November 8, 2026

Diwali: workplace accommodations for ERGs services for ERGs.

As of 1970Last reviewed

Diwali is the Festival of Lights — observed across Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and some Buddhist traditions. Floating holiday is the move.

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From AramarkAramark's AMPLIFY and SYNERGY ERGs Celebrate First Diwali at HQ
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Aramark's AMPLIFY and SYNERGY ERGs Celebrate First Diwali at HQ
Why It Matters

More than a calendar moment.

5 daysof celebration in many traditions.
1B+people celebrate Diwali globally.
Nov 8main day of Diwali 2026.

Diwali — the Festival of Lights — is observed across Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and some Buddhist traditions, with more than a billion people celebrating globally (per Pew Research Center's religious landscape data). For South Asian colleagues, it's frequently the single biggest holiday of the year: a 5-day observance involving family travel, home decoration, religious ritual, and large gatherings.

The pitfall to avoid is folding Diwali into a generic “holiday season” campaign at the end of the year; Diwali stands on its own, has its own meaning across multiple religions, and is not interchangeable with Christmas or Hanukkah. Specificity is what makes the acknowledgment land.

What Not To Do

The Diwali pitfalls.

What sinks Diwali programming isn't usually a missing speaker — it's a misread of the moment. The three misses worth naming out loud.

01

Lumping into the December holiday season.

Diwali is November, has its own meaning, and is not interchangeable with Christmas.

02

Assuming all South Asians celebrate the same way.

Traditions vary by region, religion, and family. Let your South Asian ERG lead.

03

Programming for observers instead of the community.

An ERG event that performs tradition for the broader company — rather than creating space for South Asian colleagues to gather, connect, and celebrate together — misses the point. Center members first.

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Speakers & Vendors

Curated for Diwali.

Speakers, facilitators, and vendors filtered for Diwali programming. Pulled live from ERGs.io — every profile is one click away from a full bio, rate, and inquiry form inside the platform.

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Programming Ideas

Real Diwali programming ideas from ERGs.io.

A few of the most-favorited Diwali ideas ERG leaders are running this year. Open ERGs.io to browse the full library — filtered, saveable, and bookable with vendors.

Celebrating Light and Belonging: A Vibrant Diwali Across HSBC Communities

Celebrating Light and Belonging: A Vibrant Diwali Across HSBC Communities

Happy Diwali! As the proud executive sponsor of HSBC’s HIND Employee Resource Group, focused on enriching and sharing the Indian culture with colleagues across the firm, this week has been an incredible celebration of Diwali across our Chicago, Buffalo, and New York City chapters. Diwali represents the triumph of light over darkness and the power of unity, and it’s inspiring to see our community come together to share traditions and create a true sense of belonging. Our first-ever cultural fair in NYC was a vibrant showcase, complete with Bollywood dancing, stunning jewelry, beautifully crafted candles, delicious treats including Indian ice crème, and so much more. The best part was seeing my colleagues from all different background dance and enjoy the offerings! True career highlight. A special thanks to Michael Roberts, CEO of HSBC in the U.S. & Americas, for his unwavering support and for reminding us that fostering inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. A sincere thank you to Michael Lopez, our Head of Inclusion and Culture, whose groundbreaking vision for our inclusion program has made celebrations like these possible and truly impactful. I'm also deeply grateful for our HIND New York Chapter Co-Chair Jaspreet Kaur Basetty and the HIND national leaders, Reshma Varma and Sunil Jain, for their leadership and dedication. Heartfelt thanks to my good friends Palak P. and Mona Patel, who brought incredible food, the wonderful cook book, "Food for Love," with recipes and stories that capture the warmth and richness of Indian culture, and to our co-chairs in Buffalo, including Ajay Kumar Vijay.This event was a true collaboration, with the support of fellow ERGs, APIC, Balance, Embrace, and REACH. Finally, a huge thanks to Akruti Babaria of Kulture Khazana, Inc., whose arts and cultural gifts, as well as her curatorial vision, made this event so memorable and to my wonderful EA, Yukako O. whose tireless work and boundless enthusiasm uplifts everyone around her. Together, we’ve created something truly special that reflects the spirit of Diwali and the importance of belonging at HSBC. Thanks to everyone who turned out. hashtag#Diwali hashtag#HSBC

Celebrating Light Together: A Vibrant Diwali Uniting Communities at Achieve

Celebrating Light Together: A Vibrant Diwali Uniting Communities at Achieve

✨ Happy Diwali to all who celebrate! 🪔 This year, I had the immense joy of helping coordinate Achieve’s Diwali celebrations in partnership with our incredible Aspire Employee Resource Group (ERG) planning committees, Facilities, and Corporate Communications teams. Together, we transformed our Tempe, AZ and San Mateo, CA offices into vibrant spaces filled with color, music, laughter, and light.While Diwali is a festival rooted in Hindu tradition, celebrating the triumph of light over darkness and good over adversity, its message is universal. It reminds us that light isn’t just something we see; it’s something we share. Whether through acts of kindness, connection, or courage, we all have the power to illuminate the spaces we’re part of, at work, in our communities, and within ourselves. I’m so grateful to everyone who helped plan and bring these celebrations to life which is: ASHOK AGARWAL, Andy Wadhwa, Kimberly Lin, Louie S., Shane Strong, Shreyas Dorle, Soundarya Subramanyam, Ashwini Mahajan, Bharat Khanna, Carol Cote, Jaeho Lee, Meeta Kanwar, Minal Wadkar, Minaxi Raja, Tony Sarate, Vibhor Chopra, and Linda Luman! Their vision, collaboration, and heart made this all possible. A big thank you as well to every Achieve teammate who joined in the festivities and helped make Diwali so special.Moments like these remind me that when we make space for each other’s traditions, we all shine a little brighter together.hashtag#diwali hashtag#community hashtag#weareachieve

Comcast's Asian & Pacific Islander ERG Hosts 7th Annual Diwali Celebration

Comcast's Asian & Pacific Islander ERG Hosts 7th Annual Diwali Celebration

Wishing everyone who celebrates a #HappyDiwali.Thanks to our Asian Pacific American #ERG and our sponsors for hosting 600+ #Comcast employees at the 7th Annual Comcast Diwali Celebration! #ComcastDiwali2018

ABC ERG Celebrates Diwali with Cultural Extravaganza at Blue Cross Blue Shield

ABC ERG Celebrates Diwali with Cultural Extravaganza at Blue Cross Blue Shield

This program highlights the successful Diwali celebration hosted by the Asian Blue Community (ABC) ERG, focused on illuminating the holiday's traditions and culture. The comprehensive event featured a classical dance performance by a member of the Triveni School of Dance, a vibrant fashion show, beautiful Rangoli sand art, traditional games, and Indian food, providing associates a rich platform to connect and celebrate diversity.

Aramark's AMPLIFY and SYNERGY ERGs Celebrate First Diwali at HQ

Aramark's AMPLIFY and SYNERGY ERGs Celebrate First Diwali at HQ

Last week, our AMPLIFY and SYNERGY employee resource groups partnered together to host Aramark HQ's first celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Employees tried sweet treats, participated in activities, and learned about the holiday’s symbolism of the victory of light over darkness. hashtag#AramarkAmplify hashtag#AramarkSynergy

Celebrating Diwali, Together: Inclusion in Action at Microsoft

Celebrating Diwali, Together: Inclusion in Action at Microsoft

Thrilled to share glimpses of Diwali celebrations at Microsoft Sydney office! As the Co-lead of the Asian ERG, along with Siti Hawa Evans, we partnered with our colleagues to celebrate Diwali in different Microsoft locations ranging from Auckland, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The role of ERG's is critical for employees to bring there authentic self to work, but equally must be inclusive themselves and be open to people of all backgrounds. At Microsoft we are priveldged to have a culture, were we celebrate events together to help us all thrive! Rachel Bondi Elena Wise El Settle Harshil Mistry Riya Baby Madhushri Banerjee Rupal Thakkar Mudholkar Neha Kumari Mark Dempsey Adam Payne Nive Autar Wendy Smith Pooja Prithyani Lindy Dang Taruna Juneja

Plan Year-Round

Other observances in the calendar.

Every observance gets its own planning page — speakers, vendors, programming ideas, and a timeline.

Plan Diwali in ERGs.io

Stop scrambling. Start planning the month that lands.

ERGs.io pulls every speaker, vendor, and programming format into one workspace — so planning Diwali takes one afternoon, not one month of late nights. Free to start.