Indian Association Celebrates Diwali in Colour at GridX

On Saturday 14 November 2026, the Indian Association Luxembourg (IAL) celebrated the Indian festival of Diwali with a colourful gala event at GridX in Wincrange.

Diwali is the Festival of Lights; while it actually fell on 8 November, various expatriate groups across the world celebrate it on suitable dates around then. While Diwali is primarily celebrated in Hinduism, and is also observed in Jainism, Sikhism and by some Newar Buddhists. While the core theme across all faiths symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, each religion commemorates a different historical or spiritual event.

The IAL Diwali event has been held at various locations over the years, including at LuxExpo, and Cercle Cité last year (for 260 people - see https://chronicle.lu/category/community/57817-diwali-gala-held-at-top-society-venue-cercle-cite).

This was Luxembourg's first Diwali celebration of 2026, with the other being held on the same day in Walferdange, the Deepotsav Diwali event organised by the Moien Bharat organisation, a more informal event. According to the IAL organisers, the event aims to bring together the Indian diaspora, Luxembourgish friends and guests from across Luxembourg's Indian and international communities through music, cultural activities and social interaction.

The IAL event attracted over 350 people who attended the event which took place in the main Arena, with round tables each seating ten people. A bar and a buffet food serving area meant that everyone could get what they wanted to eat and drink themselves.

The entertainment programme comprised various artistic performances showcasing the incredible diversity and richness of Indian culture and featured performances by DHOAD - Gypsies of Rajasthan from France, Punjabi Beats & Live Dhol from Belgium, and Luxembourg-based dance group LuxInDancers, who presented a Bollywood mix. The programme also included an Indian gala dinner.

The event started with a Pooja prayer ceremony, followed by a couple of devotional dances, Nritya Vandana and Deepam Jyoti, before a few short speeches coordinated by the two MCs on stage.

Sahil Goel, IAL President, welcomed everyone to the IAL Diwali Gala 2026 in the new GridX venue. He thanked the performers from Rajasthan and Punjab. He also played a short video message from Luxembourg’s Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, and talked up the ties between the two countries’ financial centres. He mentioned his recent visit to India and the forthcoming state visit to India. Sahil Goel said that the IAL and IBCL will be organising many events in 2027.

The Indian Ambassador to Luxembourg, Pranay Kumar Verma, who travelled up from Brussels for this event, talked about Diwali being a festival of new starts, of new hopes. He also talked up the future collaboration between the two countries, including financial services, technology and space. He also thanked the Indian community in Luxembourg, for their active engagement and commitment.

Special Guests included Deputy Laurent Mosar, who thanked the Indians in Luxembourg for contributing to the wealth of the country, and Maurice Bauer, Deputy Mayor of the City of Luxembourg who thanked the IAL for contributing to the diversity of Luxembourg.

The cultural programme was split into two parts, separated by the first part of the tombola and a buffet dinner.

The DHOAD - Gypsies of Rajasthan comprised traditional Rajasthani musicians, soulful singers, graceful dancers and breath-taking artistry, celebrating the timeless cultural heritage of India’s royal past by mesmerising those attending by the sounds, colours and rhythms of Rajasthan. They were also instrumental in encouraging the audience to become involved, whether repeating a few words of Hindi, or clapping to the beat of the music, and even repeating some of the chorus lines.

The LuxInDancers are a Luxembourg-based association dedicated to promoting Indian dance and culture. They performed a series of dances, ranging from the infectious energy of Bollywood to the graceful movements of Bharatanatyam and the intricate artistry of Kuchipudi.

The Punjabi Dance & Live Dhol injected the energy of Punjab by way of electrifying Punjabi dance performance accompanied by the thunderous beats of traditional Dhol percussion, combining vibrant costumes and high-energy choreography with infectious rhythms.

The buffet-style dinner was provided by Jay Nepal in Esch-sur-Alzette and included starters (veg tikki, paneer pakora, chicken garlic fry) served to the tables, main dishes (dal makhani, shahi paneer, veg jalfrezi, chicken gulkhar, rice, naan, dahi ralta, salad) from the buffet, and dessert (gulab jamun).

The tombola prizes (one ticket per person attending) included 50% discount vouchers for luxury watches, meal vouchers, etc.