Oct 24, 2026
Diwali at Times Square 2026
Diwali at Times Square returns Saturday, October 24, 2026, on Broadway between 46th and 48th Street. The free 11th edition includes a diya countdown on One Times Square.
Free admission
Diwali at Times Square is Saturday, October 24, 2026, on Broadway between 46th and 48th Street.
This is the 11th edition. The official site locks the date and the block. I Love NY lists it as free and family-friendly, with live dance, a kids zone, and a diya lighting countdown on the One Times Square tower. The Consulate of India is a named partner. New York City has partnered on the festival since 2024. In 2023 the city named a Diwali at Times Square Day, and Diwali became an official NYC public-school holiday that year. If you have kids, the kids zone is the practical reason to go early. If you do not, the tower lighting is the reason to stay late.
The official page still has not posted 2026 hours or a headliner card. Aggregators have guessed afternoon-to-evening windows. Ignore those until the organizer does. The countdown is the thing you can actually plan around once they publish a time.
Past bills have included Mika Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, and Shannon K. Do not treat those names as this year's stage. Come for the plaza and the tower, or wait for the lineup.
Two weeks earlier, Times Square Durga Utsav uses Father Duffy Square on the same stretch. That weekend is the Bengali puja. This Saturday is the city Diwali. Actual Diwali night is November 8. Flushing Town Hall is November 1 if you want a seated Queens afternoon instead of a Midtown crush. Asia Society and Edison land the Saturday before the holiday.
The same Saturday, JAPAN Fes is at Astor Place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That is a downtown street-food day. You can do both only if you leave Times Square early or skip the tower.
N, Q, R, W or 1/2/3 to Times Square. There is no good parking story. The island is loud. If you have small kids, use the kids zone and leave before the late crush, or come only for the tower lighting.
Our take: go if you want the public, photogenic Diwali. Skip it if crowds make you miserable. The temple and Flushing dates will still be there in November.
When: October 24, 2026. Free. Confirm hours on the official page the week of.
Where: Broadway between 46th and 48th St, Times Square, New York, NY
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