Visitors urged to attend Diwali celebration early

Thousands attend the free event, which includes live music, dancing and fireworks, each year

Visitors to a free Diwali celebration in Wolverhampton on Saturday are being encouraged to arrive in good time, to avoid being turned away.

The festival of lights celebration will take place between 16:00 and 20:30 BST at Phoenix Park, off Dudley Road in Blakenhall, on Saturday.

Following the switching on of lights at 20:00, there will be a spectacular fireworks display.

Families are encouraged to arrive in time as the park has a capacity of 9,000 and organisers will operate a first come, first served policy, City of Wolverhampton Council said.

The event has a capacity of 9,000, City of Wolverhampton Council said

Once capacity has been reached, the gates will shut and a one in, one out system will be implemented.

The celebration will be hosted by the Shree Krishan Mandir.

Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness and is a major religious festival for people of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths.

"This is a great free event for all the family to celebrate Diwali, featuring entertainment and amazing firework display," councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for city development, jobs, and skills said.

"We encourage everyone to plan early and come along to celebrate this important event in the city's calendar."