Let’s face it, were it not for a handful of festive light displays popping up around town, November would easily be one of the gloomiest months of the year. Happily, that makes it an excellent time to celebrate Diwali, and in the spirit of the festival, Canary Wharf have unleashed a flotilla of colourful lotus flower lanterns into the water fountain at Jubilee Park, illuminating the water with a kaleidoscope of colours.
For those unfamiliar with Diwali, it’s the Hindu festival which symbolises the triumph of light over dark, and is the biggest and brightest of all Hindu celebrations. (It’s also a pretty welcome arrival as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.) Canary Wharf’s multicoloured celebration uses floating flowers, inspired by the Rangoli patterns common in India during Diwali.
Each floating installation uses a battery-powered candle to produce a pretty flickering effect, honouring Diwali’s status as the Festival of Light. You’ll find the Diwali flowers floating in the water features of Jubilee Park, right next to Canary Wharf station, and they’ll be in place until Sunday, November 7 – although the best time to see this is today (November 4), as the centre point of the celebrations. Let there be light!