Diwali in Vancouver 2026

Where to celebrate Diwali in Vancouver

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8. Vancouver's big free public celebration is the day before: Saturday, November 7, from 2:00 pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown (Canada Line to Yaletown–Roundhouse). The same festival, Diwali Fest, runs four more free shows around Metro Vancouver:

All five are free. Dates are from the organiser, the Diwali Celebration Society (diwalifest.ca), checked September 22, 2026. For the shopping and sweets rush, the busiest stretch in Surrey is the week of November 1–8. In Sikh gurdwaras the same day is marked as Bandi Chhor Divas.

Diwali 2026 dates in Vancouver

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday, November 8. Drik Panchang, calculating for Vancouver, puts the Lakshmi Puja muhurat at 5:55 pm to 7:36 pm, inside the evening Pradosh Kaal of 5:40 to 8:35 pm; the Amavasya tithi runs from 10:57 pm on November 7 to 12:01 am on November 9. Many families and temples follow their own panchang, so if the exact time matters for your puja, confirm it with your mandir.

Diwali Fest at the Roundhouse: Saturday, November 7

Vancouver’s own Diwali Fest afternoon is at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown, from 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 7. The organiser promises classical and contemporary music and dance, with chai served, and entry is free, as it is at all five Diwali Fest dates. Take the Canada Line to Yaletown–Roundhouse: the Roundhouse is a short walk down Davie Street, which beats hunting for parking in Yaletown on a Saturday.

Three of the other Diwali Fest venues are just as easy by SkyTrain. The Anvil Centre (Saturday, October 24, 4:00 pm) is steps from New Westminster station. The Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam (Thursday, November 5, 6:00 pm) is a few minutes’ walk from Lafarge Lake–Douglas station on the Millennium Line. Surrey City Hall (Sunday, November 15, 2:00 pm) is next to Surrey Central station on the Expo Line.

Punjabi Market on Main Street

Vancouver’s historic South Asian shopping street is the Punjabi Market, on Main Street between roughly 48th and 51st Avenues in the Sunset neighbourhood of South Vancouver. Sucha Singh and Harbans Kaur Claire opened the first shop there on May 31, 1970, and in 1993 the city put up its first bilingual Punjabi–English street signs at 49th and Main. In the days before Diwali it is the place in Vancouver itself to shop for mithai, festive clothes and jewellery.

The 3 Main bus runs down Main Street from downtown and Main Street–Science World station. From the Canada Line, get off at Langara–49th Avenue and take the 49 bus east along 49th Avenue to Main. Shops on the strip do change, and several long-running names have closed in recent years, so check a shop’s hours before crossing town for it.

Surrey: Payal Business Centre on 128th Street

Surrey is home to Metro Vancouver’s largest South Asian community, and one of its best-known shopping hubs is the Payal Business Centre at 8120 128 Street, at 82nd Avenue. It is a cluster of six or seven plazas with more than 300 businesses (restaurants, clothing and jewellery stores, grocers, salons, banquet halls and wedding décor), and locally it is often called Mini Punjab. Expect crowds on the weekends before Diwali.

By transit, take the Expo Line to Surrey Central and the 393 (128 Street) bus south along 128 Street; it stops at 80 Avenue, two blocks from the plazas. From downtown Vancouver, allow about an hour each way.

Gurdwaras and mandirs

For Sikhs, November 8 is also Bandi Chhor Divas, which marks Guru Hargobind’s release from Gwalior Fort, and gurdwaras hold kirtan and light up for the evening. Vancouver’s best-known is the Ross Street Temple of the Khalsa Diwan Society at 8000 Ross Street. The society was founded in 1906 and is the oldest Sikh society in Greater Vancouver, and its gurdwara was designed by Arthur Erickson in 1969. Programme times change from year to year, so check the society’s site, kdsross.com, in the week before.

In Surrey, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir at 8321 140 Street has held Diwali celebrations in past years; it had not posted 2026 times when we checked on September 28. Contact the mandir through hindumandirsurrey.com before you go.

Visitors are generally welcome at both. In a gurdwara, cover your head (scarves are usually available at the entrance), take off your shoes and leave tobacco and alcohol outside; langar, the free community meal, is served to everyone who sits down to eat. At a mandir, remove your shoes and dress modestly.

Dinner out: Vij’s on Cambie

For a Diwali dinner, Vij’s at 3106 Cambie Street is one of Vancouver’s best-known Indian restaurants. It opens daily from 5:30 pm, takes reservations through Tock and also welcomes walk-ins. The Diwali weekend is a busy one, so book if you can. The nearest SkyTrain stop is Broadway–City Hall on the Canada Line, roughly a 10-minute walk south along Cambie.

Fireworks: check the rules first

Consumer fireworks are tightly restricted in Vancouver and in most neighbouring cities, and the rules differ from one city to the next. Read our Vancouver fireworks guide before you buy any.

Weather and getting around

Early November in Vancouver is usually cool and wet, so plan for rain between stops. Nearly everything in this guide is reachable by SkyTrain and bus: tap a contactless credit card or a Compass Card at the fare gates and on the bus, and see our transit guide for visitors for fares and zones. For everything else on in the city, check what’s on this week.