Deepavali 2026 Singapore: date and Little India light-up

Deepavali 2026 in Singapore falls on Sunday 8 November, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), whose page says Monday 9 November will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 8 November 2026. In Little India, the organiser says the street lights are on daily from 7:00 PM to midnight throughout the festival, which its press kit gives as 3 October to 29 November 2026, and it lists the Festival Village on Campbell Lane for “10 Oct – 8 Nov 2026”. Both had begun by 17 October 2026, so the nightly lights, the village and the two remaining workshop Saturdays (24 and 31 October) are what is left to plan around.

The Little India details come from the organiser, the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association (LISHA), on deepavali.sg and in its 2026 press kit, not from a government agency; Visit Singapore’s Deepavali page links that site as the “official site”. This is a visitor’s page: our Deepavali open house guide covers hosting at home. We read every page on 3 October 2026, read them again on 17 October 2026 (none had changed) and say where they disagree.

When is Deepavali 2026 in Singapore?

MOM’s public holidays page lists Deepavali on Sunday 8 November 2026 and says “Monday, 9 November 2026, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 8 November 2026.” The page says it was last updated on 19 June 2026. MOM’s press release on the 2026 public holidays gives the same date and, in a footnote, “Monday, 9 Nov 2026, will be a public holiday”, without the rest-day condition. We have not tried to settle the difference between the two pages. Visit Singapore’s What’s Happening page carries the same date, 8 November 2026.

Our inference from MOM’s wording: someone who works Monday to Friday and rests on Sunday has a three-day weekend from Saturday 7 to Monday 9 November. If your rest day is not Sunday, neither MOM page says more about the Monday, so ask your employer or MOM. Looking further ahead, Deepavali 2027 falls on Thursday 28 October 2027 on MOM’s page, and our 2027 leave planner works out long weekends around next year’s holidays.

When are the Little India Deepavali lights on in 2026?

The organiser’s Street Light-Up Ceremony page lists “3 OCT 2026 · 7:00 PM · BIRCH ROAD” and says “Lights on daily 7:00 PM to midnight throughout the festival”. Its 2026 press kit gives the ceremony as “3 October 2026 (Saturday) · 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM”, with registration from 6:00 PM, and the Street Light-Up as “3 October – 29 November 2026”. The event page gives no end date.

The two organiser sources differ on the ceremony. The event page gives 7:00 PM for the ceremony and the press kit gives 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM, and the two name different guests of honour. The ceremony date has passed and we have not checked whether it went ahead as listed, so the nightly lights are the part to plan around. Neither source gives road closures or crowd arrangements, and neither states an entry fee for the lights, which is not the same as saying they are free.

When does the Deepavali Festival Village run in 2026?

The organiser’s Festival Village page lists “10 Oct – 8 Nov 2026” at Campbell Lane, with the time “07.00PM”; its 2026 press kit adds “Daily 7:00 PM – Midnight” and describes stalls offering traditional clothing, snacks, handicrafts and festive décor.

Visit Singapore’s Deepavali page also places the Festival Village along Campbell Lane and gives no dates. Our note: the listed end date, 8 November, is Deepavali itself, and the listed dates had begun when we checked on 17 October. Neither organiser source states an entry fee.

What else is on in Little India, and what does it cost?

LISHA’s events page lists seven programmes: the ceremony and the Festival Village above, and the five below. Each of the five has a “Register Now” button on its page (we did not open the booking site), and none shows how many places are left. Dates, times and prices are as each page gave them on 17 October 2026, unchanged since 3 October; the pages print “$”, which we read as Singapore dollars. Dates up to 17 October were past or under way when we checked.

• Brass Lamp Engraving, Tekka Place: “10 & 24 OCT 2026”, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, S$10 a person for 20 places; you personalise a miniature brass lamp. Only 24 October is still ahead.
• Spice Blending Masterclass: “17 Oct & 31 Oct (Saturdays)”, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, S$8 a person for 20 places (31 October is the remaining date); you make garam masala and sambar powder with a local chef. The organiser’s event page puts it at Campbell Lane; its press kit lists the three craft workshops at Tekka Place.
• Clay Diya Painting, Tekka Place: “17 Oct & 31 Oct (Saturdays)”, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, free with registration, 30 places (31 October remains).
• Sangeetham Under the Stars: 17 and 31 October 2026, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM, free live music from Carnatic classical to Bollywood beats (31 October remains).
• Big Bus Deepavali Tours, from Orchard Hotel Little India: “Every Saturdays, 10 Oct -28 Nov”, departures at 7 PM and 8 PM, S$12 a person including a S$5 F&B voucher; a 45-minute detour through Little India to Racecourse Road. Six of its listed dates are still ahead, from 24 October to 28 November.

Among other items, the press kit lists two programmes that are not on the events page: an AR/VR Heritage Walk (“Every Saturday, 10 October – 7 November”, $15 a person, free for seniors, $10 for students) and a self-guided, free Deepavali Photo Trail Challenge (“3 October – 8 November 2026”). Visit Singapore’s page also mentions a Deepavali Food Bazaar and Street Show without dates, and the organiser’s events page does not list them, so we give none.

Do the organiser’s pages agree with each other?

Not entirely. These are the mismatches we found on deepavali.sg and in its press kit. We have not tried to settle them, so confirm with the organiser (its website gives +65 6392 2246) before you pay or travel:

• Ceremony: the time and the guest of honour, as above.
• Brass Lamp Engraving: the event page and the press kit both print “10 & 24 Oct (Sundays)”, but 10 and 24 October 2026 are Saturdays (our calendar check).
• Big Bus Deepavali Tours: the page says every Saturday, but its date list, “10, 17, 24, 31 OCT & 7, 13, 21, 28 NOV”, includes 13 November, a Friday (our calendar check); the Saturday that week is 14 November.
• Spice Blending Masterclass: Campbell Lane on the event page, Tekka Place in the press kit.
• Sangeetham Under the Stars: Campbell Lane Open Stage on the event page, “Indian Heritage Centre Open Stage” in the press kit; the events list also shows 7:00 PM for 17 October, while the programme page says 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

What could a Saturday in Little India cost for four people?

Saturday 31 October 2026 is the remaining date on which the event pages put the spice class, diya painting, live music and a bus tour on one day (the first was 17 October). The sequence and arithmetic below are illustrative and ours; the times and prices are the event pages’, and none of the pages shows how many places are left.

1. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Spice Blending: 4 × S$8 = S$32.
2. 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Clay Diya Painting: free with registration, S$0.
3. 7:00 PM, Big Bus tour (about 45 minutes): 4 × S$12 = S$48, of which 4 × S$5 = S$20 is the F&B voucher.
4. 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Sangeetham Under the Stars: free.

The ticketed total is S$32 + S$48 = S$80, or S$20 a person, before food. The pages disagree on where the music is, and we have not measured any journey between venues, so allow time between the 7:00 PM tour and the 8:00 PM music.

How do you get to Little India for the Deepavali lights?

Visit Singapore names two nearest train stations: Little India (NE7/DT12) and Jalan Besar (DT22). The press kit lists Serangoon Road, Campbell Lane and Birch Road as the primary venues. We have not checked transport or road-closure notices, so look at them before you travel. For a group, our group plan guide has a message you can copy and our bill-splitting guide covers sharing the cost.

What to check before you go

Our suggestions for a visit:

• The organiser’s page for each programme you want, and whether registration is still open.
• The points where its pages disagree, listed above.
• Transport and road-closure notices for the evening you choose.
• MOM’s page, if the Deepavali date or the Monday 9 November holiday matters to your plans.
• Friday 30 October 2026, the day before the last workshop Saturday, as a recheck date.

For other dated outings, see the going-out topic and our guide to finding concerts and exhibitions in Singapore.

Common questions