Diwali 2026 in Ahmedabad: Dates, Markets, New Year and Rules

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November. In Ahmedabad it is the hinge of a five-day run that also brings the Gujarati New Year: Dhanteras on Friday 6 November, Kali Chaudas on Saturday 7 November, Diwali on the 8th, Bestu Varas on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Beej on Wednesday 11 November. The fortnight before is the time to be out, for markets, melas and lights. The days after are when the city shuts its shops and goes on holiday, so plan around both halves.

Diwali 2026 dates in Ahmedabad

These dates are from Drik Panchang’s calendar for Ahmedabad.

Day	Date	What happens
Vagh Baras	Thu, 5 Nov	The festival begins; rangolis appear at doorsteps
Dhanteras	Fri, 6 Nov	Gold, silver and utensil buying; Lakshmi and Dhanvantari puja
Kali Chaudas	Sat, 7 Nov	Hanuman puja; the last big shopping night
Diwali	Sun, 8 Nov	Lakshmi Puja, Chopda Pujan and fireworks
Gap day	Mon, 9 Nov	Listed for Govardhan Puja and Annakut; a quiet day in the city
Bestu Varas (New Year)	Tue, 10 Nov	Vikram Samvat 2083 begins; temple visits and family calls
Bhai Beej	Wed, 11 Nov	Brothers visit sisters
Labh Pancham	Around Sat, 14 Nov	Businesses reopen; confirm the date with a panchang

Diwali is on a Sunday this year, so the main shopping and party weekend is 31 October – 1 November, along with the evenings of 5, 6 and 7 November.

How Ahmedabad celebrates

Diwali here is a business community’s festival as much as a religious one, and that gives it a particular shape.

Dhanteras is the day for buying metal. Jewellers at Manek Chowk and on C.G. Road stay open late, and utensil shops do their best trade of the year.

Diwali evening centres on Chopda Pujan, when traders and business families bless the new account books that will open the coming year. Homes are lit with diyas, doorsteps are covered in rangoli, and the snack tins come out: mathiya, chorafali, ghughra, suvali and farsi puri, with mohanthal and kaju katli for sweets.

Bestu Varas, two days later, is the bigger social occasion. People rise early, wear new clothes, go to the temple and spend the day visiting relatives and neighbours with the greetings “Saal Mubarak” and “Nutan Varshabhinandan”. Many temples lay out Annakut, an offering of hundreds of dishes. By tradition the first purchase of the year is salt, sold at dawn as sabras.

Bhai Beej belongs to brothers and sisters. And on Labh Pancham, the fifth day of the new year, shutters go up again and the working year starts.

Things to do before Diwali

Shop the old-city markets

The lanes of the old city are at their most intense in the ten days before Diwali.

• Teen Darwaza and Bhadra Plaza: street stalls for diyas, torans, lanterns, rangoli colours, footwear and clothes, spread across the pedestrian square in front of Bhadra Fort.
• Ratanpol and Dhalgarwad: saris, dress material and bandhani.
• Manek Chowk: the bullion and jewellery market, busiest on Dhanteras. After 8 pm it turns into a food market. See our Manek Chowk page.
• Law Garden: evening stalls of mirror-work, embroidery and oxidised jewellery, with a food street next door. More on the Law Garden market page.

Go on a weekday, and go by metro. The Blue Line’s Gheekanta station is about 800 metres from Bhadra, and parking in the old city in Diwali week is close to impossible.

Find a Diwali mela or exhibition

Through October and early November, craft, lifestyle and gifting exhibitions take over club lawns, hotel halls and Ahmedabad Haat in Vastrapur, selling diyas, candles, home décor, clothes, jewellery and hampers. Schools and charities hold their own melas. We add confirmed ones to our Diwali events page as organisers announce them, and regular markets are on the flea markets page.

Take a rangoli or diya workshop

Studios and cafés run rangoli, diya-painting, candle-making and festive baking workshops in the two weekends before Diwali. They are a good plan with children, as are the Diwali holiday camps that start once schools close. See our kids and family events page.

See the lights

There is no single official light show, but several places are worth an evening:

• C.G. Road and Sindhu Bhavan Road: showrooms and cafés lit up, with heavy foot traffic after 8 pm.
• The Sabarmati Riverfront and Atal Bridge: the bridge is illuminated every night and the promenade is a calm alternative to the markets.
• Malls: Palladium at Thaltej and Nexus Ahmedabad One in Vastrapur put up large festive installations.
• The pols: the old city’s lanes, with diyas on every threshold and rangoli at every door, are best seen on foot on Diwali evening itself.

Eat the season

Farsan and sweet shops across the city sell Diwali snack boxes from late October, and popular ones take advance orders. Restaurants run festive thalis until Diwali, then many close. Our food listings track pop-ups and food events.

What closes after Diwali

This is the part visitors miss. From Monday 9 November, a large share of Ahmedabad’s shops, wholesale markets, offices and independent restaurants close, traditionally until Labh Pancham. Families travel, and the roads empty.

• Usually open: malls, multiplexes, hotel restaurants, large chains, petrol pumps and pharmacies.
• Often closed for several days: old-city markets, C.G. Road showrooms, many standalone restaurants and street-food stalls, and most small businesses.
• Check before you go: museums and attractions, which may change their hours on Diwali and New Year’s Day.

If you are in the city on 9–12 November, confirm that a restaurant or venue is open before you travel, and book hotel restaurants ahead.

Firecrackers: what the rules have been

The Ahmedabad police commissioner issues a notification on firecrackers a few days before Diwali each year. The 2026 notification had not been issued when this guide was written. In recent years it has followed the Supreme Court’s 2018 order:

• Crackers allowed only between 8 pm and 10 pm
• No joined crackers (laris), and no imported crackers
• No sky lanterns
• No crackers near hospitals, courts, schools, places of worship and petrol pumps

Treat this as a guide to what to expect, and check the 2026 notification before the festival.

Safety on Diwali night

• Burns: hold the burn under cool running water for 10–20 minutes. Do not apply ice, toothpaste or butter. Call 108 for an ambulance or 101 for the fire service.
• Children should handle only sparklers, with an adult beside them, and wear cotton, not synthetic fabric.
• Diyas and rangoli go together on doorsteps. Keep dupattas, saris and curtains clear of open flames.
• Pets are distressed by the noise. Keep them indoors with windows shut during the 8–10 pm window.

Getting away for the Diwali break

The week after Diwali is Gujarat’s main holiday season. Rann Utsav opens on 1 November 2026 at Dhordo in Kutch and runs until 7 March 2027, and Diwali week is one of its busiest periods; see our Rann Utsav page. Trains and flights out of Ahmedabad sell out early and fares rise, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Highways out of the city are slow on the afternoon of 9 November and again on the return weekend.

A Diwali-week plan

• Weekend of 24–25 October: big market trips to Teen Darwaza and Ratanpol while the lanes are still passable
• 26–30 October, weekday evenings: exhibitions and melas, Law Garden, a workshop
• 31 October – 1 November: the last full shopping weekend
• Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 November: Dhanteras jewellery and utensil shopping, sweets and snack orders, a light walk
• Sunday 8 November: stay local for puja, diyas and the 8–10 pm fireworks
• Monday 9 November: the gap day; a good one for the riverfront or a drive
• Tuesday 10 November: New Year’s morning at a temple, then family visits
• Wednesday 11 November: Bhai Beej; expect traffic on residential roads from mid-morning

Getting around

• Use the metro for the old city. The Blue Line stops at Gheekanta and Kalupur Railway Station.
• On Diwali night autos and cabs are scarce between 7 pm and 10 pm, and surge pricing is steep.
• On New Year’s morning roads near major temples are crowded from before dawn.

For everything on around the festival, check this week’s events, and for ideas beyond Diwali see our weekend guide to Ahmedabad.

Frequently asked questions

When is Diwali 2026?

Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) is on Sunday 8 November 2026. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November and Kali Chaudas on Saturday 7 November, by Drik Panchang's Ahmedabad calendar.

When is the Gujarati New Year in 2026?

Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year, is on Tuesday 10 November 2026 and begins Vikram Samvat 2083. Bhai Beej follows on Wednesday 11 November. Monday 9 November is the day in between.

Are shops and restaurants open in Ahmedabad during Diwali?

Markets are open late until Diwali night. From 9 November many shops, offices and restaurants close for several days, traditionally reopening on Labh Pancham, the fifth day of the new year. Malls, multiplexes and hotel restaurants generally stay open.

Are firecrackers allowed in Ahmedabad for Diwali 2026?

The 2026 police notification had not been issued at the time of writing. In recent years it has allowed crackers only between 8 pm and 10 pm, in line with the Supreme Court's 2018 order, and banned sky lanterns and imported crackers.

What is Chopda Pujan?

It is the blessing of new account books, performed by Gujarati traders and business families on Diwali evening before the new financial and calendar year begins. In 2026 it falls on 8 November.

Where should I shop for Diwali in Ahmedabad?

The old-city markets around Teen Darwaza, Bhadra and Ratanpol for clothes, décor and saris, Manek Chowk for jewellery, Law Garden for handicrafts, and C.G. Road for showrooms.

Sources checked

• www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?year=2026&geoname-id=12792
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manek_Chowk_(Ahmedabad)
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhadra_Fort
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Darwaza
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Garden
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atal_Pedestrian_Bridge
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladium_Ahmedabad
• www.rannutsav.com/
• www.rannutsav.net/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ahmedabad_Metro_stations

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