- When is Diwali 2026 in Italy?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in Italy, so the community celebrates on the weekends around it — 13 events are listed on this page, each with its own date.
- What time is sunset on Diwali 2026 in Italy?
- On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the sun sets at 5:01 pm in Milan, 4:56 pm in Rome and 4:56 pm in Brescia. 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 Italy?
- Italy’s Diwali is mostly the Unione Induista Italiana’s (UII) Dipavali programme, a run of free, registration-only days in several cities every autumn. In 2026 it is in Turin (Sunday 25 October at the Polo del ’900, and Thursday 29 October), Pontedera (Saturday 7 November), Milan (Thursday 12 November at the Teatro Bruno Munari) and Rome (Sunday 15 November at the Auditorium del Massimo), with Lakshmi puja, Indian classical dance and music, workshops and food. The Punjabi Sikh communities of the farm and dairy towns of Lombardy, Emilia and the Latina plain usually keep the same night at their gurdwaras as Bandi Chhor Divas, Sunday 8 November, each with its own programme. This year’s listings so far are in Milan, Rome.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in Italy?
- 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 Italy?
- No. Diwali is not among Italy’s national holidays, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November. Under article 25 of law 246/2012, members of the bodies the Unione Induista Italiana represents may ask to observe Dipavali, within the flexibility of work organisation and subject to essential services; it is a right to ask, not a day off. The Interior Ministry published the 2026 date in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of 5 December 2025.
- When is Diwali in Milan and Rome in 2026?
- The Unione Induista Italiana holds Milan’s on Thursday 12 November at the Teatro Bruno Munari (Via Giovanni Bovio 5) and Rome’s on Sunday 15 November at the Auditorium del Massimo (Via Massimiliano Massimo 1). Both are free, with registration; access to single activities depends on space. Diwali itself is Sunday 8 November.
- Are the Unione Induista Italiana’s Diwali events open to everyone?
- Yes. The union describes its Diwali days as open to all, free of charge with registration, which is done through the links on its Diwali page (induismo.it/diwali). Registration gives access to the venue, not a place at every workshop or show, which fill in order of arrival.
- Can you set off fireworks for Diwali in Italy?
- Only CE-marked consumer fireworks, within the rules the Polizia di Stato sets out: F1 may not be sold to under-14s, F2 only to over-18s with valid ID, and F3 only to holders of a gun licence or the Questore’s clearance. A comune can add its own bans, so check its ordinance before buying.
- Where do Sikhs in Italy celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas?
- At the gurdwaras, on Diwali night, which is Sunday 8 November 2026 in the calendars we checked. Brescia has gurdwaras at Flero, Castenedolo and in the city, and the Po valley towns and the Latina plain have others; each sets its own programme, so ask yours.
