Festival of lights
Diwali in Oman 2026
Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Dates and venues checked against the organisers’ own pages on .
Diwali 2026 in Oman is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The sun sets at 5:23 pm in Muscat. 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.
Muscat has two Hindu temples, both kept by the Indian merchant community that has lived in Oman for generations: the Motishwar Mahadev Temple complex in Muttrah, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Gulf, and the Shri Krishna Temple in Darsait, founded in the 1980s. Both keep Diwali, and have held the Lakshmi Puja on the festival evening in past years. Diwali 2026 is Sunday 8 November, a working day in Oman, so the temples are busiest after office hours.
Diwali is not a public holiday in Oman. Shops and malls fill in the fortnight before, as they did in 2025 according to Oman Observer, and families wear new clothes, visit the temples and exchange gifts. Fireworks are contraband under the GCC Common Customs Law, and the Royal Oman Police warned in 2018 that selling them can bring up to three years in prison and a fine of up to OMR 3,000, so homes are lit with lamps.
Sunset on Diwali 2026 in Oman
Sunday, 8 November 2026 · local time, worked out for each city centre
| City | Sunset |
|---|---|
| Muscat | 5:23 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 Oman0 listed
Where to celebrate Diwali in Oman, city by city
Diwali in Muscat
Muscat’s Diwali is kept at its two Hindu temples, the Motishwar Mahadev Temple complex in Muttrah and the Shri Krishna Temple in Darsait, both of which have held the Lakshmi Puja on the festival evening in past years. Diwali itself is Sunday 8 November, a working day in Oman, so the temples are busiest after office hours; the programme for 2026 had not been published by 22 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 Oman
- 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 Oman?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in Oman, 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 Oman?
- On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the sun sets at 5:23 pm in Muscat. 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 Oman?
- Muscat has two Hindu temples, both kept by the Indian merchant community that has lived in Oman for generations: the Motishwar Mahadev Temple complex in Muttrah, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Gulf, and the Shri Krishna Temple in Darsait, founded in the 1980s. Both keep Diwali, and have held the Lakshmi Puja on the festival evening in past years. Diwali 2026 is Sunday 8 November, a working day in Oman, so the temples are busiest after office hours.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in Oman?
- 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 Oman?
- No. Diwali is not a public holiday in Oman, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November, a working day (the weekend is Friday and Saturday). Dhanteras is Friday 6 November, so the family gatherings fall on the weekend before the puja.
- Which Hindu temples are in Muscat?
- Two: the Motishwar Mahadev Temple complex in Muttrah, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Gulf, and the Shri Krishna Temple in Darsait, founded in the 1980s. Both were built and are kept by Oman’s Indian merchant community.
- Can I light fireworks for Diwali in Oman?
- Not for private use. Fireworks are contraband under the GCC Common Customs Law, and the Royal Oman Police warned in 2018 that selling them can bring up to three years in prison and a fine of up to OMR 3,000; repeat offences are punished more heavily. Light diyas and candles at home.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in Muscat?
- At the two temples, in homes, and in the programmes of the Indian community’s associations. Oman Observer reported in 2025 that malls and shops were busy for two weeks beforehand; no public programme for 2026 had been found by 22 October.
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.