More than 10,000 people gathered at Lake Papaianni Park on Saturday, October 10, 2026, for Edison’s 28th Grand Dushahra Festival, a daylong celebration of Indian culture culminating in the burning of a 20-foot Ravana effigy and a fireworks display.
Organized by Indo-American Festivals, Inc. (IAF), the festival brought families and visitors from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and across the Tri-State area together for a full day at the park’s cultural fairground. The program featured a two-hour Ramleela, nearly three hours of cultural performances, more than 70 vendor stalls, Indian food and free community health services. Admission and parking were free, making the celebration accessible to the public.
Visitors of all Ages
The festival welcomed people of varied ages, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. While many attendees were from the Indian-American community, visitors also came from American, Hispanic and other communities. Vice Chairperson Raj Mittal estimated that about 75% of the audience consisted of young people and families with children. “One of the most heartwarming sights was watching grandparents, parents, and young children enjoy Dushahra together,” he told News India Times. He said Ramleela and Ravana Dahan are ways for children to experience and learn about Indian traditions and the message of good overcoming evil.
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Edison Township Mayor Sam Joshi formally inaugurated the event alongside Councilmember Ajay Patil. Joshi welcomed the festival as an established part of the township’s cultural life, saying, “The Dushahra Festival has become a tradition of Edison Township, and we are pleased to have this wonderful celebration here in Edison.”
Ramleela and Cultural Performances
A cast of more than 75 artists from Navrang Dance Academy presented a two-hour Ramleela depicting the Ramayana, directed and choreographed by Varsha Naik, who had overseen months of preparation.
Performances by more than 250 performers from dance academies and cultural organizations also were part of the cultural program, directed and coordinated by Pratibha Nichakawade, bringing together classical, folk, Bollywood and contemporary dance.
Marketplace and Health Services
More than 70 vendors filled the festival marketplace with Indian clothing, jewelry, accessories, decorative items, plants, Hindi-language books and other goods. Banks, insurance and financial-service providers, and community organizations also shared information with visitors. Food stalls offered Indian dishes, snacks, sweets and other festive treats.
Agrawal Samaj of USA organized a free medical screening and health-awareness camp, where physicians and other healthcare professionals volunteered to provide consultations, screenings and free flu vaccinations to hundreds who availed of their services.
Recognition and Honor
A VIP reception brought together elected officials, community leaders, sponsors and supporters. Organizers thanked the township, county, artists, sponsors, vendors, media partners, volunteers and visitors who helped make the event possible.
Chairperson Chanchal Gupta thanked Edison Township and its administration for their longstanding support. Vice Chairperson Raj Mittal emphasized introducing younger generations to Indian culture and the Ramayana’s message of good overcoming evil. President Shiva Arya praised the volunteers who worked through the year to bring the event to life and help families connect with their cultural roots.
The festival also received support from Middlesex County, which provided grant funding for arts and cultural programming, and Edison Township, which provided park facilities and assistance from police, fire and municipal personnel.
Sponsors and supporters included Suhag Jewelers, HindiUSA, New York Life, PNC Bank, Nandansons International, Dr. Samin Sharma, Vinod Madhok and Royal Albert’s Palace. Media partners Parikh Worldwide Media, ITV Gold, Radio Zindagi and EBC Radio who helped promote the event, were also recognized.
Others recognized included Dr. Ravindra Goyal, Damyanti Goyal, Shalini Chhabra, VishvJeet, Amit Gupta, Satya Arya, Piyush Baranwal, Abhinav Arya, Ritesh Maheshwari, Ashwini Kumar, Dr. Rajeev Mehta, Dolly Mittal, Sudha Sharma, Rajendra Prasad, Dr. Om Sharma and Ravi Dhingra, along with Agrawal Samaj of USA and the participating healthcare professionals.
Organizers also thanked more than 30 volunteers whose teamwork and months of preparation made the event successful. They contributed to sponsorships, vendor registration, programming, logistics, public safety, publicity and site operations. “What the public sees is a beautiful one-day celebration, but behind it are months of hard work, countless meetings, and hundreds of hours of selfless service,” Mittal said.
Concluding with Ravana Dahan
The festival’s grand finale was the ceremonial Ravana Dahan, the burning of a 20-foot effigy symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Decorated with colorful fabric, a golden crown and ten heads, the effigy was set ablaze before the crowd, followed by a fireworks display.
“The Ravana effigy is much more than a festival attraction. It represents a traditional art form and craftsmanship that we are committed to preserve,” Mittal said. AIF gets the 20-feet Ravana effigy and its traditional costumes made and shipped from India. Earlier, for many years, volunteer Krishna Gopal Singhal handcrafted the effigy locally in Long Island, till his passing, he said.
Safety planning is central to the event, Mittal explained. “When thousands of families come together to celebrate, their safety becomes our foremost responsibility,” he said, expressing gratitude to Edison Township’s Police and Fire Departments for their cooperation and support. Police officers and private security helped manage crowds and protect restricted areas; firefighters and fire inspectors oversaw the Ravana Dahan, remained on standby, and ensured the site was safe afterward. The organization obtained required municipal and fire permits and considered the related costs essential to protecting attendees, Mittal said.
IAF’s Vision for Future
“Our greatest achievement will not be measured by how many thousands of people attend our festival, but by how many children grow up understanding their heritage and become inspired to carry these traditions forward,” Mittal said to News India Times, adding the festival’s long-term goal is to see Dushahra celebrated in America for generations to come.