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 concerns.

However the authority has said the event will undergo "major changes", with the stage entertainment and firework display no longer featuring.

The idea of moving the festivities had prompted local businesses to say they wanted the celebrations to stay in the area.

Now 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 years.

It 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 arrangements.

These included relocating to Abbey Park or the city centre, extending it on to Belgrave Circle or moving it to Melton Road.

Changes were agreed at a meeting on Wednesday with city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, councillors, representatives from the Leicester Hindu Festival Council, members of the Jain and Sikh communities, and Belgrave Business Association.

While 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 evening.

More 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 events.

Vi 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."

Dharmesh Lakhani, of the Belgrave Business Association, said: "I feel relieved the event is not moving but still a bit disappointed we are losing a very big part of Diwali.

"The fireworks have been going on every year since it started. They are very popular and they symbolise the victory of Lord Rama - which is the reason we celebrate Diwali.

"They are a big attraction and draw people in and people might start doing their own things in the area on the day and that could raise other safety concerns."

Arvinder Bhullar, who owns a boutique in Belgrave, said relocating the celebrations would have been devastating for businesses.

"It's a partial win but it almost seems like a very sad Diwali without the fireworks, the festivities, and the stalls we have," she said.

"It is a win in the sense we will still have footfall to bring more business on to the road."

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