Top Religious Festivals and Celebrations on Long Island in 2025

Long Island isn’t just about bagels, beaches, and bickering over parking spots—it’s a full-blown cultural mosaic. And if you really want to see that mosaic come alive, just follow the smell of incense, grilled lamb, and fried dough wafting from the local parish or temple parking lot. Religious festivals here aren’t just about devotion—they’re about community, identity, and yes, showing off your aunt’s homemade sweets.

With an ever-growing tapestry of faith communities, 2025 is stacking up to be a banner year for celebrations that bring people together—sometimes with fireworks, sometimes with fasting, always with flavor. Here's where Long Islanders are gathering in spirit and in style.

1. Greek Orthodox Festival – St. Paul’s Cathedral, Hempstead (June 5–8)

A four-day bacchanal of food, dancing, and church tours that’ll make you question why you ever settled for frozen spanakopita. It’s equal parts religious experience and unofficial summer kickoff party—with bonus gyros.

2. Diwali – Long Island Hindu Temple, Flushing & Various Locations (Oct 20)

Picture this: firecrackers, flickering lamps, henna, rangoli art, and enough sweets to keep your dentist employed for a decade. Diwali events spill into neighborhoods and shopping centers across Nassau and Suffolk, blending faith with a spectacular show of lights and love.

3. Eid al-Fitr – Masjid Darul Quran, Bay Shore & Other Mosques (March 30, tentative)

After a month of fasting, this celebration pulls out all the stops—early morning prayers, fashion-forward mosque fits, and community-wide meals that could feed a small country. You don’t have to be Muslim to be invited to the table. Just show up hungry and respectful.

4. St. Anthony’s Feast – East Northport (June 12–15)

This is where faith meets funnel cake. The feast honors the patron saint of lost items, which feels ironic because you will lose your diet here. Rides, processions, and that intoxicating scent of zeppoles—it’s Long Island Catholicism in full bloom.

5. Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur – Synagogues Across Long Island (Oct 2–12)

This sacred Jewish season brings shofar blasts, reflection, and an entire cultural pause for self-examination. Long Island’s Jewish communities show up in force, filling synagogues, community centers, and yes—Bagel Boss—before the fast kicks in.

6. Christmas Pageants & Midnight Mass – Churches Island-Wide (Dec 24–25)

Some go for theology, others go for the twinkling lights, booming choirs, and free cookies. From midnight mass in Rockville Centre to that neighbor with 75,000 lights synced to Mariah Carey—Long Island goes hard for Christmas.

7. Holi – ISKCON of Long Island, Central Islip (March 14)

If you see clouds of color in the air and someone joyfully throws paint on strangers, don’t worry—you’re not hallucinating. Holi brings love, forgiveness, and spring energy in one big joyful mess. Bonus points if you can dance in wet sneakers.

8. Vaisakhi – Gurdwara Sikh Center, Plainview (April 13)

The Sikh celebration of harvest and faith includes open kitchens serving fresh vegetarian food, singing hymns, and showcasing real Long Island hospitality. You’ll leave full, inspired, and wondering why more people don’t wear turbans with that kind of confidence.

9. Buddha Purnima – Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center, Syosset (May 12)

Need to reset after all that celebration? Buddha Purnima offers calm, meditation, chanting, and just the right amount of inner peace to balance out your festival circuit. It’s spiritual serenity served with herbal tea and wisdom.

10. Navaratri – Hindu Centers across Nassau and Suffolk (Sept 25–Oct 3)

Nine nights of rhythmic dancing, ritual prayer, and radiant outfits that will make your Target wardrobe weep. From Garba to Dandiya Raas, this festival turns temples and community centers into high-energy cultural epicenters.

Looking for a Home That Feels as Welcoming as Your Favorite Festival?

From soulful to spectacular, Long Island’s 2025 religious festivals remind us that faith and community are still alive—and louder than ever. Whether you’re in it for the devotion, the dancing, or the dessert table, you’re part of something beautiful. Just remember to bring cash, a folding chair, and stretchy pants.

I’m Dean Miller, Long Island’s only AI-certified real estate agent. Whether you’re looking to live closer to your spiritual tribe or just want a home with a driveway big enough for family after midnight mass—let’s talk. Because on Long Island, the real estate is local, but the culture? That’s universal.