DiwaliSA is a citywide festival to commemorate India's celebration of Diwali right here in San Antonio.
This year's DiwaliSA takes place on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Arneson River Theater and at nearby Hemisfair.
Kausi Subramaniam explained the festival’s theme: “We celebrate the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, as well as knowledge over ignorance. So very positive messaging that anyone can relate to."
The event begins at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and like many of the city’s celebrations, it starts at the river.
“We have a river parade of Indian states that will take place around 5:45 or so in the evening. And we will have classical dances, folk dances, fusion dances,” she explained.
There are 28 different states in India, each with its own customs, food and dance.
“Just as the local cuisine in each state is very unique to its respective state, so are the dance forms, the clothing,” she said. “Each state could technically be its own country, because they all have their own languages. So it's very unlike the United States that way,” Subramaniam said.
The grounds of Hemisfair will be the footprint for most of the festival, including the new Civic Park that opened last year.
Subramaniam added that it’s a good idea to come hungry. “We have 12 vendors who will be selling food from different parts of India. So that's always something that people like to come out and try out the various restaurants,” she said.
A DJ will play Bollywood dance music so that festivalgoers can dance to the international sounds.
“We will also have what's called Rangoli, which is a floor art that will be created by members of the Indian community. And that's actually a competition,” she said.
She said people should bring their kids. “We also have a children's area, and the San Antonio Zoo will be bringing a few animals out there for the children to see,” Subramaniam said.
“We will also have lots of merchandise vendors. We will have the floating candles called Diyas,” she said. “And this year is going to be extra special, because we are doing it in the convention center grotto, which is a beautiful space to float the candles. And we also have fireworks.”
Those fireworks cap off the free festival at Hemisfair at about 10 p.m.
