Diwali Mela (Festival)

The Takoma/Langley Crossroads Development Authority (CDA) has partnered with the Hindu Temple of Metropolitan Washington and City of Takoma Park to sponsor a November 8 celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which coincides with the Hindu New Year. Diwali celebrates new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.

The Diwali Mela will be held outdoors at 7505 New Hampshire Ave. from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8. Musicians will perform on a stage with traditional instruments, and dancers will present traditional Indian dances. Numerous vendors will set up stalls selling Indian clothing, jewelry, housewares, henna tattoos, snacks and sweets. CDA member Ram Agarwal, who is Secretary of the Hindu Temple, volunteered to secure performers and vendors for the festival, and persuaded the Hindu Temple to co-sponsor the event. Ram’s Fast Tax Service has been in operation at 7487 New Hampshire Ave. for many years.

Numerous City-sponsored events are held every year in Old Takoma or the Takoma Park Community Center. The Diwali Festival is a new sponsorship that will attract residents to an area of the City unfamiliar to many. The Takoma/Langley Crossroads area is very international with a mix of retail and service businesses and professionals. Both “mom and pop” businesses and chains co-exist in a safe, stable area with a diverse population. Long associated with Latinos, today’s Crossroads includes Africans from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Senegal, Caribbean natives, African-Americans, South Asians, Chinese, Koreans, and persons from the Middle East. For more information about the Diwali Mela, call 301-445-7910.