British Indian MP campaigns against scaled-back Diwali celebrations in Leicester

London, Sep 11 (PTI) British Indian member of Parliament Shivani Raja has joined a fellow Opposition Conservative Party MP to campaign against the local authority’s plans to scale back the annual Diwali festivities in the eastern England city of Leicester.

Raja and Neil O’Brien launched a Change.Org e-petition on Wednesday to pressure Leicester City Council to reinstate the full spectrum of the city’s celebrations for Diwali, often described as the largest outside India.  It follows Leicester City Council’s announcement that a multi-agency Safety Advisory Group (SAG) had concluded that a traditional stage show, Diwali Village and fireworks will not be a part of this year’s event on October 20 at Belgrave Road, known as Leicester’s Golden Mile.

“Let’s not allow this festival to become a shadow of its former self,” reads the petition launched by Raja, MP for Leicester East, and O’Brien, who represents Harborough, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire.

“Every autumn, Leicester’s Diwali celebration on the Golden Mile captivates the hearts – and lights up the streets – of our city. It’s one of the biggest Diwali events outside India, a proud tradition that brings together families, communities, and visitors from across the world.  But in 2025, the festival risks being reduced to just the lights, with no fireworks, no Diwali Village at Cossington Park, and none of the stalls and activities that make it so special,” the petition reads.

It calls on the Leicester City Council to revive the full Diwali experience on Belgrave Road, including fireworks, cultural performances, food stalls, rides, and the Diwali Village; work collaboratively with local community leaders, the Belgrave Business Association, and safety officials to create a plan that honours tradition while keeping people safe; and protect and promote Diwali as a “force for unity, not just a spectacle” – recognising its cultural, economic, and social value for Leicester’s diverse communities.

“Leicester’s Diwali deserves to shine in full – bright, bold, and welcoming,” it concludes, inviting the community to sign up.

It forms part of an ongoing campaign since discussions around a scaled-back Diwali event emerged amid concerns of crowd management after an estimated 55,000 attended last year.

“I completely understand and share the great desire to make Leicester’s Diwali celebrations as good as can be. I thought that some of the suggestions put forward by the local community were achievable, but the Safety Advisory Group has rejected them all,” Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said last week.

“I’m disappointed that as a result there won’t be any additional activities, and I hope this is something the SAG will review next year,” he said.

Under the plans, the council has said it will close Belgrave Road to enable people to safely visit restaurants, shops and celebrate with families on the Golden Mile. While the annual Diwali illuminations made up of more than 6,000 lights and the Wheel of Light are set to return, representatives from Leicestershire Police and other emergency services who make up the SAG concluded that the additional activities "compromise public safety".

Raja and O’Brien had earlier written to the Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police to appeal against these “unnecessary restrictions”.

“The decision to scale back this year’s events will undermine the unique atmosphere that makes these celebrations so special and could damage Leicester’s reputation as a centre for multicultural celebration,” they wrote.

“We firmly believe that, with appropriate resourcing and collaborative planning, the full event can go ahead safely. Instead of reducing the scale of the celebration, we urge Leicestershire Police to consider allocating the additional policing resources necessary to manage the event effectively,” they noted.

The local council asserted that measures need to be taken to avoid “potentially dangerous crowd massing” that has been observed at the event in the last two years.

“Scaling back on event infrastructure and activity means there will be the additional space needed – and more importantly, less congestion – to safely welcome the crowds that want to celebrate on Belgrave Road,” said Graham Callister, the council’s head of festivals, events and cultural policy.

Councillor Vi Dempster added: "Unfortunately, Leicester’s annual Diwali festival has become a victim of its own success. We’re being strongly advised by our emergency service partners and crowd control experts that it cannot continue safely in its current format due to the unrestricted and growing crowd numbers that it attracts, and that’s a warning we must take extremely seriously.

“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. To do that, we must ensure that it can take place safely. That must be paramount.” PTI AK RD RD