Five community and student groups helped bring the Festival of Lights to campus, with all event proceeds going to UNICEF.
Music, dancing and performances brought students together for Adelaide University’s inaugural Diwali celebration in 2026. Students shared food and took part in cultural activities, while the event raised funds for communities in Nepal affected by flooding in August.
Five groups bring Diwali to campus
Adelaide University held the celebration in collaboration with the Adelaide Hindu Youth Society, Adelaide Indian Students Association, Punjabi Society of Adelaide University, Adelaide Nepalese Students Society and Uvagai – The Tamil Students Society.
By working together, the five groups brought students from different South Asian communities into a single campus celebration. The programme gave students who grew up with Diwali a chance to share a familiar festival and offered others an introduction through music, food and performance.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is widely known as the Festival of Lights. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Families and communities mark the occasion in different ways, often by lighting lamps, sharing meals and visiting loved ones.
Supporting flood recovery in Nepal
Adelaide University said all proceeds from the event were donated to UNICEF to support Nepal following the August floods. With the Adelaide Nepalese Students Society among the groups involved, the fundraiser connected the campus celebration with a community close to home for some of the students who helped organise it.
In its public update, the university thanked everyone who attended and helped put the celebration together, and extended Diwali and Deepavali wishes to the community.
