Our Bureau
New York, NY
South Street Seaport Museum announces its annual Diwali Celebration at the Seaport Museum on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 4–6pm. Tickets are free and can be reserved.
Join the Seaport Museum, The Culture Tree Collective Inc., and The Rubin Museum for festive activities to mark Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Diwali, named for the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that light up homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness, also marks the start of the Hindu New Year.
From 4pm to 6pm, decorate your own “diya lamp”—or in this case, a battery-operated candle—on the cobblestones of Water Street outside of the Museum and float it in a special pool, symbolizing prosperity for the new year. Rubin Teaching Artists will guide families in creating a large-scale rangoli design with flower petals, and attendees can make their own colorful rangoli designs using sand. From 4pm to 5pm, visit a henna artist for a special decorative keepsake.
At 4:15pm, we will head into the Museum’s first-floor Maritime City exhibition gallery for Diwali Puppet Storytime, where we’ll explore the significance and origins of Diwali and how it’s celebrated worldwide. We’ll also read stories like A Kids Book About Diwali, perfect for children and families.
Following Storytime, at 5pm, we will jump into an interactive dance workshop and performance in which you will experience and dance to popular Diwali songs, music, and stories. Attendees will learn mudras (hand gestures) from classical dance forms and dance to beautiful Diwali songs.
In addition to these exciting, all-ages activities, enjoy free access to the Seaport Museum’s Maritime City exhibition and explore the unique letterpress printshop Bowne & Co., Stationers, which will even have something special for you to print using the Museum’s 19th century printing press!
A Brief Explanation of Diwali
Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, held in the period October to November. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.
About Maritime City
The Seaport Museum’s latest exhibition Maritime City highlights how New York City, as we know it today, arose from the sea. Throughout the extensive three-floor exhibition, 540 deliberately-selected objects on view underscore how the city’s identity as a global capital of culture and finance is rooted in its origins as a seaport. By sharing the material culture of New York and its people, the exhibition highlights stories of the working class people employed by ships, shipping lines, and other local industries throughout history, as well as the emigrant workers and immigrant families that came through the port as their first stop in America.
About Bowne & Co.
Established by Robert Bowne in 1775, Bowne & Co. holds the distinction of being New York’s oldest operating business under the same name. After growing as a financial printer throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Bowne & Co. Inc. partnered with the Seaport Museum in 1975 to open a 19th century-style print shop at 211 Water Street in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Today, it is comprised of the Bowne & Co. Printing Office––a workspace that continues the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing using historic presses from South Street Seaport Museum’s working collection––and Bowne & Co. Stationers, a 19th century-style emporium selling gifts and fine goods.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the historic ships and exhibition galleries at the Seaport Museum is not included with this event. If you would like to explore more that the Museum has to offer, book in advance or ask Museum staff about admission tickets, available Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm when you check in. Museum admission tickets grant access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16 as well as all current exhibitions on view in the introduction galleries inside Schermerhorn Row located at 12 Fulton Street. Admission tickets also include entry to the new Maritime City exhibition in A.A. Thomson & Co. located at 213 Water Street. seaportmuseum.org/admission
About The Culture Tree Collective Inc.
The Culture Tree Collective Inc. promotes cultural literacy about South Asia through language and educational and cultural programs. The organization’s goal is to create empathy, respect and understanding towards all different cultures and further inclusivity, while still helping address questions about identity with heritage cultures.
About The Rubin Museum
Founded in 2004, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art first opened its doors at 150 West 17th Street in Chelsea, New York City. Today it has evolved to serve people across the globe, operating without a centralized physical space and modeling new possibilities for how museums might reach, engage, and serve the public worldwide.
About the South Street Seaport Museum
The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.”