Times Square Durga Utsav honours six US groups that kept the puja going for 50 years
Representative image: sujay85 / Pixabay
The second Times Square Durga Utsav, held on 10-11 October 2026 in New York, honoured six US Bengali groups that have run Durga Puja for at least five decades.
What Happened
New York's Times Square hosted the second Times Square Durga Utsav on 10 and 11 October 2026, bringing Durga Puja rituals, Mahalaya observances, music and dance to Father Duffy Square in the heart of Manhattan. The organisers used the festival to honour six Bengali community organisations in the United States that have held Durga Puja for at least five decades. India's Consul General in New York, Binaya Pradhan, attended along with senior United Nations delegates, and the celebrations went ahead despite bad weather, according to reports published on 12 and 13 October.
Key Facts
- The second Times Square Durga Utsav was held on 10 and 11 October 2026 at Father Duffy Square, Times Square, New York.
- The programme included Durga Puja rituals, Mahalaya observances, music, dance and cultural performances.
- Six US organisations were honoured for keeping Durga Puja going for at least five decades: Bay Area Prabasi (California), the Bengali Association of Greater Chicago (Illinois), the Bengali Cultural Society (Ohio), the East Coast Durga Puja Association (New York), Kallol (New Jersey) and Pragati (Pennsylvania).
- India's Consul General in New York, Binaya Pradhan, and senior UN delegates attended.
- Bengali families from several US states and international visitors joined despite poor weather.
- A separate, free Times Square Durga Puja organised by a different group is listed for 17 and 18 October 2026.
Why It Matters
Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the Bengali calendar. Away from Bengal, it has become one of the main ways the Bengali diaspora holds on to its language, music, food and rituals, and passes them on to children who grow up abroad.
The six honoured organisations tell that story. Each has kept a puja running for at least fifty years, through generations of members, volunteers and priests. Recognising them in Times Square links those long-running community pujas with today's large public celebrations.
Staging the festival in one of the world's most visited public spaces also changes who sees it. A Durga Puja held in a community hall mainly draws the community itself; one held in Times Square puts the dhak drums, the aarti and dance before New Yorkers and tourists with no link to India or Bangladesh. That kind of visibility is a form of cultural diplomacy, which helps explain the presence of the Indian Consul General and UN delegates.
The timing also places the event early in the season. In India, Navratri began on 11 October, and the main Durga Puja days in West Bengal fall between 17 and 21 October. Diaspora groups often hold their celebrations on weekends to suit work and school schedules, which is why festivals abroad may not match the dates in Kolkata.
Impact
Short-term: The two-day festival gave Bengali families across the US a large public gathering at the start of the puja season, with more celebrations in Times Square to follow on 17 and 18 October.
Long-term: Public festivals of this kind help keep diaspora traditions alive for younger generations and make Indian and Bengali culture more familiar to wider audiences abroad.
Who is affected: The Bengali and wider South Asian diaspora in the United States, community organisations that run pujas, and visitors to New York.
Key Takeaway
The second Times Square Durga Utsav brought Durga Puja to the heart of New York on 10 and 11 October 2026 and honoured six US groups that have kept the festival alive for at least fifty years.
Questions and Answers
When and where was the Times Square Durga Utsav 2026 held?
On 10 and 11 October 2026 at Father Duffy Square in Times Square, New York. It was the festival's second edition.
Which organisations were honoured?
Bay Area Prabasi of California, the Bengali Association of Greater Chicago, the Bengali Cultural Society of Ohio, the East Coast Durga Puja Association of New York, Kallol of New Jersey and Pragati of Pennsylvania.
Why were these groups chosen?
Each has organised Durga Puja in the United States for at least five decades, helping preserve Bengali traditions abroad.
Is there another Durga Puja in Times Square this month?
Yes. A separate free Times Square Durga Puja, run by a different organiser, is listed for 17 and 18 October 2026.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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