Festival of lights
Diwali in France 2026
Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Diwali 2026 in France is on Sunday, 8 November 2026.
France’s Diwali is Paris’s and the Tamil community’s: Deepavali in La Chapelle, the Little India by the Gare du Nord, with the Sri Manicka Vinayakar temple on the rue Pajol and the shops of the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis lit for the fortnight; the Indian associations’ Diwali evenings and Bollywood nights across the city and in La Défense; and the student societies’ dinners in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Grenoble. The largest French Diwali is far from the mainland — Dipavali in Saint-André on Réunion, where the island’s Tamil community parades through the town — and Mauritius, a short hop further, keeps it as a public holiday. Diwali itself, Sunday 8 November 2026, is a working day in France, so the celebrations fall on the weekends either side; consumer fireworks need a permit, so the lights are diyas and candles.
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 France0 listed
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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 France
- 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 France?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in France, 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.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in France?
- France’s Diwali is Paris’s and the Tamil community’s: Deepavali in La Chapelle, the Little India by the Gare du Nord, with the Sri Manicka Vinayakar temple on the rue Pajol and the shops of the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis lit for the fortnight; the Indian associations’ Diwali evenings and Bollywood nights across the city and in La Défense; and the student societies’ dinners in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Grenoble. The largest French Diwali is far from the mainland — Dipavali in Saint-André on Réunion, where the island’s Tamil community parades through the town — and Mauritius, a short hop further, keeps it as a public holiday. Diwali itself, Sunday 8 November 2026, is a working day in France, so the celebrations fall on the weekends either side; consumer fireworks need a permit, so the lights are diyas and candles.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in France?
- 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.
More festivals in France
Organising something?
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