Diwali celebrations light up Peterborough city centre

The event in Cathedral Square attracted large crowds though the day, as a range of entertainment was on offer to Peterborough shoppers.

While the event was a celebration, there was also time for reflection to remember those lost over the past year.

Rajni Reddy, one of the organisers, said; “We started the festival sombrely with a two minute silence in memory of Coronavirus victims and Sir David Amess.

“The Mayor of Peterborough accompanied by the Mayoress inaugurated the event. The Keynote speakers were Shailesh Vara MP, Paul Bristow MP and Gillian Beasely.

“Thereafter there was an explosion of music and dancing on stage which continued till 4pm when the Guild Hall was alight with Diwali Lights, which were switched on by remote control from Bradford.

“They were food stalls selling delicious Indian street food. For shopaholics there were jewellery and handicrafts stalls.

““We had invited PCVS Covid team and ARU team to be present at the event and they had a very good response.

“The Weather God favoured us as there was sunshine throughout the day.”