Experience India

30/10/2026

We are all set for this Sunday and looking forward to welcoming you all at Founders Heritage Park!

This year, we have lots of new stalls, more delicious vegetarian food to try, colourful vibe and dedicated art and craft areas where everyone, young or old, can get creative.

But Diwali is about much more than food and entertainment. It is about bringing people together, making new friends, sharing cultures and celebrating the wonderful diversity of our Nelson Tasman community.

What started as a small community initiative has now grown into a much-loved regional celebration. And that is only possible because of the incredible support from our local community, volunteers, performers, stallholders and supporters. Thank you for being part of this journey!

A couple of small requests:

- Please bring your own cutlery if possible to help us reduce waste.
- Walk, cycle or carpool if you can.

Come with your family, bring your friends and enjoy the day with us. Whether this is your first Diwali or you have been celebrating with us for years, there is a place for everyone!

Sunday, 1 November | 11 am to 4 pm
Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
Entry: $2 per person (kids below 5 yrs free)

See you there, rain or shine!

26/10/2026

Bringing the delicious flavours of Delhi to Nelson Diwali!

We are so pleased to welcome back Taste of Delhi, who have been part of our Diwali celebrations since our very first festival!

It means a lot to have stallholders who have supported us throughout our journey, and we are grateful to have Taste of Delhi joining us again this year.

Have a look at their menu and start planning what you would like to try!

Come hungry and enjoy the flavours of India with us!

Nelson Diwali Festival 2026
Sunday 1 November
11 am to 4 pm
Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
Entry: $2 per person (Kids below 5 free)

Please note: Our Diwali festival is a vegetarian-only and alcohol-free event.

20/10/2026

LET'S ADD SOME COLOUR TO DIWALI!

Have you ever tried making Rangoli?

Whether you're 5 or 85, an artist or someone who just loves playing with colours, Rangoli is for everyone!

Rangoli is a beautiful Indian tradition of creating colourful patterns on the ground, often using coloured powders, flowers or other natural materials. During Diwali, it symbolises happiness, positivity and a warm welcome.

At Nelson Diwali Festival, we invite YOU to give it a go!

Create your own little masterpiece or join others to make something beautiful together. No experience needed, just bring your curiosity and creativity!

For us, sharing Rangoli here in New Zealand is about more than celebrating Indian culture. It's about bringing people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds together to try something new, have fun and connect.

And remember, there's no right or wrong way to be creative!

Nelson Diwali Festival
Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
Sunday, 1 November 2026
11 am – 4 pm
Entry $2 per person

Come and Experience India

Nelson City Council
MTF Finance Nelson
Heart Foundation
Nelson Airport

18/10/2026

What a lovely day celebrating Diwali in Motueka!

A little bit of India came to Motueka today, bringing colours delicious Indian food, rangoli and lots of happy faces.

Sharing just a few glimpses from today.

A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers and stallholders who travelled from Nelson, and to everyone in Motueka who came along and supported us.

Events like this are only possible through collective efforts, and it is wonderful to see communities coming together to celebrate different cultures.

Thank you, Motueka, for making us feel so welcome! ❤️

Look forward to see you again at our signature Nelson Diwali festival at Founders Heritage Park on 1 Nov 2026.

Multicultural Nelson Tasman Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere Heart Foundation Motueka Diwali NBS Nelson City Council Rātā Foundation MTF Finance Nelson Department of Internal Affairs

15/10/2026

We’re back in Motueka, bigger and better this year!

Sharing a lovely newspaper article from last year’s Diwali celebration.

All our stallholders are travelling from Nelson, bringing delicious Indian food, colourful crafts and lots of enthusiasm to make new friends at Motueka Diwali!

Come along and celebrate with us!

Sunday, 18 October | 11am-3pm
Motueka Library & Decks Reserve

It's truly a collective effort! Special thanks to our lovely volunteers, Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere , Multicultural Nelson Tasman, NBS, MTF Finance Nelson, Heart Foundation and Tasman District Libraries for their support in making this celebration possible.

Motueka’s first Diwali Festival brought colour and culture to Decks Reserve on Saturday, with food stalls, dancing, markets and family activities offering plenty to engage the crowd.

13/10/2026

Let's bring the colours of South Asia to Nelson!

We love supporting Cultural Conversations Nelson wonderful initiatives that bring people and cultures together.

At Experience India we are proud to create opportunities for our community to share Indian culture, traditions and experiences with everyone.

This time, we are excited to support the Spring Party on Upper Trafalgar Street!

Do you have a beautiful saree, lehenga or salwar kameez sitting in your wardrobe waiting for a special occasion? Well, here is your chance to bring it out!

We invite people of all cultures and backgrounds to dress in colourful South Asian outfits and join us for a fun afternoon of dance, colour and celebration.

Saturday, 24 October 2026

Upper Trafalgar Street, Nelson

Spring Party: 12 pm – 6 pm

What's happening?

* 2 pm: Enjoy a colourful dance performance at the 1903 Stage.

* 2.10 pm: Join the dancers on stage, show off your beautiful outfits and try a few dance moves!

* 2.20 pm: Walk together to Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao for a colourful group photo on the stairs, followed by another dance performance inside the gallery.

There will also be Sri Lankan mask making, henna, music, circus performances and plenty of family-friendly entertainment throughout the day.

You don't need to be South Asian to take part. Everyone is welcome to dress up, join the celebration and experience a little piece of India right here in Nelson.

So gather your friends, bring out those colourful outfits and help us fill Nelson's streets with colour, culture and smiles!

If you would love to join us in traditional South Asian clothing, please comment below or send us a message so we can get an idea of numbers.

Together, let's celebrate our cultures and the community that connects us!

13/10/2026

MOTUEKA DIWALI 2026 – THIS SUNDAY!

Get ready for a colourful celebration of Motueka Diwali!

Come along to enjoy vibrant cultural performances, try delicious Indian cuisine and take part in our Rangoli activity, where you can help create beautiful traditional Indian floor art using colourful patterns and designs.

We also have stallholders travelling all the way from Nelson to bring you a lovely selection of Indian food, clothing, crafts and more!

Whether you're coming to watch the performances, try something new, make Rangoli or simply enjoy the festive atmosphere, there's something for everyone.

Sunday, 18 October 2026
11 am - 3 pm
Motueka library & Decks Reserve

Bring your family and friends and join us for a day of culture, colour, food and community spirit.

Everyone is welcome. Let's celebrate Diwali together!

Multicultural Nelson Tasman Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere Heart Foundation MTF Finance Nelson Tasman District Libraries

27/09/2026

What a day!

Rain and wind may have joined us at the Indian Food Festival, but so did an amazing crowd and loads of community support.

A few of our food stalls SOLD OUT, the craft and market area was buzzing, and our chai-making sessions were a big hit. People gathered around to watch the chai being made, learn about the spices and enjoy a little chai taster.

We loved having Mayor Tim join us too. He took part in the chai session and even got involved in one of our fun games.

A huge thank you to Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere, MTF Finance Nelson and Multicultural Nelson Tasman for supporting us and being part of the day.

A big thank you also to the Heart Foundation for sharing an important reminder about looking after our health.

And to our food and market stallholders, Farah Fusion Dance performers, community supporters and our amazing volunteers who helped make it all happen, THANK YOU!

The weather wasn’t perfect, but the community spirit absolutely was.

📸 Photo credit: Tim Cuff and our amazing volunteers who also put their photography skills to work and captured some great moments from the day!

07/06/2026

✨️What an amazing day at our Block Printing Workshop at Suter Art Gallery! ✨

A huge thank you to Andy, Sarah, and Heidi from Make It Nelson, who have been working hard over the past few months to make this happen. Their dedication truly paid off, and we could clearly see the success of their efforts.

As facilitators, we focused on delivering the workshop, and thanks to their hard work, we were sold out and had the right audience for our workshop.

It was great to see everyone enjoying the workshop and trying block printing. The lovely feedback from participants and the thoughtful gift from Make it Nelson made the day extra special.

🎨 Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the day so memorable!

We will be soon sharing here our next workshop date or email at [email protected] for group booking. Suitable for beginners and age above 7 and above.

19/05/2026

It was such a lovely experience !! Sharing stories was not one sided, we also learned so much from our participants. Massive thank you to Derek Collord at Nelson City Council for capturing the vibe and Tom Ransom for making it happen.