Kala The Arts has moved Friday's free Diwali parade to 6 November, still 6pm from the Willis Museum. Two yellow wind warnings cover Hampshire on 23 October.

Basingstoke’s Diwali parade will not go ahead on Friday 23 October. The organiser, the dance charity Kala The Arts, has moved Diwali Light It Up to Friday 6 November. It gives the reason as “the adverse weather conditions forecast”.

The change is on Kala’s own Diwali Light It Up page, which was updated on Wednesday 21 October. Reading’s parade, run by the same charity, has moved from Saturday 24 October to Saturday 7 November.

The new date

The programme for 6 November keeps the times planned for tonight:

Time What
5.30pm Parade line-up, for participants
6pm Parade leaves the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Market Place
7pm to 8.30pm Performances at the Amphitheatre, Festival Place

It is still free and needs no ticket. Kala says the new dates bring both parades into the Diwali weekend. The procession features giant illuminated puppets of 12 to 19 feet, dhol drummers, an LED-lit Bollywood brass band and pupils from local schools carrying lanterns.

The weather behind it

The Met Office has two yellow warnings for wind in force across Hampshire on Friday, according to its warnings feed for London and South East England:

  • the first runs from 9pm on Thursday 22 October to 4pm on Friday 23 October
  • the second runs from 9am to 8pm on Friday 23 October, and also covers West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham

The second warning covers the whole of the parade’s planned evening, from line-up to the last performance.

Road closures

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council had sealed an order closing Cross Street, Wote Street, Winchester Street and part of Church Street from 4pm to 7pm on 23 October for the parade. That order is still listed on the council’s temporary road closures page, and no order for 6 November had been added when we checked on Friday morning. We will add the new closure times to our Diwali parade page when the council publishes them.

Updated 26 October: the council has now sealed an order for Friday 6 November, dated 23 October, with the same streets and times: 4pm to 7pm, and 5.15pm to 6.15pm at the southern end of Church Street (Basingstoke and Deane).

What it means for you

  • Do not head into town for the parade tonight. It is now on Friday 6 November, at the same times.
  • Taking part with a school or group? Kala’s contact for anyone taking part is admin@kalathearts.co.uk.
  • Driving this weekend? The M3 is closed both ways between junction 8 and junction 9 from 9pm tonight to 6am on Monday 26 October. Details are on our roadworks and travel page.
  • Half term starts on Monday. Free Halloween days at the Top of the Town run from 28 to 30 October: see our October half term page.

On its new date the parade falls the evening before Hatch Warren’s fireworks on Saturday 7 November, and two days before the Remembrance Sunday parade on 8 November. Everything else on in town is on our what’s on page.