Nov 15, 2026
Diwali at the Field Museum 2026
Field Museum lists its second annual Diwali Sunday, November 15, 2026, 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. at 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Programming is included with regular museum admission.
The Field Museum is listing Celebrate Diwali for Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. at 1400 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive. All ages. Programming is included with regular museum admission. Last museum entry is 4:00 p.m. on ordinary days, so do not treat 5:00 as a late walk-up for the whole building.
This is the museum's second annual Diwali afternoon. The Field page names classical Bharatanatyam from Mandala Arts, raas-garba from U Chicago Raas, Bollywood and folk dance from Rhythm Roots, and a set from the Latin School of Chicago's Latin Laddoos. Local community tables and a free henna station sit around the performances. Parul L. Bhandari is listed as the supporting partner for the day.
Two timed rooms are printed. Rooted in Nature, an Ayurveda conversation with Dr. Avanti Kumar Singh and Dr. Keshav Grover, is in the Founders' Room on the main level from 2:00 to 2:55 p.m. The Science of Light diya workshop with Vipanchi Raghu Chattopadhyay is in the Grainger Science Hub; decorate a diya to take home. Arrive early for workshop capacity. Those rooms are part of the same admission ticket, not a second upsell on the event page.
Kalapriya already covered the short South Loop park afternoon on November 7. ISKCON Naperville held the holiday temple night on November 8. JASC Holiday Delight is the free Japanese American festival on Lincoln Avenue the day before this Field date. Stack Saturday at JASC and Sunday at the Field if you want two different Chicago diasporas in one weekend without leaving the city.
Who this is for: families who already planned a Field visit, and anyone who wants museum-grade South Asian programming a week after Diwali day. Skip it if you needed a free community door. JASC is free on Saturday. The Field still costs whatever admission you owe that day.
Buy or reserve Field tickets the usual way before you drive to Museum Campus. Parking and CTA plans are the ordinary Field problem, louder on a Sunday with a special program. Check the live Field Diwali page the morning of for any room changes.
When: November 15, 2026 (12:30–5:00 p.m.; museum last entry 4:00 p.m.)
Where: Field Museum, 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
Event page at fieldmuseum.org.
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