East Coast USA Diwali Events 2025: Where to Celebrate Ghar Wali Diwali in New York and New Jersey

With Diwali having entered the New York school holiday calendar, the Festival of Lights is now a public school holiday in both New York and New Jersey. Indian families are gearing up to celebrate the festival of lights at a number of Diwali 2025 events in New York and New Jersey, from Times Square to Garden City, from Ganesh Temple to BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, and from Bhakti Center to Brooklyn Children Museum. Diwali is one of the few Indian festivals, which is celebrated with great pomp and loads of enthusiasm from America to Australia.     

Like previous years, Travel Beats, a leading community portal for Indians in the US, has compiled the best Diwali 2025 events in the East Coast US for you. If you have not planned your travel on last minute flights to India yet, you can celebrate Diwali with fellow Indians at any of the places listed below. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of IndianEagle.com, the most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians in America.    

Times Square Diwali 2025, NYC

Times Square Diwali in New York is not just another event; it is the largest Diwali celebration in North America as described by the US media. Every year, this iconic festival lights up Manhattan with Bollywood glamour, dance, music, and fireworks. Over the years, the stage has welcomed celebrities like Shankar Mahadevan, Sukhbir, Jay Sean, and Mika Singh, who made the crowds dance to their beats.

Times Square will celebrate Diwali 2025 on 12 October. The list of celebrities and concerts has officially not been announced yet. But 2025 is the 10th anniversary of Diwali at Times Square, it is almost certain that some of the biggest names from Bollywood and beyond will join the celebration. Indians from the east coast US are looking forward to a day of dazzling performances, delicious food, and the unmatched vibe of Times Square glowing in Diwali lights.

• Date: October 12, 2025
• Venue: Times Square, New York City
• Contact: info@diwalitimesquare.com
• Website: diwalitimessquare.com/

Diwali Celebration at BAPS Swaminarayan Temple Long Island

Hindu temples in New York are among the best places for NYC Diwali events 2025. BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Long Island will celebrate Diwali and Chopda Puja on 20 October. Diwali is a most traditional celebration here, while Chopda Puja is an age-old cultural ceremony wherein Gujarati and Marwari business people close their old account books and open new ones in paper or electric form, and seek blessings of Goddess Lakshmi for a new year as per the Hindu Calendar.

NYC’s BAPS Swaminarayan Temple at Long Island does also organize children’s Diwali celebration every year to make kids understand the significance of the festival and walk them through traditional rituals. Children learn the art of making diyas and rangolis. This is scheduled from 11 am to 6 pm on October 12 this year.   

Diwali at NY Ganesh Temple, Flushing

Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam is one of the best places for traditional Diwali celebrations in New York City. Home to the first temple canteen in America, the Ganapati Devasthanam organizes Maha Lakshmi Puja through the observance of rituals such as abhishekam, homam, japam, and deepam pooja. To be held from October 18 to 20, Diwali will be followed by the Govardhan Annakut Festival on October 21 and 22 at the Flushing Ganesh Temple in New York.

Date: Diwali – October 18-20 | Govardhan Annakut – October 21-22 

Flushing Townhall Diwali 2025 in Queens

Of all Diwali 2025 events in New York, Flushing Townhall’s 11th annual Diwali festival is out and out a cultural celebration. This year, the highlight is live performances by sitar maestro Pt. Kinnar Seen ji, tabla exponent Dr. Naren Budhkar, and Kathak dancer Abha B. Roy, the Director of Srijan Dance Company. Together, they will bring the richness of Indian classical music and dance to the stage.

Learning the art of Indian cooking, among various joyous activities, from Chef Nupur Arora, the founder of Queens Curry Kitchen, is another attraction of Flushing Townhall Diwali, Queens. Block printing with Dr. Alka Mukerji, rangoli making with Dr. Anju G. Modak, henna art, and Hindi calligraphy are the other workshops that you can choose to take part in. It is one of the few ticketed Diwali events in the Big Apple; hence, advance booking is recommended.

• Date: October 18 | Time: 12 noon – 4 pm
• Venue: Flushing Town Hall Theater
• Website: www.flushingtownhall.org/event-detail.php

New York Asia Society Diwali 2025

Asia Society’s Diwali celebration in New York doubles up as a family day full of fun, joy and entertainment. Asia Society’s auditorium will throb with dance dramas, storytelling, and musical performances. Among the major programs, families can enjoy interactive segments introducing Indian traditions along with a special meet-and-greet session with Lord Ganesh. The Visitor Center will host a live rangoli workshop by artist Anushya Mamtora.

New York Asia Society’s Diwali event is a great opportunity for Indian children to get introduced to the art of rangoli, Hindi calligraphy, and other crafts. A live cooking experience and henna design sessions are also among the attractions. The eighth floor of the venue will continue to host cultural workshops and lively dance activities. The event is being organized in collaboration with the Culture Tree that promotes South Asian culture on the east coast.

• Date: October 18 | Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
• Venue: 725 Park Avenue, NY 10021
• Website: Asiasociety.org/new-york/events/diwali-lights-asia-society-2025

Saraswati Cultural Association Diwali in New Jersey

Diwali celebration by Saraswati Cultural Association of New Jersey is one of the free outdoor events for Indians in October. Founded in the late 1980s as a community-driven non-profit organization, Saraswati Cultural Association hosts Diwali and other festivals to promote Indian culture and heritage, other than raising funds for charities. You can make the most of this event by grooving to live music, enjoying Dandiya and Bhangra performances, taking part in cultural programs, relishing Indian food, and shopping for Indian items. Interestingly, entry to the event venue is free for all.

• Date: October 4
• Time: 12PM – 6PM
• Venue: Exchange Place Centre, Between Hudson St & Greene St Jersey City, NJ
• Contact: 551-358-9407

Diwali Motorcade in Queens

South Richmond Hill’s Diwali Motorcade has become a much-loved tradition, especially among the Indo-Caribbean community in Queens. The neighborhood lights up with decorated vehicles, bhajans, tassa drums, and dance troupes marching down Liberty Avenue. It’s a vibrant display of unity, faith, and joy that makes Diwali unforgettable in New York’s Little Guyana.

• Date: October 18, 2025
• Venue: Little Guyana (TBA)
• Contact: info@diwalimotorcade.com
• Website: https://diwalimotorcade.com/

Diwali Festival at Marine Park, Brooklyn

Marine Park’s Carmine Carro Community Center will host a serene yet festive evening of Diwali. The program includes a traditional talk on the festival’s significance by Pandit Ravi Doobay and a Bharatanatyam dance performance by Sloka Iyengar. It’s a beautiful way for families to experience both devotion and art in one setting.

• Date: October 18, 2025 | Time: 4 pm – 5 pm
• Venue: Carmine Carro Community Center, Marine Park, 3000 Fillmore Ave, Brooklyn, NY
• Contact: 8607123393 | reachus@marineparkalliance.org
• Website: Nygovparks.org

Shri Ramamayi Deepotsav 2025 in Somerset, NJ

This fall, SohAnika Arts presents Shri Ramamayi Deepotsav among the much-anticipated New Jersey Diwali events 2025. Shri Ramamayi Deepotsav is a grand full-length Ramayan stage musical that blends drama, classical & fusion dance, and live music, all in the spirit of Diwali’s light-over-darkness theme. The production brings together artists from the tri-state area and the Midwest, offering families a chance to deeply experience Indian myth, culture, and devotion through performance art.

• Date: October 17, 2025
• Venue: Ananda Mandir, Tagore Hall, 269 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ
• Contact: (732) 873-9794

Diwali Fest NJ 2025 in Maplewood

Maplewood Memorial Park turns into a lively cultural fair every Diwali. From Bollywood dances to live music, children’s art activities to authentic Indian food, this free event offers a slice of India in New Jersey. Out of Diwali celebrations in New Jersey, Diwali Fest in Maplewood is unmissable for families looking for a festive yet affordable celebration. 

• Date: October 25, 2025 | Time: 2 pm – 6 pm
• Venue: Maplewood Memorial Park, Maplewood, NJ
• Contact: www.diwalifestnj@somaccw.org

New York Brahma Kumaris Diwali 2025 

The Brahma Kumaris, a global spiritual organization headquartered in India, is inviting New Yorkers to their Diwali event on October 16, at their Manhattan Meditation Center. One of the free Diwali events in New York City, this year’s celebration, “Interactive Lecture Series: Re-igniting the Light Within,” is that of the human soul’s journey from darkness to light. The event will be held both online and offline and is showcased through live storytelling, live music, meditation, and inspiring reflections that intensify one’s longing for spiritual awakening in the solitude of heavenly peace and divine bliss.

• Date: October 16 | Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
• Venue: 306, 5th Avenue, NY 10001
• Website: https://manhattanmeditationcenter.org