Saratoga Diwali Celebration Comes to Community Center on Sunday

The nonprofit Saratoga Cares Foundation will be presenting a Saratoga Diwali celebration noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 at the Saratoga Community Center, 19655 Allendale Ave. in Saratoga.

There's no entry fee for the event, however, organizers are encouraging those interested in attending to register by clicking here. So far, more than 200 people have indicated they will be attending the food and entertainment festivities.

According to the saratogadiwali.org website, the pot-luck style event will also feature shopping. Participants are encouraged to bring a vegetarian dish to serve six people, which they can supplement with a dessert item.

On the event's Facebook page, organizers were also indicating they had limited seating, therefore the strong need to rsvp for the celebration, they said.

Saratoga Diwali's charter is to create the best community event, bringing in people from the city, nearby Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos and the rest of Bay Area to join in the celebration.

"Our intention is to have this open for all leading to co-mingling and community  integration," the charter states on the event's website, urging attendees to bring a guest to introduce them to the festival of Diwali.

Bill Gorman Real Estate is one of the event's sponsors and several vendors will be showcasing their products such as clothes, jewelery, diyas, etc. There will be dedicated tables for the merchants at the entrance area of Saratoga Community Center.

Sunday's celebration is one of hundreds planned in the Bay Area as Indian-Americans, along with their friends, pause to observe the "festival of lights." The lunar calendar determines the exact date of the holiday—Oct. 26—but it's typically between mid-October and mid-November.