Some events you plan for properly.
And some events you almost miss, but somehow still end up becoming a memory.
ILLUMIN8 2026 at The Great Stupa was one of those nights for me.
That same day, we had our Shara Collections stall at Wesley Hill Market in Castlemaine. It was already a full day of packing, setting up, meeting people, talking, selling, loading everything back again, and travelling. Wesley Hill Market itself is a Saturday community market in Castlemaine, usually running from morning until early afternoon, so by the time we finished there, the body was already tired.
But in the back of my mind, I already knew about ILLUMIN8.
I had seen the event and I kept thinking about it. The Great Stupa always has a calm feeling, but at night, with lights, people, culture, and fireworks, it becomes something different. I had this idea in my head for a while — a certain way I wanted to capture the fireworks, from a new perspective, not just the normal view everyone sees.
The problem was simple.
We had the stall first. Then we had to come back from Castlemaine to Bendigo, get fresh, pack the camera gear, and rush again to The Great Stupa.
Honestly, I was not sure if we would make it in time.
But some things stay in your mind until you do them.
So we said, “We are going no matter what.”
By the time we reached The Great Stupa, it was around 6pm. The official event had started earlier, from 4pm to 8pm, but even arriving later, you could feel how big the night was. There were so many people, so many cars, and that feeling where you know the whole community has come out for something special.
Somehow, we still found a good parking space.
That felt like the first small win of the night.
As soon as we walked in, the atmosphere was beautiful. The Great Stupa was lit up, the Peace Park had new light displays, people were walking around slowly, families were taking photos, and there was that calm but exciting energy everywhere. ILLUMIN8 is described as a Festival of Light and Peace, inspired by Buddha’s life, and it commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha according to the Tibetan festival of Saga Dawa.
But that night, there was one extra thing happening in the background.
Rain.
The rain had started earlier in the evening, and by the time we arrived, it was still there. Not heavy enough to stop the night, but enough to change everything for photography.
I had planned more. I wanted to take more photos. I wanted to use more gear. I wanted to try the vision I had been imagining all week.
But rain is different when you are carrying cameras and gadgets.
Rain is beautiful for nature.
Not always so beautiful for technology.
So I had to hold back a little.
And maybe that was a good thing.
Instead of only running around trying to capture every single frame, I got to actually stand there and enjoy the event more. Sometimes, as photographers, we forget to experience the moment because we are too busy trying to save it.
This time, the rain forced me to slow down.
There were beautiful lights, friendly people, families enjoying the night, and performances happening around the Stupa. The fire show was one of my favourite parts. I have always been fascinated by fire since childhood, and seeing a young performer doing a fire show in the rain was something else.
As an audience member, I just stood there and enjoyed it.
But inside, I kept thinking — this must be so hard.
Fire, movement, timing, confidence, rain, people watching from every side — and still she performed beautifully. That moment stayed with me.
Then came the fireworks.
This was the part I had been waiting for.
I had imagined this shot again and again since I found out there would be fireworks. I had a certain perspective in my mind, something different, something wider, something that could show the Stupa, the crowd, the night, and the fireworks together.
But again, the rain won.
I could not bring out everything I wanted. I could not get as close to the idea in my head as I hoped.
And that is okay.
Not every photo happens the way we imagine it.
Sometimes the story becomes better because it did not go perfectly.
We came from Castlemaine, rushed through Bendigo, reached The Great Stupa in the rain, saw the lights, watched the fire performance, waited for fireworks, met kind people, and still managed to capture a few frames from the night.
Maybe I did not get every shot I wanted.
But I got the memory.
And sometimes that is the better photograph.
Here are some of the photos I took at ILLUMIN8 2026, in spite of the rain.
Rain can be an excuse.
But this time, I think it was a good excuse.
It made me put the camera down a little more and enjoy the night as a person first — not just as a photographer.
