Diwali is a festival of light celebrated by people from several different countries and religions, including Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Specific celebrations and traditions differ between groups, but it's generally marked as the triumph of good over evil, and can involve lanterns and oil lamps.
The date for Diwali this year is 1 November 2024. Here's our roundup of celebrations going on in London around then.
Diwali at InterContinental London Park Lane
An Indian five-course tasting dinner awaits at this high-end hotel, created by executive chef Lalit Kumar and guest chef and MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finalist, Arbinder Singh Dugal.
Expect festival dishes such as masala dahi panna cotta served with mhalla dressed chutney and potato idiyappam; Kashmiri chilli rump of lamb and lamb shoulder or malai paneer pie, both served with black garlic chutney, mint espuma, shiitake yakhni and a morel and saffron pulao.
Diwali at InterContinental London Park Lane, 24 October 2024.
Diwali dinner at Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea
Masterchef semi-finalist Nisha Parmar teams up with renowned Indian chef Vivek Singh for a special Diwali dinner at Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea.
Begin with a welcome drink and canapé reception along with a performance from traditional garba dancers. That's followed by a six-course dinner, with dishes including dhokla pumpkin sandwich; chilli paneer dumplings and potato pave chaat; and king prawn and seafood jol with string hoppers, and a ras malai tres leche. Vegetarian versions of all dishes are available.
Diwali at Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea, 24 October 2024.
Diwali 2024 at Marble Hill
South-west London English Heritage property Marble Hill marks Diwali with an afternoon of lantern-making, bhangra dance workshops, and a light parade down to the Thames.
Diwali at Marble Hill, 26 October 2024.
Visit this Indian contemporary art exhibition for free
For one weekend only, to mark both Diwali and the Sikh festival of Badi Chhor Divas, Barbican offers free entry to The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975–1998, its current major exhibition of Indian contemporary art.
Tickets are normally £20 so this offer will be popular. Free tickets are available to book from 10 October, otherwise there will be a limited number of tickets available on the day.
Open Gallery at Barbican, free, 26-27 October 2024.
Diwali on Trafalgar Square 2024
This free festival in central London is the city's biggest Diwali celebration. Organised by the Mayor of London, it's open to all, and takes place on 27 October 2024.
Around 35,000 people usually attend, to enjoy live music and dance performances on the stage and throughout the square.
Indian food is the order of the day at the street food market in the square, where stalls sell snacks including vegan and vegetarian dishes, as well as sweets. There's also information on the background of the festival for Londoners and tourists not overly familiar with Diwali.
Diwali on Trafalgar Square, 27 October 2024.
Diwali 2024 at Everest Inn, Blackheath
Blackheath's Everest Inn is a Nepalese and Indian restaurant, known locally for its Diwali events each year, and the Festival of Light celebrations are back for two nights in 2024.
On arrival at the restaurant, you'll receive an authentic welcome token: a bindi and traditional scarf for women, and a Dhaka topi (traditional Nepali hat) for men. Tuck into a three-course sharing-style candlelit meal, taking inspiration from Nepalese/Indian fusion dishes, with meat and veggie options available, and a traditional Diwali dance performance to watch while you dine.
Diwali at Everest Inn, 28-29 October 2024.
Diwali Celebration at Devonshire Square
Devonshire Square near Liverpool Street hosts a free Diwali celebration, open to everyone, featuring a dance show of Indian classical and contemporary performances, live rangoli art, free food and drink at Cinnamon Kitchen, and free henna tattoos on a first-come, first-served basis.
Diwali Festival at Devonshire Square, free, 30 October 2024.
Wembley Park Diwali Weekend 2024
A huge Diwali celebration spreads out across the Wembley Park area for three days in early November. Performances, workshops, and cultural showcases all feature in the celebration of South Asia. It begins with Bhangra music, Bollywood dancing and Dhol drummers at London Designer Outlet on Friday afternoon. Saturday's celebrations feature around a pop-up stage on Olympic Way, with lantern-making workshops, food and drink stalls, and art and crafts elsewhere around the area.
Things end on a high on Sunday night with a special edition of Bollywood club night Kuch Kuch Nights at Boxpark.
Wembley Park Diwali Weekend, most events free, 1-3 November 2024.
Diwali Lantern parade at Greenwich Peninsula
Live music and dance performances, arts and crafts, and food and drink come to Greenwich Peninsula to celebrate Diwali. The afternoon culminates in a lantern parade processing across the Peninsula. Everyone's welcome to take part — either bring your own lantern from home, or craft one on the day. The evening culminates in a beautiful light parade, with the procession travelling across the Peninsula, illuminated by the uniquely designed lanterns.
Diwali at Greenwich Peninsula, 2 November.
Diwali celebrations at Harrow fireworks display
London has many fireworks displays at this time of year, including at Byron Park in Harrow, where Diwali meets Guy Fawkes for a night organisers are describing as "so magical, Harry Potter might show up".
The event consists of a funfair, Indian henna hand art, a world food arena, and of course the 20-minute pyrotechnics display, which is set to music.
Harrow fireworks display, 9 November 2024.
Special Diwali meals, dinners and menus in London
Other restaurants serving special Diwali menus in London include:
- Brigadiers (25 October-2 November)
- Trishna (28 October-3 November)
- Gymkhana (28 October-3 November)
- Dishoom at Big Penny Social (30 October)
