A FIREWORKS display, Bhangra drummers and Bollywood dancers greeted visitors to a Diwali celebration event at Ewood Park.

Diwali, or Deepawali, is the Hindu festival of lights and took place over the weekend.

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, along with senior staff from the club, joined over 300 guests in a packed Premier Suite for a night of food, fireworks and fantastic entertainment.

After assembling for welcome drinks and canapés in Jack’s Kitchen, the attendees were treated to a stunning fireworks display from behind the Riverside Stand, whilst Bhangra drummers and dancers performed on the pitch.

The Bollywood dance theme continued throughout the night, with a series of colourful performances in the Premier Suite.

Rovers’ Chief Executive, Steve Waggott, said: “I was brought in to make this a fully community-integrated football club and this event is another step on the way to achieving our aims. 

“We’ve got a responsibility to our community and it means a lot to us. We want the football club to be part of this big community chain, linked together, and to really represent the people of Blackburn with Darwen.

“We were delighted to welcome everyone to Ewood Park, there was a real buzz in the room and we hope to see a lot of these new faces back at the stadium again soon, because it’s important to us that this club represents the richness and diversity of the local area. 

“I also want to thank all of the staff and stakeholders who worked tirelessly to put this event on and for making it such a huge success. We hope that it will become a permanent feature on the club’s social calendar.”

The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Jim Shorrock, added: “When we started our mayoral year, we came up with a hashtag – Breaking Down Barriers, Binding Communities. That’s what we want to ensure happens during our mayoral year and becomes our legacy beyond that.

“We hope that this becomes an annual event at this venue. I want to thank the team at Blackburn Rovers for their input in ensuring that tonight runs extremely well and also for their valued commitment to the borough.”