5 creative ways to style your perfect Diwali party
Diwali festival is one of the most interesting and beautiful festivals in the world with a Festival of Lights that’s known for the amazing range of candles and lamps. Diwali coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Millions attend firework displays, prayers and celebratory events. Diwali is all about colour, light and exuberance and is a wonderful theme for an event.
If you’re thinking about hosting an event to celebrate Diwali, here are our top tips on how to create the perfect Diwali party.
★ DECOR:
To celebrate Diwali you’re going to need candles and colourful lights and plenty of them! Lanterns, fairy lights, candles and traditional diyas (oil lamps) will create sumptuous lighting. Try enhancing the effect with reflective surfaces such as mirrored plinths and table tops.
★ LIGHTING:
Clever lighting including colour washes and gobos can transform a venue, illuminating the interiors and washing rooms with colour, pattern and atmosphere. Shades of pale pink, amber, lilac and purple are particularly effective.
★ THEME:
For a Diwali party, everyone usually follows a theme. Think about making it a Bollywood-themed night and ask guests to dress as their favourite character. If traditional Indian clothes might prove too much of a challenge for some guests, think about incorporating key elements and adapting your theme and simplify it into a masquerade party.
★ ENTERTAINMENT:
Try a flashmob of Bollywood dancers for an element of surprise and to elevate the mood of the evening. Stilt walkers dressed in traditional Indian clothes could welcome guests and help everyone mingle by getting everyone talking. Diwali is all about gambling so a casino table will bring some excitement to your evening – winners can be rewarded with traditional gifts. Card games such as rummy and blackjack are also popular. Bursting crackers is a traditional element of a Diwali party; look for the ones that are bright and colourful but don’t make a noise such as charki or phuljhari sparklers.
★ FOOD:
The food most closely associated with the festival is Mithai (sweets). This is your perfect excuse to eat all the Indian sweets you can get your hands on! Focus on the presentation with a range of dishes for guests to choose from; we particularly like Kaju Katli, a sweet that is often cut into diamond shapes and decorated with edible silver colouring. Small dishes for guests to snack on work better than a big sit down meal so think about setting up different food stations and make sure you cater for vegetarians too. Colourful cocktails will add to the overall theme; ask your bartender to make a range of sharbats which are made from fresh fruits and can look beautiful in a range of colours.
