Durga Puja is one of the grandest and most-awaited Indian festivals in October 2024. It is a most spectacular celebration in the Indian state of Bengal. However, the festival is celebrated with equal enthusiasm wherever Bengalis are in the world. About two dozen of Durga Puja events in New Jersey and New York transform the northeast cost into a mini Bengal with cultural exuberance this time of the year. Bengali associations across New York and New Jersey started preparations months ago, so that the festivity does not fall short of joy and happiness in their adopted home. They can live away from home, but can’t survive without the blessings of Maa Durga, the bliss of bhoger kichudi, the beats of dhak, and the ecstasy of dunuchi naach.
Travel Beats, a leading overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle, recommends some of the best places for Durga puja 2024 in New York and New Jersey. “Elo re Dugga elo re…”
PC: Travel Beats
ECDPA Durga Puja at Times Square, New York
2024 will see the first-ever Durga Puja celebration at Times Square, a most happening commercial hub in New York City. Usually, Times Square is a popular venue for Diwali, Yoga, and Indian Independence Day celebrations. Unlike other Durga puja events in USA, the 3-day Times Square Durga Puja is a free event for all, regardless of their nationality and religion. It is being organized by Bengali Club of USA and East Coast Durga Puja Association (ECDPA), the oldest Bengali community in North America. Like previous years, ECDPA has a great lineup of cultural programs.
- Date: October 4, 5, and 6
- Contact: ecdpanewyork@gmail.com, +1315-586-3372
Sanskriti Durga Puja 2024: Buffalo, New York
Sanskriti, a Bengali cultural association in Buffalo, is one of the best and oldest Durga Puja celebrations in New York. Founded in 1974-75, the Sanskriti Durga Puja is a cultural platform for the present generation of Bengali Diaspora in the northeast US to have a tryst with their heritage, literature, and traditions thousands of miles away from India. Sanskriti also celebrates other festivals with equal enthusiasm. They also organize Kojagori Lokkhi puja at the same venue.
Sanskriti is looking forward to a live performance by Snigdhajit Bhowmik and his band of musicians on October 6. Their event was graced by such renowned performing artists as Purna Das Boul and Bhupen Hazarika in the years gone by.
- Dates: October 4,5, and 6
- Venue: Hindu Cultural Society, 1595 N French Road, Getzville, NY 14068
- Contact: president@buffalosanskriti.org, +1 716-331-7657
- Website: Buffalosanskriti.org
New York Kali Mandir Durga Puja, Baldwin
New York Kali Mandir located close to JFK International Airport is the destination if you wish to celebrate Durga Puja in the most traditional manner. Inspired by the Dakshineswar Kali Temple of Kolkata, NYKM is home to Goddess Kali worshiped by Bengalis and other Indian communities. Founded in 2005, the temple doubles up as a community organization and helps preserve the age-old Bengali cultural traditions in New Yok Metropolitan Area. The temple has a well-stocked library for all age groups. Those interested in volunteering can serve the temple this Durga Puja.
- Dates: October 8 to 12
- Venue: 614 Seaman Ave, Baldwin, NY, 11510
- Contact: nykmdevotee@gmail.com, +1 516-771-5254
- Website: Nykalimandir.org
Also read: Sanyal Brothers Offer Best Kolkata Street Food with Chai in New York
Durga Puja at Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York
Durga Puja at the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York for the followers of the Ramakrishna order is among the best Durga puja celebrations in the Greater New York Area. Founded in 1933, the center organizes the puja to worship the Divine Mother and seek Her blessings for the humankind. The chanting of sacred hymns and the singing of devotional songs in chorus are the mainstay of their celebration without pomp and in strict adherence to the principles laid out by Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Missions worldwide.
- Dates: October 13
- Venue: 17 E 94th St, New York, NY 10128
- Contact: (212) 534-9445
- E-mail: rvcenternewyork@gmail.com
- Website: Ramakrishna.org
East Coast Cultural Association Durga Puja, NY
The East Coast Cultural Association, one of the youngest communities in New York, has planned a spectacular Durga puja celebration this year to mark its third anniversary. Founded in 2022, the non-profit Bong organization strives to create the ambience of parar pujo in Kolkata through a grand display of traditional Bengali culture, ranging from mouthwatering dishes to live music programs, at their puja venue. The schedule of ECCA Durga Puja 2024 includes three musical evenings by Somlata on OCT 18, Snigdhajit Bhowmik on OCT 19, and Prashmita Paul on OCT 20.
- Dates: October 18, 19 and 20
- Venue: Gujarati Samaj Hall, 17315 Horace Harding Expy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
- Contact: eastcoastcultural@gmail.com
- Website: Eccany.com
Utsov Durga Puja 2024 in New Jersey
Utsov Inc. is known for one of the biggest Durga Puja events in New Jersey. Their celebration, both traditional and contemporary, has a number of ‘wow’ factors – delectable Bengali food, Sindoor Khela, Dhunuchi dance, cultural programs, and art competition for kids. East Brunswick near Edison is the location of their puja venue that will turn into a Disneyland of festivities and revelry for two days as Utsov Inc. has invited Deep Chatterjee, a renowned folk singer, and Saberi Bhattacharya, a popular playback singer, to enthral the audience with folk music of Bengal.
Krosswindz, a Grassroot Grammy Award winning folk-fusion band from Kolkata, will churn out popular folk numbers and take the exuberance of Utsov Durga Puja 2024 celebration to the fever pitch on October 13. Prior registration is compulsory to enter the venue and attend the live band shows.
- Dates: October 12 and 13
- Contact: 732 648 7461 or 313 338 8768, utsov@utsov.org
- Venue: Jo Ann Magistro Performing Arts Center, 200 Rues Lane, East Brunswick, NJ
- Website: Utsov.org
Also read: Indian Food is a Pure Bliss at This Temple Kitchen in New York
Garden State Puja Committee’s 43rd Durga Puja in New Jersey
One of the oldest and biggest Durga Puja events in New Jersey is organized by the Bengalis of Garden State Puja Committee, Jersey City. GSPC Durga Utsov 2024 will celebrate its 43rd anniversary over foot-tapping numbers of the most popular bands, Cactus on 12 OCT and Chandrabindoo on 13 OCT. Bongobhoj – a traditional Bengali food fare – is the mainstay of their celebration.
The pandal modelled on thakur dalan, a distinct feature of mansions dating back to the feudal era of Bengal, has already been shipped from Kolkata to New Jersey. This is the biggest attraction of GSPC Durga Puja in Jersey City this year.
- Dates: October 12 and 13
- Venue: William L. Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306
- Contact: +1 201-993-4577 | info@gardenstatepuja.org
- Website: gspcnj.com
New Jersey Kallol Durga Puja 2024
Among the Durga Puja celebrations in New Jersey, Kallol Durga Puja hits the headlines every year. Of the oldest Bengali organizations in the northeast coast, Kallol will transform Somerset into a mini city of joy with cultural and musical extravaganza for 4 days, OCT 10-13.
Babul Supriyo will make the audience groove to his hit numbers on October 10, while the Nandi sister duo will set the stage on fire with their foot-tapping music on October 11. Madhubanti Bagchi from Mumbai will take over the stage on October 12 and her soulful songs will make the evening unforgettable. Kallol New Jersey Durga Puja 2024 will culminate in amazing rides on a rollercoaster of music by Piu Mukherjee and Sudesh Bhosle on October 13.
- Dates: October 10 to 13
- Venue: Ukranian Cultural Center, 135 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey 08873
- Contact: 732.290.5218
- Website: Kallol.com
Also read: Why Bengal worships living goddesses during Durga puja
Agrani Durga Puja, Plainfield NJ
Agrani Durga Puja in Plainfield near Edison is one of the 10 best Indian events in New Jersey in October 2024. Like WomenNow TV’s Durga Puja in California, the women members of Agrani NJ organize the puja, from fabulous feasting to cultural extravaganza. Equally popular with the Bong and non-Bengalis in Central New Jersey, Agrani Durga Puja promises to be an exhilarating experience for music connoisseurs, as singer Javed Ali of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘Delhi-6’, and ‘Rockstar’ fame from Delhi will set the stage on fire on OCT 6.
- Dates: October 5 and 6
- Venue: Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue
- Contact: Info@agranicnj.org
Alor Benu Durga Puja in Edison, NJ
The ‘Ekchala’ style Durga idol is the main attraction of this humble celebration by a few Bengali families in Edison, NJ. This is more a gharoa (homely) puja than a community puja. The festive evenings from October 4-6 will see various cultural indulgences by the organizers and their families. The puja schedule is chock-a-block with traditional rituals from pushpanjali to the Goddess in the morning to dhunuchi naach in the evening to family dinner at night.
- Dates: October 4,5,6
- Venue: 2 Farmhaven Avenue, Edison, NJ 08820
- Contact: aamantran@aalorbenu.net, 207-807-7556 (Suvro)
New Jersey Ananda Mandir Durga Puja 2024
Durga Puja at Ananda Mandir in New Jersey is a most traditional one. Hundreds of New Jersey Indians throng the shrine to immerse themselves in festive revelries for five days. New Jersey Ananda Mandir is one of the few Hindu temples in USA that follows the Bengali calendar precisely for celebrating Durga Puja and other festivals. The temple that also doubles up as an Indian cultural center was commissioned in 1995 and completed in 2003. You may need to pre-register online. On successful registration, you would receive a confirmation email, which you can show to the volunteers at the temple complex.
- Dates: October 8 to 12
- Venue: 269 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873-5212
- Contact: (732) 873-9821 or info@anandamandir.org
- Website: Anandamandir.org
Garden State Cultural Association: Plainfield, NJ
Among the best places for Durga Puja 2024 in New Jersey, Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) is gearing up for their 33rd year of the celebration. GSCA, a nonprofit Indian American organization of Bengalis in Plainfield, leaves no stone unturned to make Durga Puja a grand get-together of not only Bengalis but also other Indian communities over delicious food, shopping, and cultural entertainment. The interesting lineup of events include talent shows and drawing competitions.
Registration is compulsory to attend the celebration, especially the cultural programs. You can register on their website given below. Popular Indian singers Richa Sharma and Pousali Banerjee are among the eminent guests this year.
- Dates: October 19 and 20
- Venue: Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060
- Contact: (908) 754-3079 or contact@gsca.us
- Website: web.gsca.us
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Bengali Cultural Society Durga Puja: South Jersey
Of New Jersey Indian events in October 2024, Bengali Cultural Society’s Durga Puja celebration is a lot more than food, fun and frolic. Rather, it mirrors the rich cultural heritage of Bengal on the American soil. Founded in 1978, Bengali Cultural Society is not just one of the oldest Bengali diaspora associations but a philanthropic organization too. They publish their own magazine Sanskriti every year and run a Bengali language school for their young ones and those interested in learning the language. Each day of the puja will culminate in an authentic Bengali community dinner.
You can check out their extensive menu for festive bhuribhoj on their Facebook page. Among the Durga Puja organizers in USA, only BCS South Jersey is presenting ‘Chitrangada‘, Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s dance drama based on a popular tale from the Mahabharata.
- Dates: October 11, 12 and 13
- Venue: Indian Cultural Center, 820 NJ-73, Marlton, NJ 08053
- Contact: info@bcssj.org
- Website: Bcssj.org
New Jersey Bharat Sevashram Sangha Durga Puja
The New Jersey chapter of Bharat Sevashram Sangha celebrates Durga Puja to worship the Supreme Power of the universe. The chanting of slokas and hymns reverberates in the air of the ashram temple on the five days of Durga Puja. Devotees can soak in numinous vibes that the ambience is rife with this time of the year. Bharat Sevashram Sangha is one of the few places where all the rituals of Durga Puja are strictly followed in compliance with the scriptures. Devotees are requested to pre-register for the puja.
- Dates: October 8 to 13
- Location: 3490 Route-27 Kendral Park, New Jersey 08824
- Contact: 732 422 8880/ 347 735 2984 | devotees@sevashramsangha.org
- Website: sevashramsangha.org
Trinayani Durga Puja in Plainsboro, New Jersey
A non-profit organization established in 2022 with the aim to promote India’s rich art and culture, Trinayani is eyeing a theme-based Durga Puja celebration in a grander fashion this year. In its inaugural year (2022), Trinayani was the first and only one to have worshipped the protima (idol) made by Prabasi Bengalis among the community members. The Bong being great foodies complement their festivities with sumptuous food.
The musical acts to be performed by Raghab Chatterjee and jazzy Somlata Chowdhury, on October 2 and 13 respectively, will make you not only groove to live music but also feel nostalgic. You may contact Trinayani for registrations.
- Dates: October 12 and 13
- Venue: Community Middle School, Plainsboro Township, NJ, USA
- Contact: contact@trinayaninj.org
- Website: www.trinayaninj.org
PBA Agomoni and Durga Puja 2024
Princeton Bengali Association in New Jersey will invoke Maa Durga on Mahalaya (September 29) through their ‘Agomoni’ program and celebrate Durga Puja on October 20 in Plainsboro. Dhunuchi naach, Sindoor khela and other traditional rituals are the hallmarks of their humble celebration. Rishi Panda, a popular YouTuber and singer, has been invited for a musical evening at PBA Durga Puja in New Jersey. The event is free for kids (5 years and below).
- Date: 20 October
- Venue: Community Middle School, Plainsboro NJ
- Contact: pbanj.org
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