Town of Caledon receives award for Diwali drone show

Show was held last November to celebrate the festival of lights

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Town of Caledon staff have won an award for a unique community event held last year.

On April 19, the Town of Caledon announced its staff had received the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Award from Parks and Recreation Ontario for its Diwali drone show.

The show was held last November in Southfields Village to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.

Town staff partnered with the Caledon South Asian Association (CSAA) — a local non-profit whose goal is to increase South Asian cultural awareness and help facilitate access to resources and services that South Asians in Caledon are most in need of — to host the event.

Parks and Recreation Ontario is a non-profit association with the goal of advancing the health, social and environmental benefits of quality recreation through evidence-based practices, resources and collaborative partnerships.

The drone show came to Caledon as there was a need to celebrate Diwali while respecting Caledon's fireworks ban.

Catherine McLean, Caledon's Commissioner of Community and Human Services, said the drone show exemplifies Caledon's commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.

Jason Schildroth, Caledon's Manager of Recreation and Culture, said there was a huge opportunity to host a unique event in Southfields with the drone show. 

“It presented a neat opportunity for us to take a look at our community events, how we operate them, and try something different,” said Schildroth. 

Giuliana Giancotta, Manager of Community Projects for the Town of Caledon, said the partnership with the CSAA was a great one. 

“We worked for months to make sure the drone show would be easily accessible for everyone to attend,” said Giancotta. “We brought together different partners to make it happen and ensure everyone was able to attend and have fun over Diwali.”

Hunar Kahlon, a volunteer with the CSAA, said as there's a significant number of South Asians in Caledon, something was needed to celebrate Diwali in Caledon. 

“It's a good way to tell other… municipalities around us we can still celebrate our festivals in an environmentally friendly way,” he said.