Hundreds of people packed Downtown Cary Park for a Diwali celebration that organizers hope becomes an annual tradition, marking the first time the Festival of Lights has been celebrated at the park. The gathering brought together longtime celebrants and people experiencing the holiday for the first time, with music, dancing and the lighting of lights filling the park's Great Lawn Pavilion.
According to ABC11 News, Councilmember Sarika Bansal, the first Indian American elected to the Cary Town Council, said celebrating Diwali in the heart of Cary was meaningful and brought neighbors together. Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said Diwali has become part of the town's culture, adding that he looks forward to it every year and dances annually to celebrate. The Cary mayor and town council also issued a proclamation celebrating the holiday, per the same report.
Per Downtown Cary Park, the celebration featured performances by Ishanya Performing Arts Academy, Dhol Tasha and Leela Dance Co., all hosted by emcee Arunima Das at the Great Lawn Pavilion. DJ Rang kept the music going before and after the performances, and food trucks BLR The Adda and Brusters served up bites for the crowd. The event was free and open to the public, the park's listing notes.
Memories Old and New
Diwali is the traditional Hindu celebration of light over darkness, and several major temples serve Wake County's Hindu community, the ABC11 report notes. Some attendees who grew up in India recalled their childhood Diwali celebrations while taking in the Cary festivities. One attendee told the station that Diwali was among the most important annual festivals and a time to get new clothes, while another said sweet offerings, bursting crackers and greeting one another brought back wonderful memories.
Another attendee said that while celebrations in India are grander in scale, they value the diverse community found in the United States. The same report describes families creating new memories with their children in North Carolina, a sentiment organizers hope will keep drawing people back to Downtown Cary Park for Diwali in years to come.
A Growing South Asian Community
Cary and Morrisville are home to a large South Asian population, a trend reflected in neighboring Morrisville's own demographic shifts. People from India or other Southeast Asian countries make up 36% of Morrisville's population, and Asians now account for 46% of the town, up from 20% just 13 years earlier, according to ABC11. The town of Morrisville put its current population at 32,379, per the same report.
The growth has been dramatic over a longer stretch too. The News & Observer reported that Morrisville's Asian population grew from about 500 people in 2000 to 4,415 by 2010, then more than doubled to 10,868 by 2019 — with roughly 80% of that population of Indian descent. The outlet also noted that Morrisville's overall population climbed from about 5,000 to nearly 30,000 over two decades, growth spurred in part by technology and health sciences companies in Research Triangle Park.
Other Diwali Celebrations Around Cary
The Downtown Cary Park event joins a broader calendar of Diwali festivities in the area. The Town of Morrisville hosts its own annual Diwali Festival in celebration of the holiday and the community's diverse culture, according to the Town of Morrisville. Cary has also held a larger annual Diwali celebration at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, which the Town of Cary has previously described as its largest fall cultural festival. A separate Town of Cary announcement describes Diwali as a five-day religious and cultural celebration symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
