Celebrate 1000 lights! The Cities that turn into a Sea of light.
Authors / Photo source: Pexels.
Contents:
- Singapore: Diwali in Little India.
- Kuala Lumpur: A Public Holiday for Hari Deepavali.
- Mauritius: Diwali by the Ocean.
- Leicester: The Biggest Diwali Celebration Outside India.
- Trinidad and Tobago: Nine Days of Diwali at Divali Nagar.
- Fiji: Diwali with Fireworks on the Beach.
If you've never heard of Diwali, now's the time to find out - it arrives in early November 2026. For five days, cities turn into a sea of light: clay diya lamps outside every home, garlands strung over the streets, fireworks lighting up the sky. That's how Hindus and their diaspora around the world mark Diwali, or Deepavali - the victory of light over darkness. And you don't need to fly to India to see it: in a handful of countries, the festival unfolds on nearly the same scale, with public holidays declared, night markets popping up, and whole streets glowing with evening illuminations.
Singapore: Diwali in Little India.
Authors / Photo source: Unsplash.
The heart of Singapore's Diwali is Serangoon Road in Little India. Weeks before the festival, the street is strung with light displays shaped like elephants and peacocks, night markets selling sweets and spices line the pavements, and the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple fills with worshippers from early morning.
It's worth catching the light installations along Serangoon Road, browsing the Deepavali night bazaar for textiles and decorations, and joining the festive service at the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.
A private transfer from Changi Airport will take you straight to Little India - a car with driver goes right to your hotel, and by evening, Serangoon Road is just a short walk away.
Kuala Lumpur: A Public Holiday for Hari Deepavali.
Authors / Photo source: Pexels.
The pavements of Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur are covered in chalk rangoli for Diwali, known locally as Hari Deepavali, with garlands strung overhead. It's an official public holiday here, and by the tradition of open houses, families welcome neighbours of any faith into their homes for the day.
An airport transfer from Kuala Lumpur will take you straight to Brickfields - flights this time of year often land late at night, and a car with driver takes the guesswork out of getting there in the dark with luggage.
Mauritius: Diwali by the Ocean.
Authors / Photo source: Unsplash.
Across Mauritius, the evening of Diwali brings rows of clay lamps outside every home - local tradition holds that no house should go dark on this night, and by morning neighbours are trading sweets. The Indian diaspora makes up nearly half the population here, so for a visitor this isn't staged for tourists - it's simply part of everyday life.
A private transfer from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport will take you to a hotel on any stretch of the coast - and in the evening, it's a short drive to a nearby village where lamps glow outside every home.
Leicester: The Biggest Diwali Celebration Outside India.
Authors / Photo source: Visit Leicester (official).
Leicester, in England's East Midlands, hosts the largest Diwali celebration outside India, drawing visitors from across the UK. For several days, the Golden Mile - the main street of the city's Indian quarter - becomes the country's longest string of festival lights, and closing night ends with fireworks that pull in tens of thousands of spectators.
A taxi transfer from London's airports or East Midlands Airport will take you straight to central Leicester - book the car ahead of time so you're not tied to train schedules at the festival's peak.
Trinidad and Tobago: Nine Days of Diwali at Divali Nagar.
Authors / Photo source: Unsplash.
In Trinidad, Diwali stretches into a nine-day festival called Divali Nagar - a temporary "city" of craft stalls, music and dance stages, building to an evening when thousands of lamps are lit all at once. Trinidad is home to the largest Indian community in the Caribbean, which is why the celebration reaches this scale.
A private transfer will meet you at Piarco Airport and take you to your hotel in Port of Spain - from there, it's a taxi or rental-car ride to the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas.
Fiji: Diwali with Fireworks on the Beach.
Authors / Photo source: Unsplash.
Dinner and fireworks right on the beach close out the evening of Diwali in Fiji, after Hindu temples around Nadi are strung with garlands and lamps for the day. Indo-Fijians make up a significant share of the population here, and Diwali is a national holiday.
A car with driver from Nadi International Airport will take you to a hotel on the Denarau coast - just minutes from the evening's celebrations in town.
Diwali is worth seeing beyond India too: each of these places brings its own atmosphere, from cosmopolitan Singapore to Caribbean Trinidad. The festival's dates shift every year with the lunar calendar, so it's worth confirming flights and private transfers ahead of time - along with where you'll be staying for the celebrations.
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Read also: Light Shows and Lantern Festivals in Asia.
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Golovanov Alex & Intui travel
