On Saturday, May 31, 2025, Nepali families from across New Jersey and beyond gathered at Memorial Park in Fair Lawn for the town’s first Nepal Day. Under the banner “Celebrating Culture & Embracing Diversity,” the afternoon filled the park with music, dance, food and traditional dress.
How Nepal Day began
Nepal Day was organized by the Nepal Day New Jersey organizing committee, a group of community members who wanted one day each year when the Nepali diaspora in New Jersey could come together and share its culture with neighbors. ARC for Nepal founder Rajendra Shrestha was part of the founding team that built the event. Ahead of the first festival he put the goal simply: “We are thrilled to unite the Nepali community scattered across New Jersey and beyond.”
A day of Nepali culture
The program brought Nepal’s diversity to one stage: traditional music and dance, cultural performances representing Nepal’s many ethnic communities, and a traditional lamp lighting to open the celebration. Families browsed Nepali food and handicrafts, and many came dressed in traditional attire from across Nepal. The organizers also planned a photo exhibition of Nepal’s pilgrimage sites and landscapes, and conversations with trekking guides and mountaineers.
ARC for Nepal at Nepal Day
ARC for Nepal hosted a booth at the festival, sharing our work in Nepal with neighbors, friends and families who stopped by.
What came next
The first Nepal Day set the stage for an annual tradition. The festival returned for its second year on June 6, 2026.
