Canucks to Celebrate Fifth Annual Diwali Tonight

Diwali Night, presented by Rogers, contributes to the NHL initiative, Hockey is for Everyone, which uses the game of hockey and the League’s global influence to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities. Canucks Sports & Entertainment is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and positive environment where all fans, players, staff, partners, and community members are welcome regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status.

To commemorate this year’s event, the Canucks for Kids Fund will be donating $20,000 between Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen, a Sikh-faith led volunteer organization supporting Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Kids Play Foundation, a local non-profit organization that engages youth through sports.

Diwali Night will once again highlight a variety of local South Asian cultural elements, artists, and activations throughout the evening. Intense, one of the largest international producers in Punjabi music, will be headlining the night and accompanied by Vancity Bhangra dancers and Beats By Dhol drummers. The South Asian music producer from Surrey, British Columbia started to produce music at the age of 12 and has collaborated with popular South Asian artists including Diljit Dosanjh, Jasmine Sandlas and AP Dhillon.

Additionally, the Vancouver Canucks are proud to work with local South Asian artist, Jag Nagra, to develop custom artwork for this year’s limited-edition Diwali warmup jerseys that honours elements of both Diwali and the Vancouver Canucks brand. Jag shares her creative process in this video and additional details on the jersey can be found here. After being worn at the game, these jerseys will be available for auction at vanbase.ca, with partial proceeds being donated to the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective (PMRC).

Special game night activations include:

• Diwali Plaza outside of Rogers Arena with special guests PMRC featuring Moneey Singh, Diwali Celebration Society, UBC Thunderbirds Field Hockey and Khalsa Wrestling Club
• DJ Heer at the Diwali Plaza and DJ BIG on the indoor concourse
• Internationally acclaimed singer Jugpreet Bajwa for the national anthem
• Diwali décor in Rogers Arena premium areas
• Rogers Moment contest for two fans to win Diwali warm-up jerseys, tickets to the game and a meet-and-greet opportunity with the hosts of Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi.
• Special Diwali-coloured player name bars in Punjabi and Hindi
• Special Diwali-themed merch for sale at the retail store including t-shirts, hoodies, pins, lanyards, keychains and more!

About Diwali:

The commemoration of Diwali is the festival of lights, an important religious celebration for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs (Bandi Chhor Divas). Originating in India, Diwali is celebrated all over the world. During this time, houses are decorated with diyas (candles), deepavali (lamps) and Rangoli artwork (patterns on the ground created by coloured powder or rice). Diwali is one of the most popular festivals in the South Asian calendar.

Diwali encourages a strong sense of unity with communities sharing food and gifts among friends, family, and those in need. Firework displays are presented in the community to highlight celebrations and show light triumph over darkness. Diwali means “row of lighted lamps” with light symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, prosperity over poverty and knowledge over ignorance.