Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Saturday 8 November 2025, the Indian Association Luxembourg (IAL) held their Diwali Gala at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg city centre.

This was Luxembourg second Diwali celebration of 2025, following on from the Deepotsav Diwali event  organised by the Moien Bharat organisation on Saturday 25 October which attracted 800 people; while that was very much an informal community event, this IAL Diwali was a more formal affair held in one of Luxembourg's top society venues.

While Diwali - the festival of lights symbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil - itself fell on 20 October, various expatriate groups across the world celebrate it on suitable dates around then. 

In Luxembourg, the Indian Business Chamber Luxembourg (IBCL) used to organise the more formal celebration, with the IAL organising the more informal one; now the IAL has stepped up to set the mark going forward.

A total of 260 people attended on Saturday evening, many dressing up in traditional costume. The event started with a Pooja prayer ceremony, followed by a few short speeches coordinated by two MCs on stage.

Sahil Goel, IAL President, welcomed everyone and recalled last year's Diwali celebrations in LuxExpo in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, with a number of sponsors coming on board to make it possible to hold this year's event at the Cercle Cité.

Mr V Narayanan of the Indian Embassy in Luxembourg recalled "very big celebrations back home", and expressed his delight that the IAL has been able to recreate the celebrations from India. He mentioned that India-Luxembourg relationships are getting stronger each year.

Selvaraj Alagumalai, Indian Consul General in Luxembourg and former IAL President recalled 1992, the year when he arrived in Luxembourg and the IAL was celebrating Diwali in a community hall in Capellen; he noted how the event has now grown significantly to the huge event last year in LuxExpo and this year's celebration in Cercle Cité.

The speeches were followed by a first set of music and dance, with the ABC Bollywood Dance dance company from Ghent leading the way with a mix of traditional and contemporary dance.

They were followed by Ragas Abroad Music, a three-piece musical performance (guitar, percussion, vocals in Hindi) and a five-piece rhythmic drums performance.

A buffet dinner of Indian dishes (prepared by the New Delhi restaurant) was served in the foyer, and was followed by a second set of music and dance.

The organisers also held a raffle (all attendees were given a ticket on the way in) with prizes including tickets for concerts at the Philharmonie, meal vouchers at the Krishna Vilas restaurant, as well as others including a printer.

The entertainment contributed to a vibrant and colourful evening, aided by many costume changes by the performers, resulting in a great evening of culture, tradition and elegance.

Jhalik Punjabi DJ provided the music during the meal as well as the dancing afterwards.