Diwali in London in 2016 took me from the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square to a crowded Trafalgar Square. Along the way, I stopped for a vegetarian lunch at the India Club and coffee at Somerset House. The festival brought dancing, food stalls and a sea of umbrellas to the centre of the city.
This archive follows the full day’s film, originally published on 29 October 2016. It records the places and atmosphere of that visit, including the India Club and Fernandez & Wells as they were then.
From Parliament Square to the Strand
I began beside the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, opposite the Houses of Parliament. It gave the walk a starting point connected to the day’s celebrations. From there, I headed along Whitehall, passing Downing Street and making my way towards Trafalgar Square.
There was plenty of London life around me: buses, traffic and visitors moving between the landmarks. However, I was saving the festival itself until after lunch. I continued along the Strand towards Aldwych, stopping by India House and the nearby bust of Jawaharlal Nehru before finding the India Club’s discreet entrance.
Lunch at the India Club
The restaurant was upstairs in the Strand Continental hotel. From the pavement, the narrow doorway gave little away. Inside, the simple dining room, portraits and old-fashioned surroundings felt a world away from the busy road below.
I started with masala tea and ordered a vegetarian spread: masala dosa, mixed bhajis, dal, rice and naan. The dosa came with sambar and coconut chutney. There was more than enough to linger over, and I left feeling very well fed. Before heading outside, I also took a look at the bar on the floor below.
For the food and dining room in more detail, see my separate India Club lunch in 2016. Here, the meal was one stop in a much longer day out.
Coffee at Somerset House
Next came a small detour to Somerset House. I picked up a takeaway filter coffee from Fernandez & Wells, then paused beneath the grand stone surroundings before returning towards Trafalgar Square.
After all that lunch, a coffee and a walk seemed a good combination. This part of the film also captures how close together the day’s stops were. The journey moves between busy pavements, a quiet restaurant and the entrance to Somerset House before reaching the festival crowds.
Diwali in London 2016: Trafalgar Square
Back at Trafalgar Square, the pace changed. Colourful festival tents filled the square, dancers drew an audience and people gathered around the activities. A Ganesha display added another vivid detail to the scene.
The food stalls were especially busy. I walked through the crowds, enjoying the smells, although lunch at the India Club had left me with little room for more. Around the square, the National Gallery and St Martin-in-the-Fields formed the familiar backdrop to a very different afternoon.
The film then turns towards the main stage beneath Nelson’s Column. Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor at the time, addressed the crowd about celebrating Diwali and bringing the city’s communities together. His speech linked the festival’s themes of light and hope with a message of welcome.
By then, umbrellas were opening across the square. The rain became heavy, but people stayed to watch. Those views of the bright stage above a crowd of umbrellas became some of the most memorable images of the visit.
Sheltering at Café in the Crypt
Eventually, I stepped out of the rain and went beneath St Martin-in-the-Fields to Café in the Crypt. After the noise and crowds outside, its vaulted interior made a quiet place to stop for a drink.
I looked around the memorials before heading back upstairs. Unfortunately, the rain returned in force. Faced with keeping either myself or the camera under the umbrella, I brought the filming to an end. I planned to return to the performances and enjoy the rest of the festival under cover.
Watch the full Diwali film
The full video includes the walk from Westminster, the India Club meal, the Somerset House coffee stop and the celebrations in Trafalgar Square. It finishes with the visit to the crypt and a rather wet farewell.
The mayor’s speech: a shorter Diwali film
I also published a shorter edit on 16 October 2016, before the full-day film appeared on 29 October. It brings together views of Parliament Square, the festival crowd and dancing with Sadiq Khan’s address from the Trafalgar Square stage.
In the speech, the mayor reflects on Diwali’s themes of light, goodness and knowledge. He thanks London’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, speaks about respect across faiths and encourages the crowd to keep celebrating despite the rain. The film ends with his message that London is open.
