Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 in Bothell: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate

TL;DR 🐘

• Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 begins September 14 and runs ten days, concluding with Ganesh Visarjan on September 23
• The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Bothell is the spiritual anchor for the Eastside Hindu community
• The Redmond Ganesh Festival at Marymoor Park runs September 18 through 20, free admission, drawing tens of thousands of visitors
• Beats of Redmond Mitra Mandal has organized the festival since 2019 and runs year-round community percussion programs
• Confirm hours before you go and check Bothell's Desi scene for updated event listings

About the Festival 🕉️

Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha -- the deity of new beginnings, wisdom, and the removal of obstacles -- and is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the Hindu calendar. The 2026 festival begins on Monday, September 14, the fourth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada, and runs for ten days until Ganesh Visarjan on September 23.

The observance combines devotional ritual with public celebration. At temples and household shrines, priests perform the ritual installation of the Ganesha idol, followed by daily abhishekam, aarti, and the offering of modak -- the sweet most associated with Ganesha. The tenth day culminates in Visarjan, the ceremonial immersion of the idol in water, understood as Ganesha's return to his cosmic abode until the following year.

In the diaspora, the festival has taken on an additional dimension as a community gathering that pulls together South Asian families who might otherwise see each other only at private occasions. The Seattle Eastside, with its large Indian tech workforce and established Hindu community infrastructure, has developed some of the most organized Ganesh Chaturthi programming in the Pacific Northwest. Bothell sits at the north end of that corridor, with Redmond, Bellevue, and Kirkland filling in below it.

Hindu Temple and Cultural Center -- Bothell 🛕

The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (HTCC) in Bothell is the primary spiritual center for the Eastside Hindu community and the first point of contact for anyone seeking a traditional temple observance. The community traces its roots to the 1980s, when area Hindus held satsang in homes while raising funds and building toward a permanent center. The site was deliberately chosen for access to Interstate 405, reflecting an expectation -- borne out by decades of growth -- that the community would draw worshippers from Bellingham to Portland.

In 2014, the temple installed a formally consecrated deity, becoming the first such consecrated Hindu shrine in the Pacific Northwest. The Indian American population in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties nearly tripled between 2000 and 2012, and the temple's growth tracks that expansion closely.

For Ganesh Chaturthi 2026, the temple's programming will likely include a Ganesh Homam, daily Abhishekam, evening aarti across the ten-day festival, and a Ganesh Visarjan ceremony on September 23. Confirm the specific schedule directly with HTCC at htccwa.org, as the 2026 calendar is published closer to the festival dates.

Insider Tip: HTCC is a working temple that depends on community volunteers for its programs. Arriving a few minutes early on the first day of Chaturthi gives you a chance to connect with regulars, understand the puja sequence, and participate more fully rather than just observing.

The Redmond Ganesh Festival 🎆

The Redmond Ganesh Festival, organized by Beats of Redmond Mitra Mandal, is one of the largest public South Asian cultural events in Washington state. The festival has drawn approximately 20,000 attendees in recent years, centered on a 15-foot Ganesha idol with a full procession, daily aarti, and a prayer program that mirrors the traditional Maharashtrian observance at a public scale.

The 2026 festival is listed at Marymoor Park in Redmond across three days:

• Friday, September 18: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, September 19: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, September 20: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission is listed as free. The program includes morning and evening aarti, cultural performances by classical and folk dance groups, a shopping bazaar with artisan vendors, and a wide spread of Indian and South Asian food stalls. Beats of Redmond also runs a Dhol Tasha percussion program -- summer workshops that culminate in a live performance at the festival -- adding a layer of community-built participation to the event.

The festival has been running since 2019 and has become one of the anchor events of the Eastside South Asian calendar. Note that a Bellevue city listing also references a WA Ganesh Festival at Crossroads Community Park associated with Beats of Redmond, so confirm the venue before going.

Confirm hours before you go and check Bothell's Desi scene for any updates as September approaches.

Ganesh Visarjan: Closing the Festival

The festival concludes on September 23 with Ganesh Visarjan -- the ceremonial immersion of the idol. In traditional practice, the clay image is carried in a procession to a body of water and immersed, completing the arc of the festival and sending Ganesha back to his home until next year.

In the Seattle area, community groups coordinate immersion events at local lakes or designated water sites. HTCC and the Redmond Ganesh Festival organizers typically announce the specific Visarjan arrangements in the days before September 23. Follow their communication channels and check Bothell's Desi scene for location updates.

FAQ

When does Ganesh Chaturthi start in 2026? Monday, September 14, 2026. The ten-day festival ends with Ganesh Visarjan on September 23.

Is the Redmond Ganesh Festival free to attend? The 2026 listing shows free admission. Confirm closer to the event date, as details can change.

Does HTCC Bothell require advance registration for Ganesh Chaturthi? Most temple programs do not require advance registration, but specific activities may have limited capacity. Check htccwa.org closer to September 14 for the full schedule.

Is the Redmond Ganesh Festival good for young children? The festival is family-friendly and draws visitors of all ages. Daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday tend to be the most comfortable for families with small children, before evening crowds build.

How does Bothell's Hindu community compare to other Eastside cities? Bothell anchors the Snohomish County side of the Eastside corridor while Redmond and Bellevue cover King County. The communities are interconnected, and many families move between all three for major festivals. The Indian American population in the region grew dramatically through the 2010s and 2020s alongside the expansion of the tech sector.

Bottom Line 🙏

Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 gives the Bothell and Eastside community a full ten days of celebration. The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Bothell provides the traditional spiritual observance, from the opening Homam on September 14 through the Visarjan on September 23. The Redmond Ganesh Festival at Marymoor Park -- organized by Beats of Redmond Mitra Mandal across September 18 through 20 -- brings the public celebration to a scale that reflects just how large and rooted the Eastside South Asian community has become. Confirm hours before you go and keep Bothell's Desi scene bookmarked for the latest details.