As noted by Chopra Jonas, the premise of pausing to celebrate the triumph of good over evil is needed now more than ever. Decked out in a light-reflective Zuhair Murad two-piece embellished with beads, crystals, and mirrors, the star congratulated Acharia for continuing to uplift South Asian talent on the global stage. After all, “This is the woman who orchestrated the JaiHo remix,” as noted by publicist Anita Chatterjee.

Actor Kal Penn, who helped organize and host the first-ever official U.S. observance of Diwali in 2009 during the Barack Obama administration, was also incredulous as he remarked on how far representation has come.

“Everyone here is at the top of their game,” Real Housewives of New York castmember and OUSHQ founder Jessel Taank told Vogue. “We haven’t always got the spotlight that we deserve. To have a platform and a night like this in New York City is incredible.” The couture aficionado, who always relishes the chance to highlight Indian designers, had turned to Sawan Gandhi for a look fitting of her Bravo royalty status.

Over whiskey cocktails infused with The Glenlivet’s 12-year-old Chai variation and Pista Halwa margaritas, executives and entertainers held court in candlelit gazebos on Saturday evening. Since securing a reservation at Indian-American celebrity chef Vikas Khanna’s Bungalow might be near impossible after it made the list of New York’s 100 top restaurants, attendees were also thrilled to enjoy a delectable feast of the eatery’s traditional fare.

At 11 p.m., Acharia addressed the party and urged them to make their way inside, where she had even more in store. For her big night, the Britain native had turned to design duo Falguni Shane Peacock for her opulent ensemble, as had those including the mononymous Mean Girls musical breakthrough act Avantika, Bozoma Saint John, Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar, Revolve chief merchant officer Divya Mathur, and Danielle Frankel’s new head of VIP, Priya Shukla. Meanwhile, model Madhulika Sharma had donned a Gaurav Gupta outfit, and Pratki Beauty founder Pritika Swarup matched her striking green beaded outfit with plenty of emerald jewelry. “To the glitterati,” the glamorous gang could be heard saying over clinking flutes of Champagne.

The gala, which supported His Majesty King Charles’ British Asian Trust, continued until late in the ballroom, with Indo WareHouse manning the decks and keeping energy high. “I’ll be on the dancefloor all night,” designer Prabal Gurung told Vogue. “This night is so close to my heart—it’s one of my favorite times where I get to see all of my friends and celebrate.”

After refueling on late-night snacks courtesy of Bungalow, guests departed equipped with sets of mini highlighters thanks to Live Tinted. The game-changing beauty brand was born from a viral YouTube video in which founder Deepica Mutyala covered up her under-eye circles with red lipstick as she was unable to find products to complement her Indian skin tone. Inscribed on every ribbon-adorned gift-wrapped box, Mutyala wrote: “Happy Diwali. Wishing you a year of joy and radiance ahead.”