Things to do

Deepavali in Singapore 2026: lights, food, sweets and the long weekend

Edited by Jamie 28 October 2026

Deepavali is on a Sunday this year, which means the festival gets a long weekend of its own.

Deepavali falls on Sunday 8 November this year, and because it lands on a Sunday, Monday 9 November is a public holiday: most of Singapore gets a three-day weekend from Saturday the 7th. Little India has been lit since 3 October, and the festival builds over the next fortnight to the eve, when Serangoon Road is at its fullest.

Plan it in three parts. First the streets: the light-up every night from 7pm, the festival village on Campbell Lane, and Saturday 31 October, the best day to go, with a free concert, workshops and the Indian Heritage Centre's open house. Then the table: festive thalis, buffets and set menus from 2 to 10 November, with the long weekend the busiest time to book. Last, the sweets: mithai boxes to take when you visit, ordered before the eve. If you are visiting a temple, dress modestly and go early.

Valid Tuesday 27 October 2026 – Monday 9 November 2026 · Refreshed each season

The roundup

1. Deepavali lights on Serangoon Road
Nightly 7pm–midnight · Little India
More than two kilometres of Serangoon Road is lit every night from 7pm to midnight, and walking it is the free, essential Deepavali outing. Go on a weeknight before the festival if you want room to stop and look; go on Saturday 7 November, Deepavali eve, if you want Little India at its most crowded and alive. Either way, take the MRT: Serangoon Road traffic is heavy all festival long.
2. Deepavali morning at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
Sunday 8 November 2026, from 5am · Little India
On Deepavali morning many families go to temple before the visits and the meals begin, and Sri Srinivasa Perumal on Serangoon Road opens from 5am at weekends. Visitors are welcome if they follow the Hindu Endowments Board's guidance: shoulders and knees covered (shawls are lent), shoes off outside, voices low, and no pointing your feet at the deities. The temple hasn't published special Deepavali hours, so go early and expect it to be busy.
3. A Taste of Diwali and the Diwali Mela buffet at Gully
Set menu until 30 November; buffet 5–9 November 2026 · Farrer Park · $$$
Gully, above Farrer Park, has two ways to celebrate: a four-course Taste of Diwali set at S$70++ (S$60++ vegetarian), served until 30 November, and a Diwali Mela buffet with live chaat and pani puri, kebabs and regional curries at S$50++ for two hours, on the evenings of 5 and 6 November and at lunch from 7 to 9 November. The buffet is the livelier table; the set is the one to book after the crowds have gone home.

4. Mythical Gardens mithai from Rang Mahal
Order by 10 November 2026 · Bugis
Rang Mahal's 2026 box is the one that looks like a present before it's opened: 12 mithai in three flavours (mango with white chocolate, golden sattu with cardamom, and date with roasted nuts) plus two jars of savouries, in a pink or turquoise box. Order by 10 November; collection and delivery run to 30 November. Ten per cent of net profits from its festive mithai go to the Breast Cancer Foundation, which is a good reason to choose it over another box.
5. Deepavali Festival Village, Campbell Lane
Nightly from 7pm until 8 November 2026 · Little India
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
LISHA's festival village on Campbell Lane opens from 7pm every evening until Deepavali on 8 November, and it is where the light-up turns into a night out: stalls, music and the crowd that comes to shop for the festival. Pair it with the lights, and come hungry. Free to walk in.
6. Sangeetham Under the Stars on Campbell Lane
Saturday 31 October 2026, 8–10pm · Little India
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
A free evening of Carnatic classical, fusion and Bollywood music on the Campbell Lane open stage, with a showcase for emerging artists. It is the best single evening to be in Little India before Deepavali, because it gives the light-up walk a place to land. Entry is free but you need to register with LISHA first.
7. Deepavali Open House at the Indian Heritage Centre
Weekends until 8 November 2026; Saturdays 10am–8pm, Sundays 10am–6pm · Little India
Ended. Not a current recommendation; see its page for the latest.
The Indian Heritage Centre's open house runs over four weekends to 8 November, and it is the family pick: a weekend bazaar, a DIY mini mithai box and clay brooch painting, an heirloom saree corner, free Saturday 7pm tours, and dance performances on Saturday 31 October from 6pm. The centre stays open until 8pm on Saturdays. Entry is free for Singapore citizens and PRs.
8. Deepavali workshops on Saturday 31 October
Saturday 31 October 2026 · Little India
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
Three hands-on ways into the festival, all on the same Saturday: LISHA's spice blending masterclass on Campbell Lane at 11am (S$8, 20 places), free clay diya painting at Tekka Place from 2pm to 4pm (30 places, register first), and the Indian Heritage Centre's miniature art painting workshop from 4.30pm (S$28, booked on Peatix). Places are small, so book this week.
9. Diwali Thali at Rang Mahal
3–10 November 2026 · Bugis · $$$
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
Rang Mahal's Diwali thali, vegetarian or not, comes with unlimited refills, which makes it the generous way to do a festive lunch with people who like to eat. It runs from 3 to 10 November, so it covers the long weekend, at S$58++ for lunch and S$68++ for dinner. Book ahead for Monday 9 November, the public holiday.
10. Diwali buffets at Shahi Maharani, Raffles City
2–9 November 2026 · Civic District · $$$
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
Shahi Maharani runs Diwali buffets right through the week: weekday lunches from 2 to 6 November at S$48++, long-weekend lunches from 7 to 9 November, and a grand dinner on Deepavali itself at S$88++. Children under 7 eat free, which makes the weekday lunch the best-value family table in this guide. The restaurant's own page gives two prices for the weekend lunch, so confirm when you book.
11. Royal Mithai Collection from Shahi Maharani
Order before 7 November 2026 · Civic District
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
If you are visiting friends over Deepavali, you bring sweets, and Shahi Maharani's boxes are a safe, all-vegetarian choice: a 15-piece Celebration Box at S$78, a 24-piece Royal Festive Box at S$118, or a bigger box with savouries and a copper candle at S$158, all before GST. Order online for collection or delivery, and leave a few days before the eve.
12. The Legacy Collection from VARQ by The Song of India
Order before 7 November 2026 · Farrer Park
Ended. Kept here for the record, not as a recommendation.
VARQ's mithai play with flavour more than most: yuzu, ginger and saffron, betel leaf and green apple, pink guava and pistachio, and a no-added-sugar option for the relative who is watching. Prices aren't on the restaurant's own page, so check when you order from VARQ's online shop, and allow time before the eve.