• By Mabel Pais

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism is also observed in Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Diwali means “row of lights” in Sanskrit, with a symbolism of the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair. The festival will be celebrated in November at various locations in New York City.

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum (brooklynkids.org) and The South Street Seaport Museum will independently partner with The Culture Tree (theculturetree.com) to celebrate the Festival at their respective locations.

THE BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum offers an afternoon of family-friendly activities on Thursday, November 9. The celebration occurs during the Museum’s Amazon Free Hours from 2-5 pm, which continues to take place every Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.

Through a puppet show presented by The Culture Tree, children will learn the history of Diwali, teaching them the meaning of devotion, love, kindness, and valor. Other activities include story time with author Navina Chhabria, a mithai (Indian sweets) making workshop by Anu Sehgal, and lantern-making in the Museum’s ColorLab art studio. Through these activities, children will learn about Diwali, one of India’s biggest and most important festivals of the year.

RSVP

The Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on November 9, and admission is free during Amazon Free Hours, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The Diwali celebration takes place from 2-5 pm.  To attend the event, RSVP at brooklynkids.org/events/diwali-at-bcm.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Learn more at brooklynkids.org.

SEAPORT MUSEUM

The Festival of lights will be celebrated at the South Street Seaport Museum (southstreetseaportmuseum.org) and on Seaport Square on November 10, 2023!

From 3–5pm, come aboard the Seaport Museum’s 1885 tall ship Wavertree, where you can make your own decoration inspired by the marigold garlands of Diwali, signifying good fortune and faith in the divine, with a maritime twist. Continue the Seaport Museum’s festivities on Pier 16, where you can decorate your own “diya lamp”—or, in this case, a candle—and then set it afloat in a specially prepared pool to symbolize prosperity in the new year.

In addition to these free all-ages activities and access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree, the Seaport Museum is offering free general admission to all current exhibitions on view in the introduction gallery space at 12 Fulton Street. Free timed tickets for a tour of the 1908 lightship Ambrose are also available.

REGISTRATION

Pre-registration is encouraged but walk ups will be accommodated as possible. Register at southstreetseaportmuseum.org/diwali.

EXTENDED CELEBRATION

From 3–6pm, the celebration expands when The Culture Tree will host an outdoor dance workshop and performances of the garba and dandiya raas, along with traditional rangoli art activities on Seaport Square on Pier 17. You can also indulge in traditional Indian food available for purchase and enjoy a live DJ and a Diwali-themed photo booth.

PRE-REGISTRATION

Advance pre-registration for these activities is available separately at theseaport.nyc.

Extend Your Visit

Looking to visit earlier in the day on November 10? You are welcome to explore the Seaport Museum from 11am–3pm and take advantage of Pay What You Wish General Admission Museum tickets at seaportmuseum.org/general-admission.

The Seaport Museum

Learn more at southstreetseaportmuseum.org

The Culture Tree

Learn more about Culture Tree’s multiple Diwali Celebrations in NYC at theculturetree.com. 

FLUSHING TOWN HALL

Flushing Town Hall (flushingtownhall.org) is joining the global Diwali celebrations by hosting its 9th Annual Diwali Festival on Sunday November 19th, featuring Kathak dance, Bhangra music, delicious Indian food, art for audiences of all ages and family-friendly activities. The event runs from 12:00 to 4:00 PM at Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens, New York City.

The fun-filled afternoon features a performance by Kathak classical dancer Abha Roy, her Srijan Dance Company (srijandance.wordpress.com/srijan-dance-center), and special guests, as well as a lively Bhangra dance party with DJ Rekha (djrekha.com) spinning Bollywood-inspired tunes that combine Punjabi music with hip-hop. Guests can also enjoy delicious Indian food and learn new recipes with Chef Nupur Arora and Queens Curry Kitchen (queenscurrykitchen.com), and they can explore beautiful rangoli designs with artist Anju Gupta and Hindi calligraphy, henna hand painting, diya decorating, and more.

Watch the video – youtu.be/pLtyomsBK6U

“Festivals like this show what Flushing Town Hall is all about: bringing global culture and music to our global audiences,” says Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek.

“The events at Flushing Town Hall celebrating the festivals of the multi-cultural population of Queens are a great occasion for people from different backgrounds to come together and celebrate each other’s cultures,” said Mukund Padmanabhan of Guru Krupa Foundation. “These events are entertaining and informative, and also promote co-existence and peace, and are very much in line with Guru Krupa Foundation values.”

TICKETS

For Tickets to attend the event, visit ci.ovationtix.com/35689/performance/11335863

Flushing Town Hall

Learn more at flushingtownhall.org.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Business)