Jay Sean Will Headline Edison's 2nd Annual Diwali Celebration Saturday

EDISON, NJ – For the second year in a row, Edison will be celebrating Diwali. And this year singer-songwriter Jay Sean will be headlining the festivities.

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

Sean's performance is scheduled at 5:30 p.m., followed by diya lighting at 6:50 p.m., fireworks at 7:15 p.m., and a musical performance by Prudhvi Chandra featuring Sumangaly with MLive Band.

Mayor Sam Joshi will be making opening remarks at 12 p.m. which will be followed by a host of dance and music performances.

Attendees can also enjoy a kid’s zone, food and retail vendors, with 65,000 lights on display.

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.

Here is the schedule for Saturday: