Called the Festival of Lights or "Grand Diwali Mela," the event will coincide with a traditional Hindu celebration called "Diwali." Popular in India, it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.

Festival organizers have received support from Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter and the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce. They're hoping for a turnout of a few thousand people.

Because they want everyone to feel welcome, they're making sure to have more than just traditional Indian foods and dance.

So carnival rides, clowns and face-painting will rub up against traditional Indian floor-painting demonstrations and temporary henna tattoos, called mehndi. For folks who want to hear Indian musicians or see traditional dance performances but aren't fans of curries, the 40 or so vendor booths will carry barbecue, pizza and Chinese food, as well as clothes, art and collectibles.

Metro Atlanta's social calendar is packed with cultural celebrations that offer an international flavor, as the area's foreign-born population booms.

In the last few months, several thousand people converged on the Gwinnett Arena for the Festival of India, held every year since 1996. Then came Japan Fest, held a few weeks ago at the Gwinnett Convention Center in Duluth. Like many other events, such as the annual Atlanta Greek Festival, the events held in Gwinnett were organized by ethnic communities seeking to educate attendees about their foods, music and traditions.

The Nov. 10 festival in Duluth will be slightly different.

Cultures Across Borders wants to get various ethnic communities to celebrate their cultures together, at one festival. They've invited 45 leaders of varied Atlanta ethnic communities to attend, and about half plan to attend, said Sharma. Each will receive flowers and thanks in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. It's a small gesture, but organizers hope it leads to increased participation.

Jim Maran, president and chief executive officer of the Gwinnett Chamber, considers the county the "global gateway to the Southeastern United States." A big reason why,

he said, is the growth of its Asian communities.

"Our goal at the Gwinnett Chamber," he said in an e-mail, "is to make Gwinnett County the prototype community for the future, enhance the business growth of all ethnic groups within the county, and increase the wealth and quality of life for all of our citizens."

"The whole idea is to bring cultures to the whole community," said Mani Krishnaswamy, who owns the Duluth technology staffing firm Synergy America and sits on the board of the Gwinnett Chamber.

The passion organizers have for their maiden event convinced Lasseter to participate.

"It's very important to each culture that they have the opportunities to celebrate those festivals that are unique to them," Lasseter said.

"As mayor, I feel like it is very important to support those diversities and to be there and work with them in any way I can."

A dozen local businesses are sponsoring the event, said Sharma, president of an information technology business called Asterix Consulting, Inc.

His partners at Cultures Without Borders include Sandeep Savla, who runs a Norcross Indian music and dance academy with his wife, and Apurva Shrivastava, Scientific Atlanta's director of IT.

"Amitabh, Sandeep and I sat down and said we wanted to do more to give back to the community," Shrivastava said. "Diwali was something we knew we could get going. We could build on our strengths."

The Savlas — singer-musician Sandeep and his wife, Kumud, a dancer — have been practicing for the big day with students at their Norcross dance-and-music academy in the Global Mall.

On a recent afternoon, the mirrored studio reflected not just the precision of the dancers' steps, but the saffron, turquoise and coral hues of their traditional saris in fluid, graceful motion.

You may not understand the story behind each dance, but the rigor and beauty of the tradition is hard to miss.

This year, Duluth had its first International Festival to honor Irish, Latino, German and Italian cultures. Lasseter hopes next year's encompasses even more.

Who knows? This first communitywide Festival of Lights could illuminate the way.

IMMIGRANTS IN GWINNETT: WHERE THEY WERE BORN

Latin America — 96,983 (52.3 percent)

Asia — 54,996 (29.7 percent)

Europe — 16,333 (8.8 percent)

Africa — 13,981 (7.5 percent)

Northern America* — 2,940 (1.6 percent)

Oceania — 216 (0.1 percent)

* Includes Canada, Bermuda, Greenland and the island nation of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the Canadian coast

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

OTHER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS

• Festival Peachtree Latino Atlanta: More than 40,000

• JapanFest: More than 20,000

• Atlanta Greek Festival: More than 50,000

• The Atlanta Caribbean Folk Festival: 400,000 (estimate)