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Festival of lights

Diwali in New Zealand 2026

Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026

Dates and venues checked against the organisers’ own pages on .

Diwali 2026 in New Zealand is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The biggest public celebrations are Northshore Diwali at Smales Farm on 23 October, Wellington’s free Diwali Festival of Lights at the TSB Arena on 25 October, the free BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival on Aotea Square, 31 October–1 November and the Dunedin Diwali Festival at the Edgar Centre on 1 November.

New Zealand’s Diwali is a pair of free city festivals in the fortnight before the day itself: Wellington’s Diwali Festival of Lights at the TSB Arena and Shed 6 on the waterfront (Sunday 25 October 2026, 2pm to 8.30pm, fireworks over the harbour at 8.50pm) and the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival on Aotea Square and Queen Street (Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, noon to 9pm) — then the suburbs: Northshore Diwali at Smales Farm (23 October), the Pakuranga and Botany libraries’ Diwali weeks, Dunedin’s Diwali Festival at the Edgar Centre (1 November), and the temples and associations on Diwali itself, Sunday 8 November.

Diwali is not a public holiday in New Zealand. Private fireworks are legal but may be sold only from 2 to 5 November each year, the Guy Fawkes window — which in 2026 falls in the week before Diwali, so a few sparklers at home are possible; the displays are the festivals’ own.

Diwali 2026 in New Zealand at a glance

DateWhatWhere
Friday, 23 OctoberNorthshore DiwaliSmales Farm, Takapuna, Auckland
Sunday, 25 OctoberWellington Diwali Festival of LightsTSB Arena and Shed 6, Queens Wharf, Wellington
31 October – 1 NovemberBNZ Auckland Diwali FestivalAotea Square and Queen Street, Auckland
Sunday, 1 NovemberDunedin Diwali FestivalEdgar Centre, Dunedin
Sunday, 8 NovemberDiwali itselfHomes, temples and community dinners across the country

Diwali 2026 dates

  1. Friday, 6 November

    Dhanteras

  2. Saturday, 7 November

    Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)

  3. Sunday, 8 November

    Diwali — Lakshmi Puja

  4. Monday, 9 November

    Govardhan Puja and Annakut

  5. Tuesday, 10 November

    Bhai Dooj

The biggest Diwali celebrations in New Zealand

BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival

When
Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, noon to 9pm
Where
Aotea Square and Queen Street, Auckland
Entry
Free

New Zealand’s largest Indian festival, in the city centre for a weekend: stages of dance and music, food and craft stalls down Queen Street, and the whole city invited.

Auckland Unlimited ↗

Wellington Diwali Festival of Lights

When
Sunday 25 October 2026, 2pm to 8.30pm; fireworks over the harbour at 8.50pm
Where
TSB Arena and Shed 6, Queens Wharf, Wellington
Entry
Free

The capital’s Diwali on the waterfront: South Asian dance and music, food, henna and craft stalls, then a short fireworks display over the harbour watched from Queens Wharf.

WellingtonNZ ↗

Northshore Diwali

When
Friday 23 October 2026
Where
Smales Farm, Takapuna, Auckland

The North Shore’s own festival of lights, on the Smales Farm campus.

Dunedin Diwali Festival

When
Sunday 1 November 2026
Where
Edgar Centre, Dunedin

The South Island’s Diwali, in Dunedin’s indoor sports centre: stage, stalls and food.

Diwali events in New Zealand10 listed

Diwali in Auckland →

Elsewhere in New Zealand

Where to celebrate Diwali in New Zealand, city by city

Diwali in Auckland

The BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival on Aotea Square (31 October–1 November) is the public one; Northshore Diwali at Smales Farm (23 October), the Diwali party at Wharfside on Quay Street (31 October) and the Pakuranga and Botany libraries’ Diwali weeks — cooking, toran-making, storytime and Bollywood, 22 October to 14 November — fill the fortnight.

Diwali in Wellington

The Diwali Festival of Lights at the TSB Arena and Shed 6 (Sunday 25 October, free), with fireworks over the harbour at 8.50pm, and the Wellington Indian Association’s Navratri garba at Bharat Bhavan in Kilbirnie the fortnight before (10 October).

New Indian events near New Zealand, by email

Once a week, and only when something new is on within 10 km of where you live — garba nights, Diwali melas, meetups, concerts. Free, and one click switches it off.

Diwali is better with people near you

The Namaste Community app finds everything around you in New Zealand and in every other country — free.

  • Groups near youJoin the Indian community groups in your city — chat, plans and people who get it.
  • Events near youEvery festival, garba night and meetup, ranked by distance, with RSVP and reminders.
  • Buy and sellSarees, kurtas, furniture, kitchen things — from people a few streets away.
  • Rent near youRooms and flats from the community, with the person behind the listing one tap away.
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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.

Diwali dates and how it is celebrated around the world →

If it is your first one in New Zealand

  • 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.

Previous Diwali events in New Zealand

Most of these return every year with the same organisers.

Questions people ask

When is Diwali 2026 in New Zealand?
Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in New Zealand, so the community celebrates on the weekends around it — 10 events are listed on this page, each with its own date.
Where can I celebrate Diwali in New Zealand?
New Zealand’s Diwali is a pair of free city festivals in the fortnight before the day itself: Wellington’s Diwali Festival of Lights at the TSB Arena and Shed 6 on the waterfront (Sunday 25 October 2026, 2pm to 8.30pm, fireworks over the harbour at 8.50pm) and the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival on Aotea Square and Queen Street (Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, noon to 9pm) — then the suburbs: Northshore Diwali at Smales Farm (23 October), the Pakuranga and Botany libraries’ Diwali weeks, Dunedin’s Diwali Festival at the Edgar Centre (1 November), and the temples and associations on Diwali itself, Sunday 8 November. This year’s listings so far are in Auckland.
Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in New Zealand?
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 New Zealand?
No. In 2026 Diwali itself is Sunday 8 November; the Wellington festival is the Sunday a fortnight before (25 October) and Auckland’s the weekend of 31 October–1 November.
When is the Auckland Diwali Festival 2026?
Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, noon to 9pm, on Aotea Square and Queen Street. Entry is free.
Can you set off fireworks for Diwali in New Zealand?
Private fireworks are legal, but shops may sell them only from 2 to 5 November each year — the Guy Fawkes window, which in 2026 falls in the week before Diwali — so a few at home are possible; the big displays are the festivals’ own, Wellington’s at 8.50pm on 25 October.

More festivals in New Zealand

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 hello@namaste.community for a listing invite.