Sunday celebration cancelled
Diwali on Trafalgar Square, due to be held on Sunday 25 October, has been cancelled after safety advice that forecast storm conditions could make the event build and set-up unsafe. The free celebration had been scheduled to run from 1pm until 7pm in Trafalgar Square. People who had planned to attend have been asked not to travel to the square for the event.
The decision is linked to the weather expected on Saturday, when preparations for the Sunday programme were due to take place. Event health and safety leads advised that the build required for the celebration could not be carried out safely in the forecast conditions. The cancellation was made on that professional advice, with the safety of site teams, participants, visitors and volunteers identified as the priority.
Planned programme will not go ahead
The annual outdoor gathering had been intended to bring together music, dance and performances from London’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities. Its planned programme also included family activities, workshops, a market and food stalls. Those activities formed part of one event in and around the square, rather than separate arrangements that have been confirmed to continue there on Sunday.
Cancellation means that the advertised main-stage schedule, activity areas and trader plans should no longer be treated as operating on 25 October. There is no indication that the programme will run in a shortened form, be moved to another venue or be delayed later in the day. The practical position for Sunday is that the Trafalgar Square celebration will not take place.
Advice for people who had planned to attend
Anyone intending to visit should change their plans rather than travel to the square in expectation of performances, activities or a market. The instruction applies to visitors as well as people involved in preparing or taking part in the event. The cancellation notice recognises the disappointment likely to be felt by performers, participants and volunteers who had prepared for the occasion.
Other ways of supporting Diwali celebrations in London this year are being considered. That is not a confirmed replacement event. No revised date, alternative location, ticketing arrangement or replacement programme has been announced. People should therefore base plans only on any later confirmed information, rather than assuming that the original timetable will be reinstated.
Storm decision affects one scheduled civic event
Stormy weather was expected to bring wet and windy conditions across the UK during the weekend, with the strongest forecast winds concentrated further north. For the Trafalgar Square event, the relevant operational concern was whether crews could safely complete the necessary site work before Sunday. The decision was taken before the planned celebration and is a cancellation, not a temporary warning that the programme might proceed if conditions improve.
Diwali is an important festival for Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities and is associated with light, hope and unity. The cancelled gathering was one annual public celebration of the festival in central London. The decision does not set out the status of separate community celebrations elsewhere, and it does not confirm any future arrangement for the square. Its confirmed effect is limited but clear: the scheduled 25 October event at Trafalgar Square is off, and those planning to attend should not travel there for it.
