The India Association at Missouri University of Science and Technology will host the 2016 Diwali Celebration of Lights on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The celebration will begin at 4 p.m. with a stage show at Leach Theatre in Castleman Hall. Beginning at 6 p.m. a fireworks display will take place on the Havener lawn and immediately following the display an Indian dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. in St. Pat’s Ballroom of the Havener Center.

Tickets are $4 for the stage show and $10 for the Indian dinner. Tickets can be purchased in front of the library and in the Havener Center atrium from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily until the event takes place. Complimentary henna designs will be available where tickets are being sold.

“The Diwali celebration signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair,” says Ramya Saroja Kandula, public relations representative for the Missouri S&T India Association. “The celebration includes lighting of lights, millions of lights, on housetops, around temples and other buildings in the communities with people participating in family puja, or prayers, typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of fertility and prosperity.”

More than 100 students are involved in producing Missouri S&T’s Diwali celebration and 800 to 1,000 people attend each year.

For more information contact Vivek Kesireddy or Swathi Godavarthy at india@mst.edu.