Festival of lights
Diwali in Bahrain 2026
Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Dates and venues checked against the organisers’ own pages on .
Diwali 2026 in Bahrain is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The sun sets at 4:51 pm in Manama. Lakshmi Puja is performed in the evening after sunset, in the pradosh period — roughly the first two and a half hours after it; the lamps are lit as it gets dark.
Bahrain’s Diwali centres on the Shrinathji Temple in the Manama Souq, built in 1817 by the Thattai Bhatia community from Sindh and run by the Thattai Hindu community; its surroundings are lit with diyas, candles and lanterns around Diwali. The festival is also kept in the Indian schools, where Bahrain Indian School has held Diwali programmes with assemblies, lanterns and diyas, dance and song, and at the community’s receptions: in 2025 a representative of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, ministers and the Indian ambassador attended one.
Diwali is not a public holiday in Bahrain, and Sunday 8 November is a working day, so the puja is in the evening after work and the family gatherings fall on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November. Fireworks are a controlled item in Bahrain: the Ministry of Interior is the responsible authority and lighting them without a permit is punishable, so the night is lit with lamps.
Sunset on Diwali 2026 in Bahrain
Sunday, 8 November 2026 · local time, worked out for each city centre
| City | Sunset |
|---|---|
| Manama | 4:51 pm |
Diwali 2026 dates
Friday, 6 November
Dhanteras
Saturday, 7 November
Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)
Sunday, 8 November
Diwali — Lakshmi Puja
Monday, 9 November
Govardhan Puja and Annakut
Tuesday, 10 November
Bhai Dooj
Diwali events in Bahrain0 listed
Where to celebrate Diwali in Bahrain, city by city
Diwali in Manama
Manama’s Diwali is kept at the Shrinathji Temple in the Souq, built in 1817 and run by the Thattai Hindu community, whose surroundings are lit with diyas, candles and lanterns around the festival. Diwali itself is Sunday 8 November, a working day in Bahrain, so the puja is in the evening; the Embassy of India lists the day among its 2026 holidays, and no programme for 2026 from the temple or the embassy had been found by 30 October.
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What Diwali is
The biggest night of the Indian year: lamps, sweets, new clothes and fireworks. Abroad it is celebrated over the surrounding weekends, with one large public event in most big cities.
Diwali marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya and the victory of light over darkness; for many families it is also the day of Lakshmi Puja and the start of a new business year. Homes are cleaned and lit with diyas, sweets are exchanged, and the evening ends with fireworks.
If it is your first one in Bahrain
- Book restaurant tables two weeks ahead — the Diwali weekend fills every Indian restaurant in town.
- Check local fireworks rules before buying any; most European towns restrict them to New Year.
- Sweets (mithai) can be ordered from Indian grocers a week ahead; many deliver nationwide.
- The big city events sell tickets in advance and sell out; children under a certain age are usually free.
Questions people ask
- When is Diwali 2026 in Bahrain?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in Bahrain, so the community celebrates on the weekends around it — events are listed on this page as organisers post them, usually four to six weeks ahead.
- What time is sunset on Diwali 2026 in Bahrain?
- On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the sun sets at 4:51 pm in Manama. The times are worked out for each city centre with a flat horizon, as every published table gives them; behind buildings or hills it appears a few minutes later. Lakshmi Puja is performed in the evening after sunset, in the pradosh period — roughly the first two and a half hours after it; the lamps are lit as it gets dark.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in Bahrain?
- Bahrain’s Diwali centres on the Shrinathji Temple in the Manama Souq, built in 1817 by the Thattai Bhatia community from Sindh and run by the Thattai Hindu community; its surroundings are lit with diyas, candles and lanterns around Diwali. The festival is also kept in the Indian schools, where Bahrain Indian School has held Diwali programmes with assemblies, lanterns and diyas, dance and song, and at the community’s receptions: in 2025 a representative of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, ministers and the Indian ambassador attended one.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in Bahrain?
- Yes. Almost every community event is open to everyone and runs in English; temple and gurdwara celebrations welcome visitors too — dress modestly, and cover your head in a gurdwara.
- Is Diwali a public holiday in Bahrain?
- No. Diwali is not a public holiday in Bahrain, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November, a working day (the weekend is Friday and Saturday), so the family gatherings fall on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November and the puja is in the evening.
- Is there a Hindu temple in Bahrain?
- Yes. The Shrinathji Temple in the Manama Souq was built in 1817 by the Thattai Bhatia community from Sindh, and in 2019 India’s prime minister launched a renovation plan for it. Diwali is among the festivals it keeps.
- Can I light fireworks for Diwali in Bahrain?
- Not without a permit. Fireworks are a controlled item in Bahrain: the Ministry of Interior is the responsible authority, and Gulf Today reported in 2021 that lighting them without a permit is punishable. Light diyas and candles at home.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in Bahrain?
- At the Shrinathji Temple, at home, in the Indian schools, where Bahrain Indian School has held Diwali programmes with assemblies, diyas, dance and song, and at the community’s receptions: in 2025 a representative of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, ministers and the Indian ambassador attended one.
Organising something?
Post it from the app under Events, wherever you are. It is free, a moderator checks it, and it appears here and to every member nearby. Running several a year? Email [email protected] for a listing invite.