What to Expect at Diwali in Fairbanks Alaska

Young dancers during their performance

Post author:Nicole Mölders
Reading time:6 mins read

Wherever there are Indians, there will be a party to celebrate the festival of lights. This post is about the celebration of Diwali in Fairbanks Alaska and features my favorite looks.

Contents

Indian Students Invite Fairbanksans to Celebrate Diwali
The Indian Community Cooks the Food
The Fashion at the Festival of Lights
What I Wore at Diwali in Fairbanks Alaska
Street Chic Outfits at Diwali in Fairbanks

Indian Students Invite Fairbanksans to Celebrate Diwali

Every year around Diwali, the Indian student club of the University Alaska Fairbanks organizes a Diwali dinner party at the Wood Center. The tickets are often sold out more than a months before. There is no advertising. It is all word of mouth.

The Indian Community Cooks the Food

The students spent the entire day cooking Indian dishes. It is a big logistic thing to do all the shopping, cooking, and keeping the food warm for serving. They also prepared the ballroom to look festive and put on a show that educates about India.

food samples at the Diwali celebration in Fairbanks — Samples of the Indian food cooked by the students and their volunteer helpers

Each year, I am looking forward to this event. Of course, I love the Indian food. In a town, where you only can get Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Korean, Greek and American food, another taste is always more than welcome.

The Fashion at the Festival of Lights

Great Indian outfits at the party — Red panjari and orange-fuchsia sari at the Last Frontier

However, the thing I love the most is the fashion. The wives of the Indian professors, the female Indian professors, their daughters and the female Indian students are real down-to-the-bone fashionistas when it comes to Indian clothes. I have never seen one of them wearing the same sari or other Indian outfit twice!

Beautifully embellished saris at Diwali in Fairbanks — Beautifully embellished saris at the party

From the Bollywood movie scenes that the students showed, one could see that these women are on top of things wearing this season’s Indian Must-haves. I love the bright and bold colors of the outfits and the attention to details like embroidery, color combinations, beading and matching colors when wearing costume jewelry. More on what is best to wear at a Diwali party.

Fairbanksans in bold color saris — Fairbanks women in bold color saris watching performances at the Fairbanks Diwali party that was organized by the UAF Indian students club

What I Wore at Diwali in Fairbanks Alaska

One year I dared to “recycle” a sari I had worn five years before and got caught. Thus, I won’t make this mistake twice. However, now I am always stressed out what to wear at Diwali.

I wore the dress-over-pants outfit with hand-painted embellishment with a pair of brand new dancing shoes. I added the red spot on my face with nail polish so it would stay on for the night.

fashion blogger over 50 in burgundy with gold painting outfit at the Diwali celebration in Fairbanks — Burgundy silk with gold hand painted embellishment outfit with Very Fine Dance Shoes sandals and Hermes enamel bangles that I wore at Diwali in Fairbanks Alaska

Diwali Entertainment

There were various groups performing Indian dances, playing Indian music or singing traditional or modern Indian songs.

Indian dancers in their performance outfits — Dancers waiting for their performance of traditional Indian dances

Street Chic Outfits at Diwali in Fairbanks

Of course, there were a lot of locals. Most of them wore Fairbanks formal. However, some took the opportunity to adapt to the situation with their own way of Fairbanks street style.