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Festival of lights

Diwali in the UK 2027

Diwali 2027: Friday, 29 October 2027

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

Diwali 2027 in the UK is on Friday, 29 October 2027. The sun sets at 5:39 pm in London. 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. The biggest public celebrations are the City of Wolverhampton’s Diwali at Phoenix Park on 10 October, Diwali on the Square on 25 October, Leicester’s Diwali Day on 8 November and Annakut at Neasden Temple.

The UK keeps the largest Diwali in Europe. The Mayor of London’s Diwali on the Square fills Trafalgar Square — on Sunday 25 October in 2026, free, no booking — and Leicester, whose Belgrave Road is one of the best-known Diwali streets outside India, holds its Diwali Day on Sunday 8 November 2026 at Cossington Recreation Ground, with the Belgrave Road lights switched on two weeks before.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden draws crowds on Diwali and for Annakut, the Hindu New Year, the day after. Wembley, Harrow, Southall and Birmingham’s Soho Road fill with people buying sweets and new clothes, and every gurdwara keeps Bandi Chhor Divas the same night. Fireworks are legal on Diwali night: the usual 11pm curfew is extended to 1am, and licensed shops may sell them for the three days before.

Sunset on Diwali 2027 in the UK

Friday, 29 October 2027 · local time, worked out for each city centre

CitySunset
Belfast5:54 pm
Birmingham5:44 pm
Bournemouth5:48 pm
Brighton5:41 pm
Bristol5:49 pm
Coventry5:42 pm
Edinburgh5:39 pm
Glasgow5:44 pm
Leeds5:39 pm
Leicester5:40 pm
London5:39 pm
Manchester5:42 pm
Milton Keynes5:40 pm
Newcastle upon Tyne5:36 pm
Nottingham5:39 pm
Oxford5:43 pm
Reading5:43 pm
Slough5:41 pm
Wolverhampton5:44 pm

Diwali 2027 in the UK at a glance

DateWhatWhere
Saturday, 10 OctoberWolverhampton DiwaliPhoenix Park, off Dudley Road, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton
Sunday, 25 OctoberDiwali on the SquareTrafalgar Square, London
Sunday, 8 NovemberLeicester Diwali DayCossington Recreation Ground and Belgrave Road, Leicester
8–9 NovemberDiwali and Annakut at Neasden TempleBAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, London
Friday, 29 OctoberDiwali itselfHomes, temples and community dinners across the country

The biggest Diwali celebrations in the UK

Diwali on the Square

When
Sunday 25 October 2026, 1pm to 7pm
Where
Trafalgar Square, London
Entry
Free, no booking

The Mayor of London’s annual Diwali: music and dance on the main stage, family activities, market stalls and food from Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities.

Greater London Authority ↗

Leicester Diwali Day

When
Sunday 8 November 2026; the Belgrave Road lights go on two weeks before
Where
Cossington Recreation Ground and Belgrave Road, Leicester

One of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India: stage performances, food stalls, crafts and a children’s funfair in the park, the Wheel of Light on Belgrave Road and rangoli at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre. There is no public fireworks display in 2026.

Leicester City Council ↗

Diwali and Annakut at Neasden Temple

When
Diwali, Sunday 8 November, and Annakut (Hindu New Year), Monday 9 November 2026
Where
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, London

Thousands visit the mandir for Diwali and for Annakut the next day, when hundreds of vegetarian dishes are offered before the deities.

Wolverhampton Diwali

When
Saturday 10 October 2026, 4pm to 8.30pm; lights switch-on at 8pm, then fireworks
Where
Phoenix Park, off Dudley Road, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton
Entry
Free

The council’s free Diwali event, hosted by the Shree Krishan Mandir with the Indian Multicultural Society, the Gurdwara Sikh Council and the Gujarati Association as supporters: entertainment through the afternoon, the lights switched on at 8pm and a fireworks display. Capacity was 9,000, first come first served.

City of Wolverhampton Council ↗

Diwali events in the UK44 listed

Diwali in London →

Diwali in Bristol →

Diwali in Birmingham →

Diwali in Leicester →

Diwali in Belfast →

Diwali in Edinburgh →

Diwali in Wolverhampton →

Diwali in Newcastle upon Tyne →

Diwali in Glasgow →

Diwali in Reading →

Elsewhere in the United Kingdom

Where to celebrate Diwali in the UK, city by city

Diwali in London

Diwali on the Square (25 October 2026) is the big free event; on the Diwali weekend Neasden, Wembley, Harrow, East Ham, Southall and Hounslow are where the community shops, eats and celebrates. The UK’s largest share of the listings above is in London.

Diwali in Leicester

Leicester’s Diwali Day is on Sunday 8 November 2026 at Cossington Recreation Ground, with the lights and the Wheel of Light on Belgrave Road — the Golden Mile — from late October.

Diwali in Birmingham

Soho Road in Handsworth and the mandirs and gurdwaras of Smethwick and Handsworth are the centre of Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas in the West Midlands.

Diwali in Manchester, Leeds and Bradford

The temples and community centres hold Diwali melas and dinners on the weekends around the date; university Indian societies run their own Diwali nights.

Diwali in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Diwali, the free celebration that opens the city’s winter festivals, is on Sunday 15 November: a parade through the New Town to the Ross Bandstand in West Princes Street Gardens, then an afternoon and evening of music and dance. Earlier, on Saturday 7 November at 5pm, Sahara Studio hosts a Diwali concert of Indian classical music.

Diwali in Bristol

The South Gloucestershire Race Equality Network’s Light The Way: Culture, Community & Climate, a family celebration inspired by Diwali, is at The Centre in Longwell Green on Sunday 15 November from 11am to 4pm.

Diwali in Slough

The Slough Diwali Shopping Festival, organised by the EEL Association, fills Slough & Langley College’s Langley campus on Sunday 1 November from 11am to 6pm with stalls for fashion, jewellery and sweets, Indian street food, live music and henna; entry and parking are free.

Diwali in Reading

Art Celebration’s Reading Diwali Mela is at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre in Earley on Saturday 31 October, 6pm to 10pm, with a Bollywood DJ, dhol and live singing, cultural dances, a fashion show, diya painting, rangoli, a Ramayan storytelling session and quiz, and food stalls. Crosfields School hosts a Mehendi Mela on Wednesday 28 October at 6.30pm.

Diwali in Oxford

Hindu Mandal Oxford’s Diwali Dinner and Dance is on Saturday 21 November, 6.30pm to 10.30pm, at Sandhills Community Primary School (OX3 8FN), with ticket prices stepping up in three windows; the early-bird window closes on 15 November.

Diwali in Milton Keynes

Mindfulness Inspired Art’s Diwali 2026 — Autumn Light is a family festival at Silver Lotus in Broughton on Sunday 25 October, 12pm to 4.30pm, with a free Garba workshop, Diwali crafts, food, gift stalls and a raffle; parking is free. The organiser says last year’s edition drew about 450 people.

Diwali in Newcastle upon Tyne

Hindu Temple Newcastle’s Diwali Fireworks Festival 2026 is at Westgate Community College on West Road on Saturday 14 November, 4pm to 8pm: a fireworks show, street-food stalls, a bazaar, a funfair, music, dance and drama, and a children’s lantern-making session and parade. Entry is by donation of your choice, and parking is free.

Diwali in Belfast

BAPS Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal Belfast holds a free Diwali & Annakut Celebration at the Indian Community Centre on Clifton Street on Saturday 14 November, 11.30am to 2.30pm, with hundreds of vegetarian dishes in the Annakut and a free vegetarian meal; the organisers ask guests to register online beforehand. ImageNation NI’s Belfast Diwali 2026 — One Light Many Cultures is at Belfast City Hall on Saturday 28 November, 6pm to 11pm, with a three-course Indian meal, performances and Eternal Dhol.

Diwali in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton’s Diwali is the City of Wolverhampton’s free event at Phoenix Park in Blakenhall, hosted by the Shree Krishan Mandir: in 2026 it was held on Saturday 10 October, 4pm to 8.30pm, with the lights switched on at 8pm and fireworks after, as the council announced on 25 September. Still ahead are Genting Casino Wolverhampton’s free-entry Diwali Celebration on Friday 6 November from 8pm (an Indian buffet, live Bollywood and Bhangra, a DJ and a midnight prize draw; over-18s only) and The Mother India on Tettenhall Road, whose Bollywood Diwali Night with live music and a three-course dinner is the same Friday from 7pm (£30 a head). The National Trust’s Wightwick Manor dresses the house in Indian textiles for Diwali from 24 October to 8 November, with live music and a ticketed storytelling evening by Peter Chand at the end of October.

Diwali in Coventry

Coventry’s Diwali has centred on Foleshill, where the Sanatan Dharm Hindu Temple stands on Mason Road and the Carnival of Lights procession of 2019 ran along Foleshill Road to Broadgate. No 2026 date for a lights event or for the temple’s or the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha’s Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas programmes had turned up by 30 October; the one dated listing is Ilaka Events’ Diwali Party at Mi Amor Lounge, 1 Tower Street, on Thursday 5 November from 8pm, with tickets at about £6 to £7 and students welcome.

Diwali in Nottingham

Nottingham’s Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre on Carlton Road, BAPS’s mandir on Palm Street in New Basford and the Raja Sahib gurdwara on Mansfield Road had no 2026 Diwali programme that we could find by 30 October; BAPS held its Diwali and Annakut celebration in November in 2023 and 2024. The ticketed events are Diwali Dhamaka at The Big Shed on Meadow Lane on Friday 6 November, 6pm to 11pm (over-18s; presented by Illuminight Events with Merak Events and the NTU Indian Society), and the University of Nottingham’s sport team’s Diwali badminton tournament at the Jubilee Sports Centre on Saturday 7 November, 3pm to 6pm, with Indian sweets for every player.

New Indian events near the UK, 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 the UK 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 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.
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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 the UK

  • 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 the UK

Most of these return every year with the same organisers.

Questions people ask

When is Diwali 2027 in the UK?
Diwali 2027 falls on Friday, 29 October 2027. It is not a public holiday in the United Kingdom, so the community celebrates on the weekends around it — 44 events are listed on this page, each with its own date.
What time is sunset on Diwali 2027 in the UK?
On Friday, 29 October 2027, the sun sets at 5:39 pm in London, 5:49 pm in Bristol, 5:44 pm in Birmingham, 5:40 pm in Leicester, 5:54 pm in Belfast, 5:39 pm in Edinburgh, 5:44 pm in Wolverhampton and 5:36 pm in Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 the UK?
The UK keeps the largest Diwali in Europe. The Mayor of London’s Diwali on the Square fills Trafalgar Square — on Sunday 25 October in 2026, free, no booking — and Leicester, whose Belgrave Road is one of the best-known Diwali streets outside India, holds its Diwali Day on Sunday 8 November 2026 at Cossington Recreation Ground, with the Belgrave Road lights switched on two weeks before. This year’s listings so far are in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Leicester, Belfast.
Can non-Indians go to Diwali events in the UK?
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.
Where is the biggest Diwali celebration in the UK?
Leicester’s is one of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India — the lights on Belgrave Road and Diwali Day, on 8 November in 2026 at Cossington Recreation Ground. London’s biggest is Diwali on the Square in Trafalgar Square, on 25 October in 2026.
Is Diwali a bank holiday in the UK?
No. Diwali is not a bank holiday anywhere in the UK, which is why the big public celebrations are held on weekends — in 2026, Diwali on the Square on Sunday 25 October and Leicester’s Diwali Day on Sunday 8 November, Diwali itself.
When is Diwali on the Square 2026?
Sunday 25 October 2026, 1pm to 7pm, in Trafalgar Square. It is free and there is no need to book.
Can you set off fireworks on Diwali in the UK?
Yes. The usual 11pm fireworks curfew is extended to 1am on Diwali night, and licensed shops may sell fireworks on the three days before Diwali as well as on the day.
When is Leicester Diwali 2026?
Leicester’s Diwali Day is Sunday 8 November 2026 at Cossington Recreation Ground. The Belgrave Road lights are switched on two weeks before, and there is no public fireworks display this year.

More festivals in the UK

Moving or newly arrived? Indians in the UK: the living guide covers work, renting, health, schools and worship.

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.