The mission of the Diwali San Antonio “Festival of Lights” is to celebrate Indian culture and traditions by featuring traditional Indian dance, entertainment, food and booths selling goods from various parts of India. In India, the Diwali celebration is akin to New Year’s Eve and it represents the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance.

Currently a single-night festival, co-hosted by the City of San Antonio, it has become a popular annual event and is the only major celebration showcasing Indian culture in San Antonio. Activities at the festival are carefully chosen to provide San Antonio residents and visitors with an authentic experience akin to attending a comparable event in India with all that joy and wonder – colorful handmade attire, delicious authentic Indian dishes, dances from all over India, the ceremonial lighting of candles and then floating them in water – not to mention the tremendous fireworks display!

Diwali SA has been highly successful in exposing the San Antonio community to the culture and traditions of India and has expanded to include guests from all over the United States including VIP guests such as representatives from the US Department of State and the Indian consular office in Houston. In 2011, The Diwali Festival won the Sister-Cities International’s Innovation: Arts and Culture Award for excellence.

The Diwali SA Festival was created in 2009 to commemorate the signing of a Sister-City relationship between the City of San Antonio and Chennai, India in 2008. The event is held on the first Saturday of November from 5pm to midnight at Hemisfair.