GREATER Manchester will be host to several Diwali celebrations, which are sure to light up the sky.

Tameside's Diwali celebrations will take place this Sunday (19 October). Festivities will start outside Ashton Town Hall at 6.15pm with the Diwali light switch-on. The crowds will then embark upon a magical lantern parade, which will take them from Ashton Town Centre to the Indian Community Centre on Union Road where there will be traditional Indian and South Asian dancing and dhol drumming followed by a magnificent firework finale.

The Oldham Indian Association is celebrating its 40th anniversary and Diwali on 25 October between 4.30pm - 11.00pm at the Temple on Schofield Street. There will be dancing, bhajans, entertainment, Rass Garba and fireworks.

On Saturday 1 November Indian organisations throughout the north-west are holding a joint grand celebration at the Wythenshawe Forum. Starting at 6.30pm till 11pm, there will be music, dance, drama and exotic food to keep the whole family entertained.

Tickets are £5 and all proceeds will go to charity. The organisations taking part in Manchester Diwali 2008 are as follows:

• Academy for Indian Culture and Education
• Brahma Samaj Manchester
• Geeta Bhavan Hindu Temple
• Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
• Lohana Samaj
• Manchester Sikh Association
• National Hindu Students Forum
• Hindu Sevika Samiti
• Maharashtriya Mandal
• Prayas
• Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK)
• Hindu Religious Society (Gandhi Hall)
• Kashmiri Pandit Association
• Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission
• Sewa International
• Bengali Hindu Association
• Indian Association (Oldham)
• Indian Senior Citizens Manchester
• Indian Social & Sports Centre
• Indian Punjabi Association
• Jain Samaj

For more information contact Parminder Sharma on 0161-286 6147or email: sharmaparminder@hotmail.com or contact Ravi Kakkar/Poonam Kakkar on 0161-904 7289 or email: poonam_kakkar@hotmail.com