Festival of lights
Diwali in Tanzania 2026
Diwali 2026: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Dates and venues checked against the organisers’ own pages on .
Diwali 2026 in Tanzania is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The sun sets at 6:18 pm in Dar es Salaam. 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.
Diwali in Tanzania is kept by the Hindu community of Dar es Salaam and a few other towns, above all in the temples. In Dar es Salaam the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir on Kisutu Street was rebuilt as a ten-storey mandir and consecrated in December 2024, and the Shree Swaminarayan temple stands on Morogoro Road; the city also has a Sanatan Dharma Sabha temple, an ISKCON centre and Shree Hindu Mandal, which dates its start to a dispensary opened in 1919, which runs a hospital. In Zanzibar the Shree Shiv Shakti temple in Stone Town is the Hindu community’s centre. Diwali 2026 is Sunday 8 November, a weekend day, with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November and the Lakshmi Puja in the evening; by 30 October we had found no 2026 programme from the temples, and the High Commission of India’s website listed no Diwali event when last checked, on 23 October.
Diwali is not a public holiday in Tanzania: it is not among the days in the schedule of the Public Holidays Act, which the President may add to by proclamation. Fireworks need official permission. On 31 December 2025 the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila, told residents not to set them off without authorisation from the relevant authorities, as the government barred fireworks and tyre-burning for that New Year; no Diwali-specific notice turned up, so homes and temples are lit with diyas and lamps.
Sunset on Diwali 2026 in Tanzania
Sunday, 8 November 2026 · local time, worked out for each city centre
| City | Sunset |
|---|---|
| Dar es Salaam | 6:18 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 Tanzania0 listed
Where to celebrate Diwali in Tanzania, city by city
Diwali in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam’s Diwali is the temples’: the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in the city centre, the Shree Swaminarayan temple on Morogoro Road, the Sanatan Dharma Sabha temple and the ISKCON centre usually keep the Lakshmi Puja on Diwali evening, Sunday 8 November, each at its own hour. Shree Hindu Mandal, which dates its start to a dispensary opened in 1919, runs a hospital in the city. No temple or association had published a 2026 programme by 30 October that we could find, and the High Commission of India’s website listed no Diwali event when last checked, on 23 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 Tanzania
- 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 Tanzania?
- Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. It is not a public holiday in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania?
- On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the sun sets at 6:18 pm in Dar es Salaam. 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 Tanzania?
- Diwali in Tanzania is kept by the Hindu community of Dar es Salaam and a few other towns, above all in the temples. In Dar es Salaam the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir on Kisutu Street was rebuilt as a ten-storey mandir and consecrated in December 2024, and the Shree Swaminarayan temple stands on Morogoro Road; the city also has a Sanatan Dharma Sabha temple, an ISKCON centre and Shree Hindu Mandal, which dates its start to a dispensary opened in 1919, which runs a hospital. In Zanzibar the Shree Shiv Shakti temple in Stone Town is the Hindu community’s centre. Diwali 2026 is Sunday 8 November, a weekend day, with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November and the Lakshmi Puja in the evening; by 30 October we had found no 2026 programme from the temples, and the High Commission of India’s website listed no Diwali event when last checked, on 23 October.
- Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in Tanzania?
- 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 Tanzania?
- No. Diwali is not among the days in the schedule of the Public Holidays Act (Cap. 35), which the President may add to by proclamation, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November, a weekend day.
- Is there a Diwali festival in Dar es Salaam in 2026?
- No public programme had been announced by 30 October in the places we could check (the High Commission of India’s website listed none when last checked, on 23 October). Diwali is kept in the temples and at home, so ask the Swaminarayan, Sanatan Dharma Sabha and ISKCON temples in Dar es Salaam before you go. Diwali itself is Sunday 8 November, with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November.
- Can I let off fireworks for Diwali in Tanzania?
- Only with permission. On 31 December 2025 the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner told residents not to set off fireworks without authorisation from the relevant authorities, as the government barred fireworks and tyre-burning for that New Year. We found no Diwali-specific rule or notice, so ask the police before buying any.
- What date is Diwali in Tanzania in 2026?
- Sunday 8 November 2026, the day of Lakshmi Puja. Dhanteras is Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja and Annakut Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj Tuesday 10 November. Temples set their own hours, so check with yours.
- Where can I celebrate Diwali in Dar es Salaam?
- At the Hindu temples and at home: the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the Shree Swaminarayan temple on Morogoro Road, the Sanatan Dharma Sabha temple and the ISKCON centre. Each sets its own times for the Lakshmi Puja and, at the Swaminarayan mandirs, for the Annakut on the day after.
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