Bridgewater Commons Celebrates Diwali’s Festival Of Lights

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Thousands of Central New Jerseyans celebrated the Hindu Festival of Lights at Diwali @ The Commons, held at Bridgewater Commons for the first time for two days over this past weekend in partnership with Renascent Media.

"Our previous, one-day festivals had drawn such excitement that we knew we had to expand to accommodate the demand, and truly reflect the breadth of Diwali," said Tom Kovacic, Marketing and Business Development Director at Bridgewater Commons. "It’s wonderful to see not just our very strong South Asian community come out to celebrate this joyous holiday, but for all to learn more about their culture and its traditions."

Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, symbolizing the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance." Over the centuries, the five-day celebration has become a national holiday in India, observed by other faiths as well, and honored wherever South Asians live.

Many municipalities conduct celebrations, but Bridgewater Commons is the rare enclosed mall to offer a full observation of the holiday, including:

• An opening event featuring Ganesh Vandana, a devotional dance to invoke blessings
• An instrumental music performance with flute by Madhukar, tabla by Prashant, and keyboard by Venugopal
• Folk dances of India performed by Thangaat Garba Dance Group, Navrang Dance Academy, and Dancing Stars
• Sari Walk featuring influencers, socialites, and models presenting saris/outfits draped in traditional styles from across India
• A music performance by Dr. Avish Jain, Medical Journalist at ABC News and musical sensation who founded his own brand "Musical Avish" representing various styles of Hindi American Fusion music
• A mini Ramleela performed by Navrang Dance Academy presenting highlights from the Ramayana
• A Bollywood Flash Mob finale featuring a high-energy dance performance transitioning into a participatory flash mob with audience involvement

On both Saturday and Sunday, guests experienced free mehndi stations, traditional product sampling, vendor booths including Star Tours, New York Life, Horizon BCBS, LT Foods, Shan Foods, Northlandz and more in Center Court and Lower Level.

— Submitted by Bridgewater Commons