The Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition — Saturday, Oct. 11, on the Alameda County fairground — included dancing, fireworks, distributors, meals, video games and the ceremonial burning of a 40-foot effigy of Ravana, a villain in Hindu mythology. The group’s web site claims that it’s the largest Indian celebration in North America.
California has the biggest Indian American inhabitants among the many states, at almost 900,000. This 12 months’s Diwali begins on Oct. 20, the fifteenth day of the month of Kartik within the Hindu lunar calendar.
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Devotees ship devotional prayers through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Ramleela performer Jaya Sharma holds a pose whereas fellow dancers traverse the stage take through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Devotees ship devotional prayers through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Competition attendees make their manner via the varied meals and vendor cubicles through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Small snacks are handed through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Competition attendees make their manner via the varied meals and vendor cubicles through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Ramleela performers put together to take the stage through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Competition attendees rejoice after the Rath Yatra chariot procession on the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Nimal Nadesan of Raja Rani Bakery in Sunnyvale prepares Dosa through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Attendees march alongside the Rath Yatra chariot procession on the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
An effigy of the Raavan Dahan is ready aflame symbolizing mild conquering darkness through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
Fireworks mild the night time sky after an effigy of the Raavan Dahan was set aflame symbolizing mild conquering darkness through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
An effigy of the Raavan Dahan is ready aflame symbolizing mild conquering darkness through the Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka competition hosted by Affiliation of Indo People on the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. The celebration was one of many largest in Northern California with an anticipated 20,000 folks in attendance. (Don Feria for Bay Space Information Group)
