LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Diwali, also known as the Indian Festival of Lights, is just around the corner.
The holiday marks the start of a new year in Indian culture and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. It's typically celebrated with family and community gatherings, food, and dance.
Local cultural organization Friends of India Las Vegas is holding its annual Diwali celebration this year on Saturday, Nov. 4, in the Grand Ballroom at Green Valley Ranch Casino and Resort.
Channel 13's Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Anjali Patel will be the master of ceremonies for the event.
Organizers say they expect this to be the valley's biggest Diwali celebration yet. Dr. Rajat Sood, the president of Friends of India Las Vegas, says he wanted to secure a larger venue this year to raise the bar for the event for the valley's rapidly growing South Asian community. He invites everyone to come and celebrate the occasion and get a taste of one of India's most vibrant and cherished holidays.
"Not only do I want to promote this to the Indian diaspora, I'm hoping that our friends and our colleagues in the Las Vegas community, they also come and participate in this event, to partake in a sampling of Indian culture. We're going to have ethnic food, we're going to have local dances with kids performing, we're going to have Indian music, we're having a DJ, we have a live performer coming in, so I'm excited," Dr. Sood said.
The event starts with a social hour at 3 p.m., followed by a cultural program at 4 p.m., dinner around 7 p.m., and a concert featuring Indian musician Nauzad and other performers around 7:30 p.m.
"This time, we're hoping to make it bigger and better than ever before," Dr. Sood said. "I wanted to do it in a nice venue. We wanted to raise the level of the food being provided, adjust the audio, and visual auditorium so the performers also have a sense of pride when they're performing. So if we can raise the level to a place that everyone that comes can enjoy themselves, the performers like what they're doing, I'm hoping this becomes a precedent and next year can be even bigger and better."
Tickets are $40 for lifetime members, $50 for members, $70 for nonmembers, $35 for kids ages 6 to 16, and free for kids five and under.
For those interested in attending, tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $10 more.
