this strengthen our community connections, recognise the contribution our diverse population makes to Auckland, support local businesses and contribute to the vibrancy of our city centre. We’re proud to deliver one of Aotearoa’s largest cultural festivals to the region, on behalf of Auckland Council.”
BNZ CEO Dan Huggins says, “We’re delighted to support the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival again this year. This celebration brings people together from right across Auckland to experience incredible music, dance, food, and culture. It’s wonderful to see how the festival continues to grow and evolve, and we’re excited for Aucklanders to experience it in 2025.”
What’s on at the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival this year?
- A programme of free events including exciting cultural performances, art installations, yoga, a Pop Art exhibition and live classical performances at Auckland Central City Library, and an art exhibition featuring stories of Indian migration to Aotearoa at the Aotea Centre
- A programme of ticketed events including music, dance, Bollywood movies and cultural events
- The BNZ chill-out zone and interactive basketball game
- A Bollywood Dance Battle with prizes to be won
- Light projections in Aotea Square and illuminated art installations in Freyberg Place and Khartoum Place
- Dance performance by the Tamil New Zealand School of Dance at Ellen Melville Centre
- Indian music by the Basant Madhur Ensemble at Ellen Melville Centre and Freyberg Place
- Delicious Indian vegetarian food and sweet treats to enjoy
- Retail stalls selling arts and crafts
- Fun and activities for the whole whānau
- A spectacular fireworks display to close the festival on 12 October
Light projections and illuminated art installations are proudly supported by Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate.
