by Marissa Greene, Fort Worth Report
October 27, 2026

Lehenga choli’s in shades of bright pink, saffron yellow and tangerine swayed from side to side Saturday on a stage in Southlake Town Square. Dancers wearing the South Asian skirts and blouses moved to rhythmic beats playing through the speakers. 

In the audience, parents and grandparents smiled as they watched each of the performances celebrating Diwali, one of the most important holidays observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists across Tarrant County and around the world. 

This specific celebration is the Southlake Foundation’s annual DiwaliFest, hosted this year on Oct. 24. The international holiday will mainly be celebrated on Nov. 8, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. 

Attendees celebrate Diwali at Southlake Town Square on Oct. 24, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

Attendees celebrate Diwali at Southlake Town Square on Oct. 24, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

Best friends Raghavi Danduboyina, 22, and Ria Singh, 21, have volunteered with the foundation since DiwaliFest’s inception nine years ago and remember participating in the festival’s fashion show as teenagers. On Saturday evening, the pair was among the emcees for the event.

“It’s a really full-circle moment,” Singh said. “Just going from being little kids in middle school, running around with our parents, eating the good food, to helping out with the event is really exciting.”

Attendees celebrate Diwali at Southlake Town Square on Oct. 24, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

Attendees celebrate Diwali at Southlake Town Square on Oct. 24, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

Some garlands sold at DiwaliFest on Oct. 24, 2026, had images of Ganesh, an elephant-faced representation of God honored by Hindus and other religions. Ganesh represents the remover of obstacles, according to ReligionLink. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

The exact meaning of Diwali varies among religions and cultures. Generally, the holiday observes the victory of light over darkness, or good over evil.

Also known as Deepavali, the holiday translates to “row of lights” in Sanskrit and refers to observants lighting rows of traditional clay lamps outside of their homes. Others may use sparklers or attend larger festivals to see fireworks light up the night sky. 

Other elements can also be associated with Diwali. A clean home. New clothes. Delicious sweet and savory Indian dishes. Spending time with friends and family. Praying at the temple. 

Singh paired her deep blue lehenga, or a type of South Asian skirt, with brown cowboy boots. But she wasn’t the only one. Buck Gieseke, a board member of the Southlake Foundation, paired traditional South Asian attire with his cowboy hat and boots. 

“I love everybody coming together, especially at this time when there’s so much divide around the world. And this allows us to just, you know, embrace different cultures,” Gieseke said. 

To him, DiwaliFest is just one of the several ways that the Southlake Foundation aims to educate and empower youth. The nonprofit also organizes programs in which kids visit and volunteer at different nonprofits and hospitals, and the foundation hosts appreciation lunches for first responders and city departments. 

“It really is about community,” Gieseke said. “These are our future leaders and we need to treat them as such and celebrate them as such. To me, this is a huge part of not just enjoying that, but it’s our responsibility to do so. 

Attendees celebrate Diwali at Southlake Town Square on Oct. 24, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)

Saturday’s DiwaliFest featured elements that also formed part of the emcees’ teenage memories, including tents to shop for clothes, jewelry and garlands adorned in glittery beads. Other vendors sold sizzling savory and sweet dishes at the festival. 

Before the night sky illuminated in colorful flashes of light, Danduboyina looked around at the audience and hoped that everyone left with the kind of fond memories she had growing up. 

“I hope that people walk away with the meaning of Diwali,” Danduboyina said. “It is something that is applicable to everybody, regardless of your ethnicity, religion, etc. And our goal here is to share that with everyone and have everybody join the festivities.”

Marissa Greene is the faith and fellowships editor at the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.

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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.