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Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains globally every year. The holiday falls on Oct. 24 this year, and we have a round up of events leading up to it to celebrate! Learn about the holiday and the culture that surrounds it with these events all over the city.

Psst… Looking for more events this month? Check out Halloween Events and Activities for Families Around NYC 2022

Come learn more about Diwali and indulge in a unique creative experience. There will be 3-4 organized creative activities that will range from paper art to clay modeling and collaborative painting. Older kids (and adults) and younger kids (with their adults) will have varying levels of creative activities. All kids 12yrs and below will have to be accompanied by a parent or older child (minimum 18yrs of age).

Celebrate the rich Indian culture, art, heritage and diversity through dance, music and food.

Bring your family to the Mandala Lab for an afternoon of creativity and self-exploration that both kids and grown-ups will enjoy. Explore the theme with an art-making activity centered around Diwali. A Museum educator will do a brief demonstration of the project, teach art-making techniques, and let  you explore ways to make the project your own.

This Diwali Mela will feature traditional Indian musical dance performance, food stalls featuring Indian street food and drinks, henna stall, face painting and a photo booth! Hear about the significance of Diwali and sing an Aarti together. The evening will culminate in everyone having an opportunity to offer lamps! Visit the home of Lord Krishna and bring home good fortune and blessings for the year to come.

Join The Culture Tree and Amateur Astronomers Association to celebrate Diwali at Waterline Park. Diwali is held on the darkest night of the Hindu lunar calendar and ushers in new beginnings just before the arrival of the new moon. Participants will also stargaze on the month’s darkest night. Telescopes will be set up to view celestial wonders, and visitors will be able to make a wish while floating diyas in Waterline’s beautiful streams.

Celebrate Diwali with the New York Public Library and The Culture Tree. Read some beautiful books that will bring the festival of Diwali to life. Children will learn about its historical, cultural and social significance and also sing a Diwali song. Storytime will be paired with a Diwali card making activity.

Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major holidays celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. The festival usually lasts five days and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika. Join staff at Jerome Park Library for an art & craft activity to welcome the Festival of Lights. Using craft sticks, tracing paper, markers and glue, each child will make their own Diwali Paper Lantern. All craft supplies will be provided during the program.

Learn about Diwali and make your own traditional Diwali bowl to take home.

Many people who celebrate Diwali create mandalas (Sanskrit for “circle”); the mandala’s pattern can be interpreted as a spiritual symbol for the universe. You can even see mandala patterns in natural objects from the radiating petals of a flower to tree rings, spiderwebs, seashells, crystals and more. Color in your very own mandala to take home.

BCM and The Culture Tree invite families to celebrate Diwali! Hear the story of Diwali brought to life at a puppet storytime presented by The Culture Tree. This famous story teaches children the meaning of devotion, love, kindness, and valor—all while learning why we celebrate Diwali!

Dance Director Ms. Sadhana Paranji will show the importance of mango leaves, different paint designs, prayers, and the significance of particular Gods and Goddesses. Participants will learn dance steps and how to wear jewelry and bindi. 

Celebrate Diwali with this all-ages festival and dance party, featuring Kathak classical dancer Abha Roy and bharatanatyam dancer Ishita Mili! Learn folk, Bollywood, and Kathak dance moves infused with hip hop and contemporary dance with Abha and Ishita, explore rangoli design with Anju Gupta, taste Indian foods with Queens Curry Kitchen, discover ayurvedic treatments with Shweta Parmar and more. 

Come join the India Center of Westchester for a day filled with fun! Bring your family and buy jewelry, clothes, decorations, henna, mouth-watering food, and so much more.

Teens are invited to take part in this dance and visual art workshop to learn about the cultural Indian Holiday called the Festival of Lights.

Join Miss Swadesh as she shares special Diwali stories and traditions. Feel free to dress in traditional costume.

Diwali is a major festival for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, who believe that light is a metaphor for knowledge and signifies health, wealth and peace. All ages are welcome to take part in the folk art festivities, which will include a dance performance and a hands-on art project where you can paint your own diya representing sakshi, the divine inner light.

Get ready for Diwali with cultural programs and kids performances, vendors selling clothing, jewelry and gift items and food vendors selling North & South Indian food.

Paint a decorative dish for Diwali that can be used for snacks or little candles, along with making Diwali decorations for your house and reading a story about the most famous Indian Festival of Lights, DIWALI!

Saraswati Cultural Association of New Jersey and The City of Jersey City present to you Festival of Lights – Diwali 2022 with live performances, vendors, Cultural & Folk dances, raffles, lots of fun for everyone.

Mayor Sam Joshi invites you to Edison Township’s first DIWALI FESTIVAL. Music will be playing and lots of food will be available!! There will be a Diya lighting ceremony at 6 pm.

Shara Levine, originally from Brooklyn, is the Events Manager for New York Family Magazine. As a lifelong New Yorker, and mom of four raising her kids on Long Island, Shara knows her hometown well and brings her love of all things fun to New York Family by sharing the best in kid friendly events, festival, concerts, and performances in NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and Westchester. When not helping parents plan their family’s day out, Shara enjoys making random Seinfeld references and going on late-night Target runs.

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