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

With Diwali entering the list of New York City school holidays, 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 2024 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 Indian community portal in the US, has compiled a list of best Diwali 2024 events in New York and New Jersey 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 Indian Eagle, a trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians in America.    

Diwali at BAPS Swaminarayan Temple Long Island

Hindu temples in New York are among the best places for NYC Diwali events 2024. BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir at Melville, Long Island will celebrate Diwali and Chopda Puja on 31 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 November 10 this year.   

Diwali at NY Ganesh Temple, Flushing

Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam is one of the few 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 celebrated on October 31, Diwali will be followed by Govardhan Annakut Festival on November 1 at Flushing Ganesh Temple in New York.

Date: Diwali – October 31 | Govardhan Annakut – November 1 

Flushing Townhall Diwali 2024 in Queens

Of all Diwali 2024 events in New York, Flushing Townhall’s 10^th annual Diwali festival is out and out a cultural celebration. Abha Roy’s dance drama Navadurga is the mainstay of the event this year. Abha Roy, the Director of Srijan Dance Company, is a Kathak exponent.  She, along with her team, will show the aspects of feminine divinity, such as innocence, love, and compassion. You can groove on the dance floor with foot-tapping numbers churned out by DJ Rekha.

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, rangoli making, 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: November 2 | Time: 12 noon – 4 pm

New York Asia Society Diwali 2024

Diwali celebration at Asia Society in New York doubles up as a family day full of fun, joy and entertainment. Asia Society’s auditorium will throb with dance dramas and musical performances. In one of the major programs, kids will present Tathaastu, a musical act inspired by Ramleela. Asia Society is also organizing an interactive introduction to Indian classical music with focus on traditional instruments.

Asia Society’s Diwali event in New York is a great opportunity for Indian children to get introduced to the art of making clay diyas, traditional mithai, and handicrafts. A storytelling session is also among the programs. The eighth floor of the venue will host live bhangra and Bollywood dance. The event is being organized in collaboration with the Culture Tree that promotes South Asian culture in the east coast.

• Date: October 26 | Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
• Venue: 725 Park Avenue, NY 10021

Grand Diwali in Edison, New Jersey 

In New Jersey, Edison Township’s Diwali celebration is getting bigger and better every year. Presented by Indian American Mayor Sam Doshi and the Township Council, the Edison Diwali Festival 2024 will see a spectacular display of more than 100,000 lights at the venue, Papaianni Park. Mayor Sam Joshi, who traces his roots in Gujarat, invites everyone to the celebration scheduled on October 26, from 2 pm to 9 pm. Diwali being a traditional Indian festivity, music and food are the mainstay of the event. Alongside featuring 50 food stalls, the venue will be abuzz with a number of music and cultural performances.

• Date: October 26 | Time: 2 to 9 pm | Contact: 732-248-7283
• Venue:  Papaianni Park, 100 Municipal BLVD, Edison

Siddhachalam Jain Tirth Diwali 2024, New Jersey

If you are looking to celebrate Diwali with oodles of devotion, you can visit Siddhachalam Jain Tirth, a Jain ashram and spiritual retreat sprawling 120 acres of hilly terrain in New Jersey. Founded in 1983, the ashram hosts Diwali mela for Indians, regardless of their religion. Traditional food and devotional music are among the trappings of Diwali Mela at Siddhachalam Jain Tirth in New Jersey. On the day of Diwali festival, they also organize Mahavira Nirvan Ladoo Puja as per the Jain tradition.

• Date: November 1 and 2
• Venue: 111 Hope Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825
• Contact: (908) 362-9793
• RSVP at events@siddhachalam.org

South Street Seaport Museum Diwali

Do celebrate Diwali amidst waters at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City. Wavertree, a historic wrought iron sailing ship dating back to 18885, is the Diwali event venue at the Seaport Museum. Visitors can make special decorations with diyas and marigold flowers. There is a pool on deck where you can float diyas while making a wish. 11 am – 6 pm is the Diwali schedule on November 1.

A puppet show has been organized to tell the audience about the religious and cultural significance of Diwali. There’s a book reading session for kids among the programs. The even will conclude with live performances and popular Diwali songs that you can groove to. You can be assured of a unique experience of Diwali celebration with a maritime twist.

Pelham Art Center Diwali, NYC 

Among the places for Diwali 2024 events in New York, Pelham Art Center celebrates Diwali through Indian folk art festivities including classical music and dance. Kathak and Bharat Natyam are not-to-be-missed performances which Indians of any age groups can take part in. The event schedule includes a hands-on traditional art workshop where you can paint your own diyas. Funded by New York State Council on the Arts, Pelham Art Center provides a multicultural community setting to help New Yorkers experience cultural diversity through participation in different forms of art. The Diwalis-special folk art event is free for all.

• Date: November 10 | Time: 1-3 pm
• Venue: Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, NY 10803

Saraswati Cultural Association NJ Diwali 2023

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. Ram Leela enactment will be one of the highlights of the events, which also hosts special children activities. Interestingly, entry to the event venue is free for all.

• Date: October 28
• Time: 1PM – 7PM
• Venue: East Brunswick Cultural Arts Center, East Brunswick, New Jersey
• Contact: 5519001541

Sanskriti of New Jersey Diwali 2024

Sanskriti of New Jersey, a non-profit organization established in 2008, brings together the vast Indian community in Livingston and neighboring towns (Maplewood, Cedar Grove, Madison & others) for a memorable celebration of important Indian events and festivals, from Holi to Diwali. In New Jersey, Sanskriti Diwali 2024 is back with dazzling fireworks on November 2. The firework display is simply unmissable!

On October 30, Sanskriti of New Jersey is hosting an annual Diwali Meet with Sambandh, a vibrant community for adults above 55 years of age. Registration is mandatory for $15 per person. Neha Dave and Chirag Trivedi, who are popular for their Bollywood hits, will add a zing to the Diwali Meet with their special performances.

• Date: November 2 (fireworks)
• Time: Yet to be announced 
• Venue: Livingston OVAL 
• Contact: info@sanskritiofnj.org

Diwali by Brahma Kumaris in New York

The Brahma Kumaris, a global spiritual organization headquartered in Rajasthan, is inviting New Yorkers to their Diwali event on November 2, 2024 at their Manhattan Meditation Center. One of the free Diwali events in New York City, the celebration is that of the human soul’s journey from darkness to light. It is showcased through an art exhibition, live storytelling, live music, and guided meditation that intensifies one’s longing for spiritual awakening in the solitude of heavenly peace and divine bliss.

• Date: November 2 | Time: 1 – 2pm EDT
• Venue: 306, 5^th Avenue, NY 10001

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Diwali 2024

On Diwali, Brooklyn Children’s Museum organizes a puppet show by The Culture Tree for families and kids, irrespective of their community and nationality. The socio-cultural and spiritual significance of lighting lamps on Diwali is conveyed to kids through a puppet show. It teaches the US-born children of Indian descent the meaning of devotion, compassion, love, and giving back that the Diwali celebration stands for. Diwali at BCM has more festival-themed fun-filled activities for kids, such as mithai-making and lantern-making workshop.

• Date: October 26 and November 7 | Time: 4 pm – 8 pm
• Venue: 145 Brooklyn Avenue, NY 11213