Edison To Host 2nd Annual Diwali Celebrations On Nov. 4

EDISON, NJ – For the second year in a row, Edison will be celebrating Diwali in the township, Mayor Sam Joshi and the Council announced Friday.

The event will take place at Papaianni Park on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 12 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This year’s Diwali celebrations will feature a special musical performance by Jay Sean, who will be headlining the event. There will also be additional musical performances by Prudhvi Chandra and Véyah.

Attendees can enjoy music, fireworks, a kid’s zone, performances by local groups, food and retail vendors, and 65,000 lights on display.

A Diya lighting ceremony will take place at 7 p.m., and the full schedule of activities will be published on the event’s Facebook page in the days leading up to the event, the township said.

The Diwali celebrations is funded entirely through sponsorships, with the Township receiving over $200,000 in contributions for this year’s event, Joshi's office said.

“We had an excellent turnout of over 15,000 people for last year’s inaugural Diwali Festival,” Joshi said. “Diwali is a major holiday for more than one-third of Edison residents, and I am proud to see it starting to become more widely celebrated. I invite everyone in our community to come out and celebrate our Township’s rich culture.”

Diwali, or the festival of lights, is an official Hindu holiday in several countries and celebrates the themes of the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and hope over despair.

In Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Even Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali.