Travel Guide

Diwali in the USA 2026: Dates, Events and Best Places.

Diwali is Sunday, November 8, 2026. See the five-day dates, Lakshmi Puja timing, confirmed October and November events, temples and fireworks rules.

Ayush Pandey October 21, 2026 · 16 min read

Diwali in the USA 2026: Dates, Events and Best Places.

Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026 in the United States, and the full five-day festival runs from Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, November 10. It is not a federal holiday, so most public celebrations are squeezed into the weekends around it. This guide gives you the dates, the temples, the events we could confirm, and the practical details that often get left out, such as sunset time, parking and fireworks rules.

Roughly five million people in the US identify as Indian, according to Census Bureau and Pew Research estimates for 2023, and many Nepali, Sri Lankan, Guyanese and Caribbean Hindu families celebrate too. Hindus light lamps for Lakshmi, Jains mark the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, and Sikhs observe Bandi Chhor Divas. Neighbors and coworkers now join in as well, which is why Diwali shows up in city squares and museums and not only in temples.

Everything below was checked against organizer pages and official sources on October 21, 2026. Where a detail could not be confirmed, we say so.

Diwali 2026 Date in the USA: The Five Days

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday, November 8. Diwali falls on the new moon (Amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik, so the date moves between mid-October and mid-November. This year it lands late.

Day	Festival	US date	What usually happens
1	Dhanteras	Friday, Nov 6	Cleaning the home, buying gold, silver or a new utensil
2	Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)	Saturday, Nov 7	First lamps and rangoli
3	Diwali, Lakshmi Puja	Sunday, Nov 8	Evening puja, diyas, sweets, family dinner
4	Govardhan Puja, Annakut	Monday, Nov 9	Food offerings at temples; Gujarati New Year follows
5	Bhai Dooj	Tuesday, Nov 10	Sisters pray for brothers and apply a tilak

Some days differ by one date between the US and India. Naraka Chaturdashi, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are each a day earlier in the US, because the lunar day changes at a different clock time. Lakshmi Puja is on November 8 in both. Take your dates from a panchang set to a US location, not from an Indian calendar.

Lakshmi Puja time on November 8

The puja is done in the evening, after sunset. Daylight saving time ended on November 1, so sunsets are early. In New York, sunset on Diwali evening is about 4:44 PM, and Drik Panchang lists the puja window as 5:03 PM to 6:52 PM. Do not convert India's muhurat to US time; it lands in the early morning here and is the wrong hour.

City	Puja window, Nov 8 (local standard time)	Source
New York	5:03 PM to 6:52 PM	Drik Panchang
Chicago	4:54 PM to 6:41 PM	Third-party calculation
Houston	5:51 PM to 7:46 PM	Third-party calculation
Los Angeles	5:14 PM to 7:07 PM	Third-party calculation

Treat the calculated rows as a guide. If your local temple prints a different time, follow the temple.

History and Significance

The best-known story comes from the Ramayana. After fourteen years of exile and the defeat of Ravana, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya, and the city lit lamps along every path to welcome him. That is why diyas are the center of the festival. Other traditions tie the night to Lakshmi, who is said to visit clean, lit homes. Jains remember Mahavira's liberation, Sikhs remember the release of Guru Hargobind from Gwalior Fort, and Bengal marks the night with Kali Puja. The shared thread is light over darkness, and a fresh start.

How Diwali entered American public life

2003: The first Diwali celebration at the White House, under President George W. Bush.
2007: Congress passed House Resolution 747 on October 29, acknowledging Diwali's religious and historical importance.
2009: President Obama became the first sitting president to take part in person.
2016: The US Postal Service issued a Diwali Forever stamp on October 5 in New York.
2023: New York State law made Diwali a public school holiday in New York City.
2024: Pennsylvania became the first state to designate Diwali Day, when Governor Shapiro signed Senate Bill 402 on October 21.
2025: Connecticut followed, and California's governor signed a Diwali bill in October that takes effect January 1, 2026.

How Diwali Is Celebrated in American Homes

The core is simple and adapts well to an apartment or a suburban house. Families clean and decorate, light lamps at dusk, do a short Lakshmi and Ganesh puja, eat together and share sweets. Many also call relatives in India, which in the US often means a video call at odd hours.

Diyas: Clay lamps with oil or ghee are traditional. Many leases limit open flames, so battery diyas are a sensible backup. Never leave a lit lamp near curtains.
Rangoli: Colored powder, rice flour or flower petals at the entrance. Petals and chalk are easy to sweep up in a shared hallway.
Sweets: Ladoo, barfi, jalebi, kaju katli and gulab jamun, often exchanged between neighbors in boxes.
Puja: Lakshmi and Ganesh with flowers, incense and aarti. Gujarati families also do Chopda Pujan, opening new account books.

A simple Diwali evening at home

Clean the house on Dhanteras or Choti Diwali, and put a rangoli or string of lights at the front door.
Check your local Lakshmi Puja window and plan to sit down just after sunset.
Set up a clean shelf with Lakshmi and Ganesh images, flowers, fruit and sweets.
Light the diyas, starting near the puja space, then the doorway and windows.
Do the puja and aarti, then offer sweets.
Share the sweets, eat dinner together, and call relatives far away.

Is Diwali a Holiday in the USA?

It is not a federal holiday, and most employers do not give the day off. Some states and cities have gone further, but the details matter:

Pennsylvania: Diwali Day is in state law, but the governor's office says schools, government offices and businesses are not required to close.
Connecticut: Recognized at the state level in 2025.
California: Public schools and community colleges may close, students get an excused absence, and state employees may choose to take the day off.
New York City: Public schools close for Diwali by state law, but with Diwali on a Sunday there is no weekday closure in 2026.
Fairfax County, Virginia: Diwali is on the 2026-27 school calendar for November 8, a Sunday, so schools are open.

Parents should check their own district calendar. Dhanteras, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj all fall on ordinary school days, so ask about an excused absence if your child needs one.

Best Cities and Places to Celebrate Diwali in the USA

There is no official ranking of the best Diwali city. These are the places where large, family-friendly events are easiest to find.

New York and New Jersey: Diwali at Times Square is the best-known free public event in the country. It is run by the non-profit Sammaan For All and returns for its 11th edition on Saturday, October 24, with an afternoon program leading into an evening diya lighting and concert. Details are on diwalitimessquare.com. Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill in Queens fill with shoppers in Diwali week, and Edison, New Jersey, hosts a Diwali Mela on October 25.
San Francisco Bay Area: San Jose's Diwali Carnival is on October 24, and several melas run on November 7 in Dublin, Tracy and Newark.
Dallas area: The Grand Diwali Mela in McKinney is on October 24 and Frisco has one listed for November 1.
Washington, DC and Northern Virginia: The National Museum of Asian Art has a record of free Diwali evenings called Asia After Dark, and Ashburn, Virginia, lists Diwali Nite for November 21.
Chicago, Houston and Atlanta: The Chicago suburbs have ticketed Diwali nights. Houston's listings lean toward hotel and club parties on November 5 and 7, so for a family day it is better to head to a temple. In Atlanta, the Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale is the main reference point.

Temples worth knowing

Temple	City	Good to know
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham	Robbinsville, NJ	Large stone temple complex at 112 N Main Street; listed hours 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM
Hindu Temple Society of North America (Ganesh Temple)	Flushing, NY	Long-established temple in Queens
Sri Siva Vishnu Temple	Lanham, MD	Major temple in the Washington, DC area
BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir	Stafford (Houston), TX	Large BAPS mandir; check for Annakut
BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir	Bartlett (Chicago), IL	Large BAPS mandir in the suburbs
SMVS Swaminarayan Mandir	Newark, CA	Diwali and Annakut with kirtan listed for Nov 7, 5 to 7 PM

Temple programs change each year, and the BAPS page for 2026 Diwali and Annakut had no times when we checked. Look at the temple's website or call ahead for puja times and the Annakut darshan. Temples welcome visitors of all backgrounds; dress modestly and expect to remove your shoes.

Diwali Events and Timings: Confirmed Dates for 2026

These are listings we could verify on organizer or ticketing pages. Times can shift, so click through to the organizer before you leave.

Date	Event	Where	Cost as listed
Sat, Oct 24	Diwali at Times Square	Times Square, New York	Free
Sat, Oct 24	Dallas Festival of Lights, Diwali Mela (from noon)	Myers Park and Event Center, McKinney, TX	$10; under 10 free
Sat, Oct 24	Diwali Carnival	Downtown San Jose, CA	Free ticket option
Sun, Oct 25	Diwali Mela, noon to 8 PM	Akbar Banquet Hall, Edison, NJ	Free ticket option
Sun, Oct 25	Diwali Celebration, 5 to 8 PM	Ashyana Banquet Hall, Downers Grove, IL	From $25
Sun, Nov 1	Frisco Diwali Mela	Kaleidoscope Park, Frisco, TX	Check organizer
Fri, Nov 6	Asia After Dark, Diwali Festival	National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC	Check museum site
Sat, Nov 7	Dublin Diwali Mela, 11 AM to 8 PM	Emerald Glen Park, Dublin, CA	Check organizer
Sun, Nov 8	Diwali on the Square, 6:30 to 9:30 PM	St. Mark's Square, San Francisco	Check organizer
Sat, Nov 21	Diwali Nite	Farmwell Station Middle School, Ashburn, VA	From $45

Event pages sometimes disagree. The San Jose carnival is listed from 1 PM on one site and 3 PM on another, and the Frisco and DC entries come from a single listing, so confirm them on the organizer's page.

Diwali Food and Shopping

In the week before November 8, sweet shops in the big Indian neighborhoods run long queues, and the better ones sell out of kaju katli and fresh jalebi by midday. Pre-order boxes if you can.

New York: Jackson Heights for sweets, saris and decorations.
New Jersey: Edison and Iselin, around Oak Tree Road.
Chicago: Devon Avenue for textiles, spices and mithai.
Houston: The Hillcroft Avenue area for gold, clothing and restaurants.
Los Angeles area: Artesia and Cerritos on Pioneer Boulevard, where a street mela is listed for October 25.

Dhanteras on November 6 is the traditional day to buy gold, silver or a steel utensil. Buy from an established jeweler, ask for an itemized bill and check the purity stamp.

Fireworks, Parking and Public Transport

There is no national fireworks rule. Consumer fireworks are regulated by each state and often by the city or county. Some places allow only sparklers, some ban nearly everything. Arizona has written Diwali into its fireworks statute: a 2022 law (House Bill 2255) says larger counties cannot ban the sale of permissible consumer fireworks from two days before Diwali through its third day, or their use on the second and third days. It limits local bans; it does not allow fireworks everywhere.

Everywhere else, check your city fire department's page, never light fireworks in an apartment complex, and enjoy licensed displays where temples or fairgrounds hold them. Sparklers still need an adult nearby and a bucket of water.

Transport: New York is the easiest city to do without a car. Most subway lines stop at Times Square, and the 7 train reaches Hudson Yards in about five minutes. Jackson Heights is served by the E, F, M, R and 7. Edison and Robbinsville are much easier by car.

Parking and weather: Suburban melas fill up quickly and overflow parking can be a ten-minute walk away, so arrive early and buy tickets online where offered. We could not find parking rules on the BAPS Robbinsville timings page, so check the temple's site before a festival visit. It gets cold quickly after dark in November, so bring layers, wipes for sticky sweets and snacks for the queue.

Heading to India for Diwali?

Ayodhya is where the festival began. We have written about the Ayodhya Deepotsav schedule, how to get a Deepotsav pass, the viewing spots at Ram Ki Paidi and Dev Deepawali in Varanasi. For a longer trip, see our Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayagraj itinerary for NRIs.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Diwali 2026 in the USA?

Sunday, November 8, 2026. The five-day festival runs from Dhanteras on Friday, November 6 to Bhai Dooj on Tuesday, November 10.

Is Diwali a federal holiday in the US?

No. Most employers do not close. Pennsylvania, Connecticut and California have recognized Diwali in law, and New York City closes its public schools for it.

Are schools closed for Diwali in 2026?

Mostly no. Diwali is a Sunday, so New York City has no weekday closure this year. Dhanteras, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are school days, so ask your district about an excused absence.

What time is Lakshmi Puja on November 8?

In the evening after sunset. In New York the window is 5:03 PM to 6:52 PM. Other cities differ by an hour or more, so use a panchang for your location or your temple's printed time.

Why do some Diwali days differ between the US and India?

Naraka Chaturdashi, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj fall one day earlier in the US because the lunar day begins at a different clock time. Lakshmi Puja is on November 8 in both countries.

Where is the biggest Diwali celebration in the US?

There is no official ranking. Diwali at Times Square is the best-known free event, and large melas run in the Bay Area, Dallas, New Jersey, Chicago and Washington, DC.

Are fireworks legal for Diwali?

It depends on your state, city and sometimes your neighborhood. Many places allow only sparklers and some ban consumer fireworks entirely. Check your city fire department, or attend a licensed display.

Can non-Hindus visit a Hindu temple during Diwali?

Yes. Temples welcome visitors. Dress modestly, remove your shoes, and expect crowds around the evening puja on November 8 and the Annakut morning on November 9.

How do I wish someone a happy Diwali?

Say “Happy Diwali” or “Shubh Deepavali.” Gujarati families also say “Saal Mubarak” on the New Year, the day after Diwali.

Is Diwali in October or November in 2026?

November. The October events are early community celebrations held on weekends before the real day.

Sources and How We Checked

Checked on October 21, 2026. Confirm times and prices with the organizer.