The light shone especially bright in New York City on Friday night as more than 200 guests ushered in this year’s celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Cochaired and hosted by Preet Bharara, Vanity Fair editor in chief Radhika Jones, and Kal Penn, The New York Diwali Gala welcomed partygoers to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for an evening of food, gifts, and celebration, in proud support of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
Guests such as Huma Abedin, Ariana DeBose, Ronan Farrow, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Gabriela Hearst, Benj Pasek, and Jason Wu gathered for dance and celebration ahead of Diwali, which this year falls on November 12. The gala is open to guests of all cultural backgrounds and aims to emphasize inclusion and diversity, while breaking down cultural barriers and banishing stereotypes. Diwali is celebrated by more than one billion people globally every year.
Take a look inside the star-studded festivities in the gallery below.