On Friday 25 October, the AMP Capital managed Casula Mall hosted a Bright Nights Market in celebration of Diwali Festival for its growing multi-cultural community. More than 8,000 community members attended the event which overtook the centre’s carpark. 

The event was a huge success with more than 15 food trucks, nine market stalls and seven of the Casula Mall retailers opening a market stall. Bindi Bosses performed flash-mob style dances across the night and encouraged bystanders to join in on the fun, while teaching them some urban Indian dance moves along the way.

Centre Manager, Jacqueline Common commented “Teamwork and collaboration between retailers, centre management and the community makes for a winning combination at our recent night market event”.

The family-friendly event featured face painting, jumping castle, glow in the dark henna by Mongkee Henna and lantern craft hosted by Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

Casula Mall has a strong customer base and was forward thinking in wanting to host an additional experience for their customers whilst providing an opportunity for their retailers to engage with a new audience. With a growing night-time economy the centre wanted to provide a safe, family-friendly environment to bring together the many cultures of its local community in a market style event.

Katrina from The Westie Markets said, “Holding a night market was a great way to utilise the carpark space, the vibrant event attracted thousands of visitors, many of the commenting on how great it was to go to an event that was close to home leaving them with a very positive impression of Casula Mall and wanting to know when the next one would be held.

Celebrating Diwali Festival is just one of the many ways the centre is working to grow its connections with its diverse and multicultural local visitors, continuing to be an all inclusive community hub.

Sahara Café & Grill, Franchisee Linda Mavruk said, “It was an amazing night and we loved the opportunity to interact with our local community whilst showcasing our cuisine. As a retailer and vendor, it was lots of fun and extremely successful, we can’t wait for the next event”

Casula Mall is a sub-regional shopping centre located in a well-established, densely populated main trade area in south west Sydney. The centre opened in 1986 and underwent redevelopment projects in 1998 and 2007. It now comprises two supermarkets – ALDI and Coles, as well as Kmart and more than 50 speciality stores.