MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — The Asian Leaders Network will host their second annual Diwali Festival this Saturday, bringing the celebrated Festival of Lights to Waco's Bridge Street Plaza.
Diwali is a major holiday celebrated in India and South Asia, known as the Festival of Lights. The festival will feature diverse performers, including local high schoolers performing Bollywood dances and traditional Indian dancers.
The event will include vendors, arts and crafts, and a scavenger hunt designed to engage families and children.
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"We've got a map that's going to have instructions with activities that the kids can do. It's things like a lot of free activities, so taking pictures, completing arts and crafts. They get a stamp for each activity they complete, and if they get 10, they get a ticket they can enter into a raffle. We'll have four baskets for raffle prizes from four different companies," Brandi Solanki, Diwali co-organizer said.
With Waco having less than a 2% Asian population, Jaja Chen, board chair with the Asian Leaders Network explains events like this help educate the community about unknown aspects of the holiday.
"Many people often say that our festivals are the first time they've ever attended a lunar new year festival, even the first exposure to Asian performing arts. That's a huge part of our mission at Asian Leaders' Network," Chen said.
The design on festival merchandise was created by a local Indian American artist, Rajesh Solanki. Shirts are still for sale, along with stickers and tote bags, which can be found at the Diwali Festival.
The festival takes place Saturday at Bridge Street Plaza from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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