In our trendsetting stride, this festive season , we’re getting rid of Diwali parties filled with door ke rishtedaar and an awkward vibe that even the DJ can’t fix. Our parties are Instagrammable, aesthetic, and totally chill. With close friends, a few mutuals, and lots of snacks, there’s no pressure on the host to whip up an elaborate feast or to deck up the house. After all, Diwali is about sharing joy, not people-pleasing!



Inside Vishnu's Diwali hang




Content creator Vishnu Kaushal hosts a Diwali party every year. After hosting a low-key event this year, he tells us, "Over the years, we’ve done everything for our Diwali party. This year was a lot more low-key, just with a few of our closest friends & family. Just with people we almost see every day or want to see every day!" Talking about how we do Diwali differently, he says, "For us personally, it’s about creating a sense of community with people we’ve met along the way. Diwali gives us a reason to meet; every other day there’s a friend’s Diwali party, and it’s the same people we saw at the last one. It’s a nice way to end the year together."



Mood boards over dress codes




The behind-the-scenes of our looks are decided very casually. “My friends and I usually coordinate outfits and build a theme around it. It's usually just a bunch of girls going, ‘Tere paas sari hai? Mere paas bhi sari hai. Cool, the theme is to wear a sari.’ Just like that, the theme is set: saris. Other times, it’s as simple as anchoring the night around a single colour,” Aastha Monga, 23 shares. For Prateek Aggarwal, 21, it’s about aesthetics, “I would like to have a traditional-casual theme that just matches the aesthetics and gets us some good content. It's more about the aesthetics and card parties for us.” Aamna Jain, 23 ,shares that her love for mood boards to plan the vibe, “Having a theme is a great idea because it ensures nobody feels out of place. Plus, themed parties make for great pictures! I love having a full-glam ethnic dress code for my Diwali parties. I usually plan the overall vibe for the outfits or create a mood board to give everyone some inspiration.”



Potlucks over catered meals




Aastha shares, “Honestly, parties are less about the food and more about the hang. If we have to eat, we just go out. Parties are for sharing embarrassing stories, making memories and dancing our hearts out.” Aamna adds, “A typical party would include warm decor, an absolute NO to fireworks, desi outfits, unique cocktails, some digicam pictures with the perfect playlist on hand. I prefer the snacks and a potluck situation. It acts as a conversation starter, and also reduces the load from the host’s back.”




- Inputs by Annanya Bhargava and Mannat Saini