Noida: As the city prepares for the Diwali slated to be celebrated on coming Monday, temporary stalls and carts have sprung up in Noida, packed with goods from different parts of the country, offering a good reason for people to be there for some serious festive shopping.
While these pop-up markets show up in every neighbourhood, two of the major hotspots in Noida appear to be the key attractions — the Noida Sector 18 market, and the Diwali exhibition at the Noida Sector 21 cricket stadium.
The popular Sector 18 market is witnessing a massive surge in crowds, with stalls overflowing onto the road at places.
With a hope of making a good profit on the festive occasion, more and more vendors from across the region are setting up shops. One of them is Reshma from the Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh, who arrived here with her family.
“We’ve been coming here almost every year,” she said “We get our dry colours from Kanpur and sell them here for Diwali festivities.”
Sunil, a shopkeeper from Delhi, who was arranging his display of Diwali trinkets and decorations, which he sourced from Sadar Bazaar. One can come across people from Bihar selling diyas and other decorative items.
One of the buyers and a resident of Noida, Simran, at the market said, “There is usually a lot of crowd at this market. But because of Diwali, there are now more people and more stalls visible all around.”
Meanwhile, the Noida Sector 21A stadium is hosting a Grand Diwali Expo-2025 organised by the Art and Craft Vikas Sansthan, Ghaziabad which is running from October 10 till 20.
Raj Kashyap, secretary of the organisation, said, “Over 250 stalls featuring authentic products from pan-India artisans and engaging cultural programs and live performances are part of the event. Our exhibition promises to be a hub of India’s three C’s—Craft, Cuisine, and Culture.”
The stalls showcase a range of handmade crafts and items from small businesses, including pieces not just from India but also from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Expo includes cultural programmes and dance performances from different regions of India. On Wednesday, the highlight was Punjab.
Though the event is currently underway, Kakoli, who is selling her designer ethnic clothing, noted that the crowds are expected to grow significantly. “It is not so crowded today, but we are hopefully expecting more people during the weekend,” she said.
Among other exhibitors were Khushboo Goyal and her husband, a couple, who have set up a stall at the Expo, featuring their handmade candles. Asked about her products, Khushboo explained: “These candles are made with clean ingredients, and we set up a stall here to sell them for Diwali.”