Diwali: Festival of Light 2017 is almost here. We hope to see many of you at the event at 5 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Clarke Theatre and the Heritage Park Centre cafeteria for free ethnic food, two hours of live entertainment and a foyer of 21 commercial and community booths. Mission Community Services Society (MCSS) is humbled by the financial and in-kind support it has received so far for the event.

Among donors providing more than $1,000 support in funding and services are: The District of Mission, Mission Save-On Foods, Mission 125, the University of the Fraser Valley, MCSS, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (through the Mission Local Immigration Partnership).

Generous contributors include the Mission Sunrise Rotary Club, United Way of the Lower Mainland, Agassiz-Harrison Community Services, AJay Construction, Mission J’s Pizza, Abbotsford Costco, SARA for Women, Clarke Theatre, Swing Optical, Mission Fire Rescue Service and United Defense Security Ltd. (Paul Sharma).

Media sponsors are the Punjabi Patrika, Mission Record, and Abbotsford News.

Satti Grewal and Kelly Chahal are emcees for Diwali this year in Mission on Oct. 11 at Clarke Theatre.

Commercial booths appearing in the foyer marketplace include dynamic jewelry, clothing, optical, henna and salon vendors. Among community groups appearing are Fraser Valley Child Development Centre, SARA for Women, Literacy in Motion, WorkBC/Mission Community Skills Centre, District of Mission (community surveys), Mission Library (LiLi mobile music), Cycling for Diversity, Costco, University of the Fraser Valley, MCSS settlement/food centre team, Dasmesh Punjabi School, Division of Family Practice and Save-On-Foods.

UFV special events manager Betsy Terpsma, and graphic designer Auriel Niven, are providing support in many ways, including creating the Festival of Light: Diwali poster this year.

Contact Festival of Light: Diwali organizing committee chair Rick Rake at [email protected] or call 604-826-3634 for more details.

Serving on this year’s Festival of Light organizing committee are Rake, Sanjay Gulati, Satti Grewal, Raj Patara, Monica Grover, Jean Konda-Witte and Ken Herar.

Providing Diwali stage management services are Alex Rake and Maria Buganska. Volunteers from a variety of places, including Rotary Sunrise Club and Mission secondary school leadership teams, are helping serve food, setting up, taking down and assisting wherever possible.

The doors open at 5 p.m. with a free ethnic meal served during the event until about 8:30 p.m. Live stage entertainment begins at 6 p.m.

Look for Garba dancers (Hindu), Hurricane Drummers, Abbotsford CSC pipers, Abbotsford Arts Academy, Dasmesh Punjabi School, Learning Stars Arts Academy, and the final act of the night at just after 8 p.m., the Bollywood Dansations.

A henna artist and Khalsa School’s turban-tieing team are added features in the theatre foyer.