The Pierre hotel on the Upper East Side sparkled on Saturday night as a group of business and entertainment leaders of South Asian descent, joined by friends, kicked off the Diwali season in New York in feathered lehengas, bedazzled saris and gold-stitched sherwanis at the All That Glitters Diwali Ball.

The party, which drew about 300 people, is in its fourth year. The hosts included Indra Nooyi, the former chief executive of PepsiCo; Anjula Acharia, an entrepreneur who also manages Priyanka Chopra-Jonas; and the designer Prabal Gurung.

People shared how they celebrated the Hindu festival of lights growing up. Ms. Nooyi described childhood traditions of “three, four days of firecrackers, family coming together, gifts” while another host, Sarita Choudhury of “And Just Like That …,” described “going to aunties’ houses and the candles in the pathway.”

More images of Diwali have arrived on American social calendars and Instagram feeds in the past couple of years, especially after the White House hosted its largest Diwali celebration last year with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is Black and Indian American. The holiday, which falls this year on Nov. 12, will be observed by New York City schools for the first time in 2024. (On Friday, a separate, similarly glamorous event will be held at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan, chaired by Preet Bharara, Kal Penn and Radhika Jones of Vanity Fair.)

Gold House, a nonprofit that invests in and promotes Asian Pacific endeavors, is sponsoring both parties. Bing Chen, its chief executive, said that part of the organization’s goal is to “mainstream a lot of these canonical Asian cultural moments.”

In the ballroom, clear globes holding tiny lights hung from the branches of trees covered in white flowers. After speeches and Bollywood dance performances from AATMA Performing Arts, mini samosas and paneer and chicken kathi rolls were served buffet style.

Ms. Acharia emphasized how South Asians have made a “mark in so many different fields,” which was reflected in the range of firsts in attendance: Vanita Gupta, the first Indian American to serve as associate attorney general; Jessel Taank, the first Indian woman cast on “The Real Housewives of New York City”; and Nina Davuluri, the first Indian American to win Miss America.

Ms. Acharia, whose eye-catching lehenga featured red feather sleeves to her elbows, said in a conversation that she nearly canceled the soiree, of which she is the main organizer, amid the grief people have been feeling about the Israel-Hamas war. But, she said, a friend told her, “if you’re going to allow so much sadness into your heart, you also have to allow the light into your heart.”

The dress code, “Modern Raja and Rani,” translates to king and queen in Hindi, and it was interpreted extravagantly by many. Mr. Gurung designed himself an emerald stone-encrusted sherwani. Ms. Taank, clad in a shimmering lehenga with light pink feathers, was one of many attendees wearing Falguni Shane Peacock. “I love them because more is more, right?” she said of the designers, who were also hosts of the party.

The actor Adrien Brody was spotted walking to the bar later in the evening, while on the dance floor, a D.J. played Bollywood hits, drawing Aditi Shah, the Peloton yoga instructor. A giant dessert table with jalebi and gulab jamun piqued the interest of Aasif Mandvi, the former “Daily Show” correspondent, and others.

“I hope,” Ms. Nooyi said, “with 1.1 billion people celebrating Diwali, hoping for good over evil becomes infectious for the rest of the world.”

Did you have a favorite Diwali food growing up?

“As a kid, any tandoori situation, because you didn’t want the curry, and any level of naan situation. And then the desserts — the gulab jamuns were my favorite.”

Sarita Choudhury

Can you tell me about what you’re wearing?

“I made it myself. These are all hand-crusted, hand-embroidered emerald stones. And it weighs, like, 20 pounds.”

Prabal Gurung

How did you celebrate Diwali growing up?

“It was just a big family event, and you don’t have the entire extended family here, so we create our extended families here.”

Indra Nooyi