Guides Diwali 2026 Tue 20 October to Tue 10 November Updated 25 Sep 2026
Trafalgar Square confirmed with City Hall on 8 September 2026. The temple programmes are not out yet and go in here the day they land.
Diwali in London 2026: Trafalgar Square, the temples and the fireworks
Diwali on the Square is Sunday 25 October, free. Diwali itself is 8 November. The temples to visit, and which firework displays are Diwali ones.
Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November, and London’s big public celebration comes two weeks before it: Diwali on the Square in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 25 October, from one until seven, free and unticketed. It is the largest Diwali celebration outside India and it is a good afternoon whether or not the festival is yours. The festival itself runs over five days, from Friday 6 to Tuesday 10 November, with Diwali on the Sunday. That is worth knowing this year: when Diwali falls midweek the temple programmes and the public ones pull against each other, and in 2026 they do not. Trafalgar Square is still a fortnight earlier, because City Hall books the Square rather than the calendar.
Trafalgar Square
A main stage of music and dance from London’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, workshops in sari and turban tying, yoga and meditation sessions, puppet shows for children, and a market with vegetarian and vegan food stalls that are the reason many people come. It fills from about two; arrive at one for the space and stay for the lamps at dusk.
The temples
The Neasden temple is the one to visit on Diwali itself and on the New Year’s Day that follows it: the annakut display of food, the lamps, and the building, which is worth the Jubilee line on any day. Visitors are welcome; dress modestly, take your shoes off, and expect a queue on the day. The annakut and the new year fall on the day or two after Diwali, and which of the two it is depends on when the tithi turns, so the temples publish their own timings rather than a fixed date and we wait for them rather than pick one. The temples in Southall and Wembley run their own programmes through the week and Southall Broadway is lit for the fortnight.
Fireworks
Diwali and Bonfire Night run into each other every year and several of the borough displays in the first week of November are Diwali displays as well. They are listed on the Bonfire Night guide with the night each one is on.
Our rule for this page
The Trafalgar Square date is published by City Hall in the summer and the temple programmes in October. This page carries them the day they land. Trafalgar Square was checked against City Hall on 8 September 2026 and is confirmed to the hour. The temple programmes were not published on that date.
Diwali: what is on
Tue 20 October to Tue 10 NovemberSunday
25 October-
Pick Seasonal Free
Diwali on the Square
The largest Diwali celebration outside India, one until seven in Trafalgar Square. Free and unticketed. It fills from about two, so come at one for the space and stay for the lamps at dusk.
Friday
6 November-
Seasonal Free
Diwali at Neasden Temple
Until 10 Nov
Diwali and the annakut at the Neasden temple, over the five days of the festival. Free to enter. The temple sets its own hours for these days and had not published them when we checked.
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What is on right now
All 2170 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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Questions people ask
When is Diwali 2026?
Sunday 8 November 2026.
When is Diwali on the Square?
Sunday 25 October 2026, one until seven, in Trafalgar Square. Free and no booking.
Can visitors go to the Neasden temple at Diwali?
Yes. Dress modestly, remove your shoes, and expect a queue on Diwali and on the New Year's Day after it.
Are there Diwali fireworks?
Several borough displays in the first week of November are Diwali displays as well as Bonfire Night ones. They are listed on the Bonfire Night guide.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.