About this Event
3rd Annual Diwali in Norwood 🪔✨
Experience India for an afternoon — right here in Norwood!
Join us for the 3rd Annual Diwali in Norwood, a FREE, family-friendly, fully immersive cultural celebration at Kennedy Field.
Whether Diwali is part of your family's traditions or you've never experienced an Indian cultural celebration before, this event was created for you.
And unlike a festival where you simply come to watch, at Diwali in Norwood, we want you to participate!
Taste the food. Learn the dances. Create the art. Hear the music. Dress up. Play. Ask questions. And celebrate alongside your neighbors.
🍛 TASTE INDIA
Come hungry!
Turmeric Indian Bistro will showcase flavors and dishes from across India, giving guests an opportunity to discover just how diverse Indian cuisine really is.
Never tried Indian food? Perfect.
Indian food isn't all curry — and it certainly isn't all spicy! This is a family-focused event, with approachable options for kids and first-time tasters as well as plenty of flavor for longtime Indian-food fans.
Food will be available for purchase at family-friendly prices.
🪔 DISCOVER THE STORY OF DIWALI
What exactly is Diwali?
Kulture Kool makes learning about Indian culture fun, interactive and memorable. Instead of simply listening to the Story of Diwali, children from the audience will be invited to help bring the story to life!
It's cultural education disguised as fun — exactly what Diwali in Norwood is all about.
💃 LEARN TO DANCE
Don't just watch the dancers — join them!
Guests will have opportunities to learn Indian dance styles and try the moves themselves.
Never danced before? Even better. No experience required.
🎨 CREATE YOUR OWN RANGOLI
Rangolis are beautiful decorative patterns traditionally created to welcome guests and bring beauty and good fortune into a home.
At our hands-on Rangoli station, kids and parents can create their own interpretation of this centuries-old Indian art form — and take their creation home as a souvenir.
🪔 DESIGN YOUR OWN DIYA
A diya is a small lamp and one of the most recognizable symbols of Diwali, the Festival of Lights.
During Diwali, families illuminate their homes with diyas — a tradition that may feel familiar to families who have decorated their homes with Christmas lights or lit a menorah for Hanukkah.
At our Diya station, children can design and decorate their own diya to take home.
👑 DRESS LIKE INDIAN ROYALTY
Calling all little Maharajas and Maharanis!
Visit our photo experience, dress up in colorful Indian-inspired royal attire and capture a fun memory from your afternoon in India.
✨ EXPERIENCE MEHNDI
Stop by our Mehndi station and watch an artist create beautiful, temporary henna designs.
Choose a design and leave with a little piece of Indian artistry of your own. Mehndi is available for purchase at reasonable prices.
🥁 HEAR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA
From traditional sounds to Bollywood to today's Top 40, music is a huge part of the celebration.
DJ Neil Beatz, a local NVOT student, will bring generations and cultures together with a soundtrack blending Bollywood, Top 40 and dhol.
🎶 A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE FROM OUR LOCAL STUDENTS
One of our favorite examples of cultures coming together happens right here in our own community.
Members of NVOT's award-winning choir have embraced the celebration by performing both The Star-Spangled Banner and Jana Gana Mana, India's national anthem.
🪔 HELP US LIGHT THE DIWALI DIYA
We'll come together for one of the most meaningful moments of the afternoon — the ceremonial lighting of the Diwali Diya.
And this isn't something children have to watch from the audience.
Kids at the event are invited to join our elected officials onstage for the lighting!
❤️ A CELEBRATION CREATED FOR EVERYONE
One of the things we're proudest of is that approximately 60% of Diwali in Norwood attendees are not of South Asian descent.
That's exactly the point.
Diwali in Norwood was created to give families an approachable, joyful way to experience another culture — while discovering how many traditions and values we share.
The event is grassroots and community-funded, helping us keep the experience accessible to families throughout Northern New Jersey.
AND YES — YOU CAN BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY WITHOUT BREAKING THE BUDGET.
🎟️ FREE to attend
🚗 FREE parking
🎨 FREE arts & crafts
💃 FREE dance lessons & cultural activities
🍛 Food available at family-friendly prices
✨ Mehndi available at reasonable prices
Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 3–7 PM
📍 Kennedy Field • Norwood, NJ
☀️ Rain or Shine
Come curious. Come hungry. Bring the kids. Bring your friends. Come experience India with us.
🪔 Diwali in Norwood — celebrating what makes each culture unique while discovering what brings us together.
Event venue & nearby stays
Norwood Swim Club, Hudson Avenue, Norwood, NJ, USA, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.