Diwali, the festival of lights, falls on Sunday 8 November 2026 for the main evening of lamps and Lakshmi Puja in most North Indian calendars. The five days run from Dhanteras on Friday 6 November to Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November. Dates and customs differ between regions and families, so check the calendar your family follows before you fix the evening.
If you are hosting this year, the pressure is rarely the cooking alone. It is twenty small jobs landing in the same week: who is coming, which sweets, who draws the rangoli, where the lamps go, and what the children do while the adults talk. A plan spread over two weeks takes most of that pressure away.
The two-week plan at a glance
| When | What to do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 25 Oct | Guest list, date and time, invitations out | Every guest has an invitation |
| Wed 28 Oct | Menu fixed, sweets ordered or planned | You know what is bought and what is made |
| Sun 1 Nov | Rangoli design chosen, practice once | One stencil cut and tried |
| Wed 4 Nov | Lamps, candles, marigolds and supplies bought | Everything is in one box |
| Fri 6 Nov | House clean, sweets boxed and labelled | Boxes stacked and ready to give |
| Sat 7 Nov | Menu card written, kids' table set up | Table laid, pens and pages out |
| Sun 8 Nov | Rangoli in the morning, lamps at dusk | Lamps lit before guests arrive |
Two weeks out: guests and invitations
Start with the guest list, then the time. An early evening start suits most homes: guests arrive in daylight, the lamps go on at dusk, and dinner follows. Write the end time too, if you need one. People plan around it.
Send invitations about two weeks ahead. A printed card handed over or posted still feels special for a festival, and a photo of the same card works for the group chat. Put five things on it: host, date, time, address and how to reply. Add one line if you want guests to bring something, such as a sweet from their family or a lamp for the doorstep.
Ten days out: menu and sweets
Decide early what you will make and what you will buy. Sweets are the item most hosts underestimate, because you need enough for the evening and enough to send home.
A balanced spread usually has three parts:
- Something savoury to start, such as samosas, chakli, namak pare or chivda, which can be made or bought ahead.
- A main meal that holds well, cooked the day before where you can. Dishes that reheat, such as dal, curries and biryani, take pressure off the evening.
- Mithai, a mix of milk sweets and dry sweets. Kaju katli, ladoos and barfi travel well in boxes; keep syrup sweets like gulab jamun for the table.
Write the menu down on one card and put it where guests will see it. It answers "what is in this?" before anyone asks, and it reminds you what is still in the fridge.
One week out: rangoli practice
A rangoli at the door is the first thing guests see. You do not need years of practice to make one look good. Symmetry does most of the work.
- Pick a size that fits the spot. A 60 cm (2 ft) design suits most doorsteps. Bigger takes far longer than you expect.
- Choose your fill. Coloured rice, chalk, coloured sand and flower petals all work. Rice and petals are the easiest to sweep up afterwards.
- Use a stencil for the outline. Cut it from card stock, tape it down at the corners and fill each section, working from the centre outwards.
- Practise once on a tray or a sheet of paper a week before, so the real one on the day takes half the time.
A simple dot grid helps if you want to sketch your own design. Draw the dots first, then join them into petals and loops.
The days before: lamps, boxes and the house
Buy lamps, wicks, oil or ghee, tea lights and marigolds a few days ahead; garland flowers keep best in a cool spot. Put everything for the lamps in one box with matches and a lighter, so nobody searches at dusk.
Clay diyas look best in groups: line the doorstep, the windowsills and the edge of the rangoli. Set them on a metal tray or a tile, well away from curtains and coats, and keep one adult in charge of lighting them.
Box the sweets on Friday. Label each box with a name and what is inside, so guests leave with the right one and nothing is opened twice. Gift tags on wrapped presents do the same job for family gifts.
On the day: a kids' table that works
Children arrive excited and run out of things to do quickly. A small table with colouring pages of diyas, lanterns, rangoli and peacocks keeps them busy while the adults talk, and the finished pages make good decorations for the next day.
Keep it simple: pages, crayons or felt tips, and one adult who checks in every half hour. Put the table where you can see it from the kitchen.
A simple running order for the evening
- Morning: draw the rangoli, set out lamps on their trays.
- Afternoon: warm the food, lay the table, put out the menu card.
- Dusk: light the lamps before the first guests arrive.
- Evening: puja if your family keeps it, dinner, sweets, and boxes handed out at the door.
Frequently asked questions
When is Diwali in 2026?
The main evening of Diwali and Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November 2026 in the widely used New Delhi reference calendar. The five days run from Dhanteras on 6 November to Bhai Dooj on 11 November. Some regions mark the main day differently, so check your family's calendar.
How early should I send Diwali invitations?
About two weeks ahead is comfortable for a home gathering. For 8 November, that means sending them by Sunday 25 October.
How do I make a rangoli quickly?
Use a stencil for the outline, fill it from the centre outwards, and pick an easy fill such as coloured rice or petals. Practise once a week before, and keep the design to about 60 cm across.
What should go on a Diwali menu card?
List the starters, the main dishes, the sweets and the drinks, in that order. Hosts often add one line for dishes with nuts so guests can choose easily.
Next step
Fix the date and guest list tonight, and send the invitations this week. Everything else on this plan can wait until the day it is due.