Celebrating Diwali
Sun, Oct 25 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
About the Event
Celebrate the richness of South Asian culture at a vibrant, all-ages Diwali festival, free and open to everyone. Enjoy an afternoon filled with hands-on crafts, engaging authors, and captivating performances.
Experience Diwali through stories of family, tradition, adventure and light. Explore books for children, teens, and adults, including titles by authors featured at this year’s festival.
Your Author : Meera Sriram, author of Spice Box
Limited giveaway books, first-come, first-served.
Meera Sriram draws from her life straddling the East and West to tell stories. She is an award-winning author of several picture books, including A Gift for Amma, Dumpling Day, A Garden in My Hands, and The Spice Box. Her books have been selected as Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and Bank Street College, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She’s a two-time recipient of the South Asia Book Award. Her work has been included in several state reading lists, featured in The New York Times, and translated into many different languages. Meera loves woodsy hikes and urban murals, and lives with her family in Berkeley, California.
- 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
- Children’s Literature
- Children and their families
Film Screening: Life on the Ganges (2016), Sons of Shiva (1985), and In the Footsteps of Buddha (2014)
Life on the Ganges, directed by Indira Somani, will be followed by two additional short films - Sons of Shiva (directed by Akos Ostor) and In the Footsteps of Buddha: The Path to Buddha’s Enlightenment (directed by Jon Braeley).
- 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m
- Meeting Room A
- Adults
Bollywood Dance Performance by Monica Sarin
Bollywood dance comprises different flavors of dancing; a fusion of Folk, Classical, Belly Dancing, Bhangra, Traditional, Contemporary or Modern.
- 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Taper Auditorium
- All ages
Sari Demonstration and Photo Op
Learn about the art of draping a sari with Sabina Sikand and Navinder Dhir. Limited giveaway bangles, first-come, first-served.
- 2:30 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
- Meeting Room B
- All ages
Your Author: Nidhi Chanani, author of Pashmina
Teens virtually meet author and illustrator Nidhi Chanani, author of Pashmina and Super Boba Cafe.
Limited giveaway books, first-come, first-served.
- 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Virtual
- Teens and their families
BharathaNatya Dance Performance
A classical Indian dance.
- 3:10-3:25 p.m.
- Taper Auditorium
- All ages
Temple Dance of South India by the Soorya Foundation
Soorya Foundation ensemble presents, ANANDA DEEPAM - an Indian dance performance. Through the timeless art of Bharatanatyam dance, this performance brings to life the spirit of Diwali with expressive storytelling, graceful movements, and vibrant rhythms. As the lamps glow and hearts unite in joy, Soorya dancers invite everyone to experience an afternoon of devotion, hope, and celebration through dance.
- 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
- Taper Auditorium
- All ages
Ongoing Programs
HennaArt: Learn a brief history of henna and its application. Organic henna and 100% natural essential oils will be used to make henna paste, which is safe for all skin types and all ages. Limited to the first 35 participants.
Paper Lantern Craft: Make your own paper lantern to celebrate Diwali.
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Children’s Courtyard
Audience: Children and teens
Rangoli Art presented by the Batra Family (Aliana, Marnelli, and Sunita Batra): The Batra Family will demonstrate how and why rangoli is made.
Diya Decorating with the Fulbright India Interest Group: Decorate your own diya to take home with you.
Henna with HennaHopes: Limited to the first 35 participants.
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Thornton Courtyard
Audience: All ages
Meditation Workshops: Join us for a brief meditation session with Poonam Tandon from The Art of Living Foundation. Poonam will demonstrate how to harness the power of your breath and harness the power of your mind.
Time: 2:30-2:50 p.m., 3:00-3:20 p.m., and 3:30-3:50 p.m.
Location: International Languages
Audience: Teens and adults
Diwali Jigsaw Puzzle: Drop by the International Languages Department to work on a beautiful Diwali-themed jigsaw puzzle. Fun for all ages!
Sponsors and Community Partners
For disability-related accommodations, please call (213) 228-7430 at least five business days prior to the event. The City will make every effort to accommodate requests received with less notice.
