Huge fireworks show for Diwali celebrations coming soon in Brampton

The City of Brampton will have a fireworks show to celebrate Diwali this year, and is reminding residents not to set off their own displays to avoid fines.

The annual Festival of Lights, symbolizing the triumph over darkness, is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists across the world, and falls on Oct. 20 this year.

This year marks Brampton’s third city-run Diwali Mela and will once again have a dazzling display of lights, and a drone show like the one held in Caledon on Oct. 18.

The city’s Diwali celebration will run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Sesquicentennial Park and will feature a fireworks display that has, in past years, been the biggest in Brampton. There will also be music from DJs and performers, dancing, and activities through the night.

Attendance is free, and there will be free Brampton Transit shuttles every 30 minutes starting at 3:30 p.m. from the Mount Pleasant GO Station, Sheridan College, the Gore Meadows Community Centre and the Save Max Sports Centre.

“We are proud to host Brampton’s third-annual Diwali Mela, an event that showcases our city’s diversity and creates a space for families and friends to enjoy the traditions of the Festival of Lights together,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said in a release.

The city is reminding residents that setting off personal fireworks in Brampton can come with steep fines.

Penalties for discharging fireworks anywhere in the city start at $500. Selling fireworks comes with a $1,000 fine, with penalties under the new bylaw reaching up to $100,000. Sparklers are the only fireworks not under a city-wide ban in Brampton.

Fireworks complaints dropped 84 per cent on Diwali after the ban was introduced in Brampton.

For more information, visit www.brampton.ca/diwali​.