Over 1,000 people gather to celebrate Diwali at Surrey City Hall

More than 1,000 people gathered at Surrey City Hall on Sunday afternoon to celebrate Diwali, a festival of lights celebrated by more than one billion people around the world from different faiths, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.

“Everybody [here] is celebrating Diwali, which is the celebration of lights, which is basically the celebration of light over darkness, goodness over evil and just prosperity," said Vishad Deeplaul, one of the organizers of the event.

This year marked the team's 20th anniversary running the Diwali Festival in Surrey.

“Just being able to celebrate who we are in our diverse community that we live in makes it so amazing," said Deeplaul, adding that it's important for people outside of the community to come together and learn more about the holiday and the people celebrating.

“I think the minute we know more about somebody and their culture, we will be more respectful towards each other," he said.

This year's theme was "South Asian Wedding"—which involved a grand entrance with professional drummers and dancers of all ages.

“It feels really great, yes, because when you see all these people, everybody is from India, and the festivities, so it feels great," said Kulbeer Kaur, one of the attendees.

She moved to Canada from India eight years ago and said the event felt like a piece of home.

Others in the community highlighted the importance of Indian diaspora staying close to their roots.

“It’s like a celebration, right? We definitely don’t want it to fade away. So even though we’re here, away from India, we still want to continue our traditions," said Karthik Nats, a dancer at the event.