Waterloo Region's Tamil community gathered Saturday night to celebrate the Tamil new year, also known as the harvest festival, for the first time in two years.
The event was held at the Forest Heights Community Centre in Kitchener.
Hundreds of people turned out for the celebration, which included singing, dancing and traditional south Indian food.
Organizers told CTV News that the Tamil community has grown significantly in Waterloo Region.
The event was previously held at a small church with enough room for about 60 people, but this year they moved it to the community centre so they could accommodate 250.
"Fifty per cent of them are new faces, and fifty per cent are [people who] are connecting after two years," said Dennis Loyola, with the Tamil Cultural Association of Waterloo Region. "We are really excited about it."
The harvest festival began on April 14.
