Thousands of people came together in Montclair Saturday night to celebrate Diwali at AAPI NJ's annual event – Light up Diwali.

The event at the Montclair Art Museum featured live South Asian music and dance performances celebrating the culture rich with tradition.

Sanjukta Srinivasan, of Montclair, did a classical Indian dance performance dressed in an ornate traditional outfit embellished with peacock feathers.

"My sister did this a lot when she was younger and now I'm doing it," said Srinivasan. "I wasn't able to perform last year, so I'm happy I was able to perform this year."

Srinivasan was just one of more than 100 individual performers who came out to commemorate the holiday representing the triumph of good versus evil.

"It's amazing exposure for the children – the music, the food, all the beautiful clothing and everyone dressed up. It's just a feel-good day," said Prachi Parmar, of Glen Ridge.

This is the fourth year AAPI NJ has held the event. Various business owners were also in attendance and sold books, traditional clothing, jewelry, art pieces and other unique items.

"[This event] helps me feel connected and meet other people who also have very similar experiences to me and grew up with the same principals," said Srinivasan.

Food vendors also sold goods such as dosas, idli, biriyani and chai. According to organizers, more than 2,000 people attended.

"Diwali is such an important festival for my family and just being able to share it with our community is amazing," said Varsha Hathiramani, a AAPI NJ board member.

The event also had a live book reading, arts and crafts, photo booth and face painting.