Diwali ‘Festival of Lights’ Goes Mainstream: American Businesses Take Notice
Families design rangoli at a Diwali event. (Photo courtesy of Modi Toys)
EDISON, N.J. – Drive down Grove Avenue in Edison and you’ll see a road sign advertising Christmas light installation services to homeowners. Right behind it, in the same style, with the same phone number, is another sign that reads: “Diwali Light Installation.”
Diwali — the annual Hindu fall “Festival of Lights” — is gaining mainstream popularity in places with large Indian and Southeast Asian immigrant populations — and businesses of all shapes and sizes are taking notice, modifying existing products or services or launching new ones to tap into the group’s sizable buying power.
Perhaps nowhere is the change more noticeable than in Edison, home of the state’s “Little India,” where customers could long shop for custom-made Diwali treats at the Patel Brothers Indian Grocery — or at any number of specialty stores along Oak Tree Road — but can now also grab ready-made Diwali supplies during their next Target run or at mainstream grocers like Costco.
“For years, I’ve been walking the aisles and seeing Christmas decorations in October, and only in the past couple of years have I seen Diwali food and goods, too,” said Avani Modi Sakar, a local mom and entrepreneur. “That assortment is just starting to grow.”
Eight years ago, Sakar welcomed her first daughter to the family, and within the same week, her brother welcomed his new daughter as well. The siblings, who moved to the United States from India as children, started to discuss how they would “share the love of our Indian heritage and Hindu religion” with their girls, and decided to make a small batch of stuffed Baby Ganesh toys.
Hindu-themed plushies and books are relatively new to the American market. (Photo courtesy of Modi Toys)
That first run of toys sold out instantly, and the siblings knew they had found an untapped market among the Indian diaspora. More than 2.5 million Indians immigrate to other countries every year, the highest rate in the world, commonly moving to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
“People don’t want to leave their cultural identity behind,” she said. “One thing that bugged me as an immigrant mom raising first-generation kids is that they were excited about Halloween and Christmas. But where was the excitement for Diwali? I have to be the one to start the tradition.”
Now, Modi Toys offers a range of products: plush toys in every size that depict deities Ganesh, Durga, Hanuman and Shiv Shankar; books that tell re-imagined traditional stories; and mess-free sticker books for kids designing their first Rangoli.
Diwali is also a big gift-giving holiday, and Sakar said more than 40% of orders from her largely e-commerce business are marked as gifts. Target’s website offers Modi plushies alongside other baby toys, and shoppers in other New Jersey cities such as Jersey City, Hoboken, Lindhurst and Hackensack can find the toys at their local ShopRite for the first time this month.
As a whole, Asian Americans, which includes Southeast Asians, have major buying power. In 2024, Asian households had a median income of $112,800, compared to an overall median of $80,610, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and some experts call Diwali a “multi-billion dollar” business opportunity.
It has already gained the status of an official holiday in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and California is adding it to its holiday list this year. Numerous school districts call off schools for the day, and some local municipalities are beginning to mark it with the same public displays as Christmas and Hanukkah.
So, in addition to start-up companies like Sakar’s, many established companies are looking to profit from Diwali’s rising popularity. KleenSeal, a company based out of Fords, New Jersey, that is best known for its asphalt repair and driveway sealing services, now markets its team’s ability to hang colorful Diwali lights on homes, too. South Jersey company We Hang Holiday Lights and Midas Lighting, which serves several New York City-area locations and Nashville, had the same idea.
Phantom Fireworks, best known for the massive tents it sets up in parking lots across America around the 4th of July, is now promoting a 60% off Diwali firework sale.
Indian and south asian families who moved abroad are eager to pass along their cultural traditions to their children, creating a market for Diwali goods. (Photo courtesy of Modi Toys)
Edison-based baker Jessica Moreno noticed her Hindu neighbors celebrating Diwali and saw an opportunity to boost sales during the gap between the beginning of school year celebrations in September and Halloween with Diwali treats.
Moreno, who owns 3 Girls Confections, is Hispanic and Catholic, so to curate her Diwali hampers, she visited local Indian bakeries to scope out what ingredients and flavors to integrate, and asked her neighbors for suggestions. This year’s goodies integrate Hispanic flavors, like tres leches, Indian traditional confections like gulab jamun, and the viral Dubai Pistachio Chocolate.
Moreno does the same for other holidays, too, capitalizing on New Jersey’s pockets of densely populated communities to market her goods. She’ll advertise sweet treats to celebrate the High Holy Days in Highland Park, home to several Jewish communities. Before gearing up for spring cake orders for baptisms and christenings, she will also create a promotional Eid Menu to serve her Muslim clients.
“I’ve been blessed to have wonderful clients regardless of the color of my skin or religion,” she told Religion Unplugged. “My value for this is to show inclusivity. At the heart of Diwali is the concept of light overcoming darkness — that’s something all religions have in common.”
Plus, it’s just good business. Moreno said last year she received 100 Diwali orders. With less than a week before Diwali, she had already received 40.
Cassidy Grom is the managing editor of Religion Unplugged. Her award-winning reporting and digital design work have appeared in numerous publications.