For the first time, Birmingham’s annual Diwali celebrations will be held on the weekend of Diwali, with Millennium Point again hosting the Festival of Lights on Sunday 11 November 2007.

The event is a culmination of a true Birmingham ‘Weekend of Lights’; following on from the Christmas lights switch on, which takes place on 10 November.

 With Diwali falling on Friday 9 November, the diverse communities of the West Midlands will be able to commemorate the most important festival for one billion Hindus around the world, including the 700,000 Hindus and the many hundreds of thousands of Sikhs and Jains in Britain.

Organised by the Hindu Council of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council, the event is supported by Sony Television’s newly launched MAXMIX package of Asian entertainment channels and Birmingham Digital, which is part of the City Council.

The celebrations, which take place between 3pm and 7pm, will see Millennium Point transformed by magical light displays, a carnival of Indian dances, melodious music, traditional food, Asian bands and fireworks display. The stage show will be a dynamic showcase of Hindu culture and provides an opportunity for young participants to show their talent for innovation, creativity and design.

The event is also the conclusion of British Asian Hafta which celebrates the huge contribution made to the UK by the British Asian community in business, film, sport, art and literature, music, fashion and food.

The BBC’s Satnam Rana will host the festivities, which will include local community, amateur and professional artists who will perform dances from well known bollywood films as well as kathas, gharbas, traditional Sanskruti dances, song and plays.

Mahendra Dabhi, president of the Hindu Council of Birmingham, said: “After years of campaigning, it is a real pleasure to host this event on the weekend of Diwali, so for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains it will be extra special. The MAX MIX Diwali extravaganza will feature a stage area-boasting top-acts, great music, fashion, dance and captive visual arts. Inside Millennium Point will be a dedicated Kids Zone, and new for 2007 a ‘Bazaar’ designed for local traders to promote and sell the products, from clothes and jewellery to gifts and nicnaks, the perfect marketplace to buy late Diwali presents or, for the well organised, get the perfect Christmas gifts.”

Rajan Singh, Executive Vice President - International Business, SET Asia added: “I am happy for MAX MIX to take the lead in sponsoring the MAX MIX Diwali celebrations at Millennium Point in Birmingham and on behalf of every channel partner within the MAX MIX bouquet, it gives me great pleasure to send my best wishes to all those celebrating the joyous festival of Diwali.”

MAX MIX offers a boutique range of 5 entertainment channels; covering news, movies, cricket and popular dramas that offer something for everyone in the family. And like the Diwali celebrations I hope the new MAX MIX package will prove to be a big hit with the West Midland’s Asian population.”

MAX MIX Diwali is also supported by BBC WM, BBC Midlands Today, Radio XL and the Eastern Media Group the publishers of Eastern Voice and the Sikh Times. The event is now firmly established as one of Birmingham’s must attend events and will conclude a lights’ themed weekend; following Birmingham’s official Christmas Lights lighting ceremony on 11 November.

The celebrations will take place in the heart of the city at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG on Sunday 11 November 2007 from 3:00pm till 7.00pm.