Diwali celebrations at Gujarat Hindu Society

Gujarat Hindu Society is celebrating Diwali on Sunday 8 November, with prayers and a fireworks display to finish. It runs from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Gujarat Hindu Society and Community Centre on South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN.

It's not a one-off, either. The Diwali celebrations are part of a wider festival programme the society has lined up over the next couple of weeks. The day after, on 9 November, they're holding Annakut (Govardhan Puja), which marks the start of the Hindu New Year Vikram Samvat 2083. Then, on 15 November, they'll be celebrating Jalaram Jayanti. If you're around for the whole run, that's three separate occasions to mark the season in the space of a week.

Behind the scenes, the Gujarat Hindu Society is a registered charity (No 505959) that runs both the GHS Temple (Mandir) and GHS Enterprise here in Preston. The Diwali evening itself is the one with the fireworks, so it's the night to bring along anyone who wants to see the display. It starts at 6:30 pm and wraps up by 8:00 pm, at the community centre on South Meadow Lane.