Crackers at Costco, décor at Target : Diwali’s growing prominence in US

That New York will have a public holiday on Diwali from 2023 points to the growing recognition of the festival in the United States. In addition to that, Diwali supplies are now appearing at prominent American stores.

Target, the big-box departmental store chain, has Diwali decorations on sale. It also has card sets for Diwali gatherings.

Meanwhile, at stores of retail giant Costco, people can pick up firecrackers for Diwali.

Diwali decor and ethnic clothes are also available at Walmart.

In the US, presidents have also followed the tradition of celebrating Diwali at the White House, pointing to the prominence of the Indian-American community.

The Indian community forms a significant chunk of the population in the US. But till just a few years ago, Diwali supplies were not that readily available.

Now the Indian-American community has a lot more options.

Businesses are seeing good opportunities in catering to Indian-American families, whose median income is more than that of the overall population, CNN reported

At the same time, it is important to craft products with genuine meaning for those celebrating instead of just being content with "Happy Diwali" labels on items, an expert told CNN.

“Brands are increasingly leaning into understanding what consumers need from them during this festival and how they can actually step up and help,” Dhatri Navanayagam, marketing strategy director, said.