Houston Diwali Shines Bright
HOUSTON: Masala Radio’s Houston Diwali Fest 2024 rocked with a free, trendy, and inclusive location in the heart of Houston – Upper Kirby District! Thousands from all over Houston got together at Levy Park – modern lush park converted to an Indian style mela grounds with nonstop thumping stage entertainment, hustling & bustling bazaar, packed live street foods stalls, and incredible sponsor giveaways. “I was so happy to see my non-Indian friends there, thanks Masala Radio for bringing our culture to Houston’s mainstream population!” said Dr. Nipa Sanghani.
This ancient festival of Good conquers Evil was made free to the public thanks to the generosity of title sponsors Majestic Developers, Ramji Law Group, and Parvez Jasani & Brijesh Chaudhry. A scintillating performance by the vivacious Vidya Vox was presented by Amir Dodiya of Wealth Preservations Strategies. Dodhiya quoted “I have been sponsoring the Masala Radio Houston Diwali Fest for a decade, and this year’s event was by far the best. From the crowd to the venue and entertainment, everything was simply spectacular. It was packed with people everywhere, especially in the Bazaar. I have never seen a line this long at my booth before!”. Fireworks were sponsored by Top Dog Fireworks in celebration of the first time in history that Harris County and Fort Bend County allowed the sale of fireworks specifically for Diwali! Last day to purchase Fireworks is FRI NOV 1 at midnight…!
Appearing live for the first time in Houston, Viday Vox belted out her original songs from Mad Dreams, Lost In The Summer, Tu Paas Aana to the latest beats from the almbum Sundari. With her and also for the first time, Houston Diwali featured a live band performance with guitar, drums, and keyboard, sending the crowd into a higher level of musical pleasure. Record numbers of her Tamil & Telugu fans came out to hear a few South Indian language hits. But the Bollywood Retro medley touched every single person with a nostalgic journey from Balam Pichkari to Kai Ke Paan. Every song was enhanced with Vidya Vox’s ravishing beauty and equally matched dance moves. Opening Act for Vidya was Reva Varghese who charmed with her Bollywood hits accompanied by her own violin playing. Before that, Hamza Amir had the entire audience singing along to the most popular soft Bollywood long songs.
Chandi Pal directed an enchanting fashion show featuring the couture collection of Kawaljeet Kaur’s Hidden Treasures. It was an anticipated highlight with the Vivah Verve exquisite bridal outfits featuring a spectacular Sikh Punjabi wedding finale. The stage was bedazzled with lights, fog and screens enhancing top local dance productions in order of appearance: Sandiya Dance Studio, Synergy Indian Dance Team, Dhadhak School of Performing Arts, Houston Bhangra Dhol Academy, Nupur Center of Performing Arts, Ethera Dance, Kathak Nritya Kala Kendra, Mystic Moves Dasara Dance, Nav Durga by Zakia, Katy Bollywood, Spotlight Dance Studio, Swati’s Group, Houston Bhangra Academy, Infused Performing Arts, and Mayura. Just in time for the NOV 5 presidental elections, Amitabh Bachan played Kaun Banega Rastrapathi with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Fashions, jewelry and henna filled the brimming Bazaar featuring: Hidden Treasures, SeneNia Maknojia, BK Crafts, Deepa Beauty, Pitara Jewelry, Highness Collection, Jia’s Fashion, Kirrenlisha Boutique, Hazel Threads, Sachi Jewelers, Poonam Decore, Veera and Sons, Pajama Bae, Sai Collections, Desi Inspire collection, Universal Door Meditation center, PickNWear, Amy’s Jewels and Henna Confidential.
Featured giveaways included Majestic Developers iPhone 16, henna, face painting & free water, iPhone 16, air pods, led garlands & glasses by Ramji Law Group, highly prized Deep Foods chutneys, snacks, and cookies, Diwali Tshirts by Amir Dodiya, Neptune Imports & Bauhaus Houston,, Glow Sparklers by Top Dog Fireworks, , Tara Capital backpacks, Royal Basmati Rice packets, $50 gift cards from Tara Energy, Diwali coloring Books, crayons and stickers by Commissioner Andy Meyers, as well as an endless array of products and services from Artex Signs, Bob’s Lounge & Lopes Lounge, Tanishq, George Willy & Associates, Hearsay, Narin’s Bombay Brasserie, Arteverk and over 80 sponsors. Hearsay Levy Park, just opened in August 2024 with a full glass high ceiling restaurant, offered a special all day vegetarian Diwali fusion menu with delicious watermelon & feta tacos, jalapeno spinach & artichoke dip, fettucine & Beyond Meatballs, pesto pasta, and amazing mocktails! Singham 3 promised the next BIG movie release for Diwali on FRI NOV 1 with one of the largest star casts seen in one film.
Décor featured an Instagram-able entrance display of a nostalgic collections of 60s and 70 authentic records, 80s, 90s & early 2000s CDs, and a strew of Masala vehicles including Mumbai Rikshaw, Mumbai Patrol Maruti, 98.7 FM Hummer, Sholay Motorcycle, and open aired Rikshaws from Auto Wallah. Deco Arts created a grand Ganesh round mandap inner entrance and the backstage featured lit up royal red tents; indeed, festival string lights graced every corner of the park.
The most densely packed area had to be the Street Foods Festival. Madhuram Mirch Masala served varieties of chat custom made on the spot. Owner Chirag said “I am the first one to book a booth at the Houston Diwali festival every year, but this year we were sold out with the longest lines we have ever seen”. Jay Bhavani lit tongues on fire with their Surti spicy Vada Pavs and grilled snacks. Desi Delights offer mouth-watering Punjabi curry’s & classic naan. Newbie Desi District – just opened in Houston one month prior to the fest – became an instant fan favorite with all live cooking: live pani puri filled with warm Mumbai style ragada, and even live sugar cane juice. Deepti quoted “ We had an hour-long line that just seem never ending, we have done a lot of outdoor festivals in Dallas and yet have never seen anything like this. It was it was phenomenal success”.
Masala Radio was overwhelmed with the love expressed for Levy Park, which made it worth the struggle to meet the stringent their requirements & rules, along with those of Upper Kirby District, and the City of Houston. Indeed, at the last minute, the fireworks were simply not permitted due to the abundance of dry trees, burn ban, and several other safety factors. But when Levy Park management asked the next day after the festival was over. “shall me we meet about the date for next year…?” Masala management knew it had found a new home for this magnificent Houston Diwali Fest. Sandhya Thakkar said “We saw a wonderful mix of younger families—people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s—celebrating together, along with diverse couples and families. The crowd reflected a beautiful blend of South Asian and mainstream communities, all coming together to celebrate the festival of lights.” Masala Radio’s Sunil & Sandhya Thakkar would like to thank its incredible Crazy Masala Crew without whom the event wouldn’t have achieved its radiant success. Office: Rinku, Jigisha, Suji, Nilesha, Aahil, Vidya. Festival: Vyoma, Badal, Eshal, Ninad, Jorge, Sohail, UH Masters Students led by Rishita. Stage: Dilip, Haroon, Yumna, Mehran, Vinay, Alkesh, Priya, Sofia, Eesha, Josh, and Rajoo. and the yearlong Radio Jockeys: Dilip, Ina, Swati, Anees, Amit, Kiran, Amrita, Shweta, Grishma & Trisha. Photos & Video by SMB Photo. Special thanks to the next generation of Masala management: Sahil Thakkar & Priyanshi Kanabar. More amazing pictures on FB / IG HoustonDiwali & MasalaRadio98.7FM & houstondiwali.com.