Festival of Lights with live music, dance performances, comedy, fashion show, rickshaw parade, henna, street food and fireworks.
Houston Diwali returns to Levy Park on Saturday, November 14, for its 14th year. It's a free festival that runs from 5 PM to 10 PM, and it's built around Diwali, India's largest and most significant holiday. Known as the Festival of Lights, it marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, and it also counts as the Indian New Year. The holiday honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and is traditionally celebrated by decorating homes with Rangoli art and diyas—the small oil lamps that give the festival its name.
The lineup this year is a wide one. Vidya Vox headlines with a live concert, and she's joined by Dhol drumming, Bollywood, folk, and semi-classical dance performances. There's comedy from the Crazy Masala Crew, a fashion show, a parade of rickshaws, and a Maha Arti. The whole thing wraps up with a fireworks finale.
Beyond the stage, there's a bazaar with street food and henna. The festival is aimed at Houston's South Asian community of all ages, and it's easy to see why it's grown here: Greater Houston's South Asian population has expanded rapidly, with the metro area home to an estimated 161,000 Indian Americans as of 2019, ranking it among the top ten US metro areas by Indian population. The festival reaches a broad audience through 98.7 FM Masala Radio and social media.
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It's free to attend, and the park is at Upper Kirby and 59. The main programming runs from 5 PM to 10 PM on Saturday, November 14.
