How to plan a Diwali Friendsgiving potluck, with a list to share

Diwali 2026 is a five-day festival. The Drik Panchang calendar for New Delhi puts Dhanteras on Friday, November 6, Lakshmi Puja on Sunday, November 8, and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, November 11. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26.

That leaves 18 days between the two, and two Saturdays: November 14 and November 21. The 14th sits closer to Diwali. The 21st is the Saturday right before Thanksgiving week, so it feels more like Friendsgiving.

If your group wants the dinner on Diwali itself, check a calendar for your own city, since the dates above are computed for New Delhi and can shift by a day elsewhere.

Think in courses, then give each course dishes from both tables. That way nobody has to choose between pie and gulab jamun, and the list still reads like one meal.

Here is a made-up example for about 12 friends on Saturday, November 14. The host takes the turkey with a tandoori rub. Everything else goes on the list, and the link goes in the group chat.

Arjun takes one dozen samosas and notes "Potato and pea". Mei takes one of the two curry slots and writes "Palak paneer", so the next person knows to bring something else. Priya grabs one mithai box. The rice and the chai are still open, which tells the host exactly whom to nudge.

Make the vegetarian mains real line items with their own quantity, not a hope. A list that says "main dish, 3" can end up as three meat dishes. A list that says "paneer or vegetable curry, 2" cannot.

Ask before you build the list. One line in the invite does it: "Tell me if you eat vegetarian, skip eggs, or avoid any meat." Then size the list to the answers. If most of your table eats vegetarian, skip the turkey and let a big vegetable biryani or a paneer dish be the centerpiece.

Guests can add a note when they take a dish, such as "Vegan" or "Very spicy". It is free text, not a dietary form, so a small card next to each dish on the table still helps.

Give every sweet a number. A box of mithai bought from a sweet shop is the easiest job on the list, which makes it a good slot for the friend who does not cook. Our planning rule, not a sourced number: start with two boxes and two pies for about 12 people, then adjust to your own headcount.

Desserts are the slot that fills first. If the list allows guests to add their own items, set the dessert quantities before you share it, so the extra sweets show up as extras and not instead of the rice.

Curries and dal need ladles and deep bowls, so add a line for serving spoons. Rice for a crowd needs a big pot or a rice cooker, and someone has to own it.

The USDA rule is 2 hours for perishable food at room temperature, or 1 hour above 90 degrees F. Hot food should stay at 140 degrees F or warmer, cold food at 40 degrees F or colder.

For a long evening, keep the curries and dal in a slow cooker or on a low oven, and put the rice back in the fridge after the first round. The potluck food amounts guide has the full numbers.

Junto's potluck page has no date field, so put the date in the name, like "Diwali Friendsgiving, Sat Nov 14". It does not send reminders, collect money for a shared grocery run, ask a structured dietary question, print a sheet, or track RSVPs.

What it does well is the one job a group chat fails at: every dish has a number, a full dish closes, and everyone can see who has what. Friends open the link, tap a dish and type a name. You enter your name and email to get a guest link and an admin link, with no password.