Festival of lights
Diwali in Sweden 2026
Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Dates and venues checked against the organisers’ own pages on .
Diwali 2026 in Sweden is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The sun sets at 4:09 pm in Gothenburg. 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.
Sweden’s Diwali is the community’s own: the temples, the Indian associations and a few private organisers who rent halls in Stockholm and Gothenburg and announce a few weeks ahead. The Hindu Mandir Society’s temple in Helenelund, Sollentuna, opened in September 1998, listed Navratri (11 to 19 October) and its 28th anniversary (18 October) on its events page but no Diwali programme as of 23 October, and ISKCON’s temple in Gothenburg, at Karl Johansgatan 57, holds Sunday feasts and festivals; no ticketed Diwali event for 2026 in Stockholm or Gothenburg had turned up by 30 October.
Diwali is not a public holiday in Sweden: the Act on public holidays (SFS 1989:253) names only Sundays and a set of Christian, seasonal and national days, and 8 November 2026 is a Sunday. The police give 18 as the age limit for buying, holding and using fireworks, bangers (smällare) have been banned since 2002 except for trained users with a municipal permit, and each municipality can set rules on where and when fireworks may be let off, so homes are lit with diyas and candles.
Sunset on Diwali 2026 in Sweden
Sunday, 8 November 2026 · local time, worked out for each city centre
| City | Sunset |
|---|---|
| Gothenburg | 4:09 pm |
| Stockholm | 3:37 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 Sweden0 listed
Where to celebrate Diwali in Sweden, city by city
Diwali in Stockholm
Stockholm’s temple is the Hindu Mandir Society’s in Helenelund, Sollentuna (Åkervägen 1; open Sundays 11:00 to 16:00 and Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00), whose events page ran to Navratri and its 28th anniversary on 18 October 2026 without a Diwali entry when last read, on 23 October. Private organisers such as Ikon Events in Kista and Soul of India in Sollentuna ran ticketed Diwali parties in 2023, but none had listed one for 2026 by 30 October.
Diwali in Gothenburg
Gothenburg has ISKCON’s Hare Krishna Temple at Karl Johansgatan 57, which holds Sunday feasts, seminars and festivals, and India House, the Indian cultural centre on Lindholmen that opened in August 2023; Indian Women in Gothenburg has held Diwali evenings in recent years. We found no 2026 programme for any of them by 30 October.
New Indian events near Sweden, 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
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- Groups near youJoin the Indian community groups in your city — chat, plans and people who get it.
- Events near youEvery Diwali mela, festival 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.
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 Sweden
- 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 Sweden?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in Sweden, 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 Sweden?
- On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the sun sets at 4:09 pm in Gothenburg and 3:37 pm in Stockholm. 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 Sweden?
- Sweden’s Diwali is the community’s own: the temples, the Indian associations and a few private organisers who rent halls in Stockholm and Gothenburg and announce a few weeks ahead. The Hindu Mandir Society’s temple in Helenelund, Sollentuna, opened in September 1998, listed Navratri (11 to 19 October) and its 28th anniversary (18 October) on its events page but no Diwali programme as of 23 October, and ISKCON’s temple in Gothenburg, at Karl Johansgatan 57, holds Sunday feasts and festivals; no ticketed Diwali event for 2026 in Stockholm or Gothenburg had turned up by 30 October.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in Sweden?
- 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 Sweden?
- No. The Act on public holidays (SFS 1989:253) names Sundays, Christian holidays, May Day, National Day, Midsummer Day and All Saints’ Day, and no Hindu festival. Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the community’s events are on the weekends around it.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in Stockholm in 2026?
- The Hindu Mandir Society’s temple in Helenelund, Sollentuna, is the community’s centre; its website had no Diwali programme on 23 October and no ticketed Stockholm Diwali had turned up by 30 October, so check it and the Indian associations’ pages, as private organisers usually announce their ticketed parties a few weeks ahead.
- Where are the Hindu temples in Stockholm and Gothenburg?
- In Stockholm, the Helenelund Hindu Mandir at Åkervägen 1, Sollentuna, founded as a society in 1980 and opened as a temple in 1998. In Gothenburg, ISKCON’s Hare Krishna Temple at Karl Johansgatan 57; India House on Lindholmen is an Indian cultural centre rather than a temple.
- Can you set off fireworks for Diwali in Sweden?
- The age limit for buying, holding and using fireworks is 18, bangers (smällare) are banned except for trained users with a municipal permit, and each municipality can set rules on where and when fireworks may be let off; using them in a banned place or at a banned time is an offence under the Public Order Act. Light diyas and candles at home.
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.