Lighting Diwali The Martin Way

The Diwali Festival of Light is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. It is traditionally known as the "festival of lights", for the common practice is to light small oil lamps and place them around the home. The festival is celebrated to ward off the darkness and welcome light into life, as light is always associated with hope for the future, and it is celebrated Oct/Nov every year.

As part of the celebrations in the UK, a concert and firework display was organised for the 4th and 5th of November. To make a success of the evening a stunning, bright and vibrant lighting display was essential. Lighting designer Neil Scrivener took on the role of designing, programming and operating the lighting.

Martin Professional fixtures were chosen due to the brightness and reliability of the units. The main rig consisted of MAC 500s, MAC 550s, MAC 600s, and Atomic DMX 3000 Strobes, with MAC 2000 Performances and Washes used for Front Of House lighting. MAC 2000 Performances were used to animate the whole stage for presets.

Scrivener was very enthusiastic about the Martin fixtures. "The MACs worked perfectly. The MAC 500s worked well, and the animation was stunning. I really liked the Atomic Strobes; really liked the powerfulness of the units.”

The concert and display was set in London's city centre. The free colourful event is London's highest profile celebration of lights every year. Over 20,000 people attended the festival.