Are you looking for the best places to celebrate Diwali in London? If so, keep reading!
Diwali is a festival of light that is celebrated by numerous countries all over the world. Known as a celebration of good triumphing over evil, it’s no wonder that this festival is colourful, creative, and bright.
If you’re looking for the best places to celebrate Diwali in London, hopefully this list will give you some ideas!
What makes Diwali one of the most awesome festivals in the world, is that it’s just packed with positive energy.
Awesome firework displays and dancing are usually dotted around the city, and if you’re lucky, you’ll even be able to book into one of London’s most popular Indian restaurants for an amazing feast.
Finding the best places to celebrate Diwali in London isn’t hard, when you’ve got this list to hand!
If you have no idea where to start when it comes to finding the best places to celebrate Diwali in London, then we’ve got your back.
On our list, we’ve compiled some of the top spots in London to get your Diwali fix.
So, let’s jump in and explore the best places to celebrate Diwali in London!
Trafalgar Square
First on my list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London, it’s Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is a central London venue that always has something going on.
Whether that’s a protest or a cultural event, Trafalgar Square is one of London’s most popular places to be! If you’re looking to celebrate Diwali in London, then be sure to head down to Trafalgar Square as it truly is one of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
Known as one of the biggest Diwali celebrations each year (seeing about 30,000 visitors annually – yep, you read that right!), it’s certainly not one to be missed.
With musical performances, great workshops, and some truly delectable food stalls, this is one of our favourite places in London to celebrate Diwali.
Just be sure to come with an empty stomach – trust us on this one, you’ll want to fill up on the sweet and savoury treats on offer!
Wembley Park
Next on our list of places to celebrate Diwali in London, it’s Wembley Park!
This year, Wembley Park is inviting visitors to celebrate Diwali in London on Saturday October 1st.
The amazing event is free-to-attend, and it’s also family-friendly too, open to all, will include a wide range of dance and musical performances from the Brent community.
There are also amazing food options to enjoy (which we love!) and a mesmerising parade of lanterns designed by local children.
The event will run from 1pm onwards, with events on the main stage including Classical Indian Odissi Dance, Bollywood dancing, and a variety of performances from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir” (popularly known as ‘Neasden Temple’), Indian drumming and bhangra dancers from the Dhol Foundation.
It’s a must-visit event and definitely a place you should celebrate Diwali in London!
For more information and to reserve a place for Diwali at Wembley please visit https://wembleypark.com/diwali.
National Maritime Museum
Another one of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Usually held at the end of October, the National Maritime Museum’s Diwali events are some of the coolest around.
This year, the events are being held on Saturday 22 October, from 10am-7pm, and the events will include amazing music, crafts, singers, dancers and so much more.
Be sure to bring your dancing shoes, as you’ll be able to both watch and take part in some awesome Bollywood dancing!
Another reason that this is one of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London? There will be live performances from singer and digital artist Bishi, DJ collective Daytimers, and ‘Hybrid Bharatanatyam’ dancer Usha Jey.
If you aren’t much of a dancing queen (or king!), then you can still have a great time by eating, drinking, and checking out the museum’s Diwali-themed arts and crafts. It’s definitely one of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
Harrow
Harrow has an extensive Indian community, and that means that you’ll be treated to some excellent firework displays if you’re in the area!
Not only does there tend to be small bursts of light all night from personal firework displays, but Byron Park holds a great event at the beginning of November each year that sees Bollywood dancing, great food, and even better shopping opportunities.
If you’re feeling spirited, why not get a henna tattoo or some face paint? Go on, you know you want to!
Harrow is a fantastic place to celebrate Diwali in London, don’t miss it!
Neasden Temple
Neasden Temple is next on this list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London. It is one of London’s finest Hindu temples, so it’s unsurprising that it hosts some great Diwali celebrations.
Usually, Neasden temple hosts an all-day celebration, where the usually pale temple is transformed with lights and fireworks.
We promise, this is not a spot to leave off your list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London – it’s truly sensational! Be sure to keep an eye out for the main hall.
Each year this hall is decorated with flickering oil lamps for Diwali, and it really is a sight to behold.
Restaurants to celebrate Diwali in London
Though there are some excellent events held in London for Diwali, we wanted to touch on one of the most popular elements of the festival: the food!
The restaurants we’ve listed below are home to some of the best Indian food around and happen to have great themed menus too.
Some of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London are the amazing restaurants in the city!
Dishoom
Dishoom is one of London’s trendiest Indian restaurants and it’s next on this list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
Melding Indian street food with some interesting new concepts, it’s perfect for London hipsters who are looking to celebrate Diwali in style.
Around the dates of Diwali, Dishoom hosts events, special vegetarian menus, and even music sets from London-based Indian artists. Talk about dinner and show!
Trishna, Marylebone
Next on our list of places to celebrate Diwali in London, it’s Trishna, Marylebone.
This is one of the few Michelin-starred Indian restaurants in London, so you know this is going to be celebrating Diwali in London…. in style!
This beautiful and elegant restaurant offer incredible Indian food, and there will be an especially joyful atmosphere on during Diwali.
Kanishka
Kanishka in Mayfair is a pretty bougie option for a Diwali meal, so it makes our list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
Featuring great festive menus that tend to run over the Diwali period, it’s a great place to hit up if you’ve got the cash.
However, it’s not just the set menus and fantastic food that makes this restaurant worth visiting. They also tend to offer a great Diwali masterclass that teaches you how to make popular Indian treats. Cool, right?!
Farzi Café
Located in the center of Haymarket is Farzi Café, which is next on my list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
Now, this is an excellent restaurant at the best of times, but it really ramps things up for Diwali. The great thing about Farzi Café during Diwali is that it tends to feature a great signature platter.
With foods like malai paneer tikka, sweetcorn kebabs, and tandoori smoked jackfruit, it’s a vegetarian’s paradise.
Just be aware that these special Diwali menus only tend to be available for a set amount of time. So, if you’re feeling festive, be sure to book ahead!
Jamavar, Mayfair
Next on our list of places to celebrate Diwali in London, it’s Jamavar, Mayfair.
Jamavar in Mayfair is another wonderful fine dining concept, and it’s Indian food at it’s finest! This place is going to be a wonderful place to celebrate Diwali in London!
This place takes its name from the intricate 16th century lace shawls of Kashmir. Jamavar first opened at The Leela Palace Bengaluru in 2001, where it became renowned for its luxurious pan-Indian cuisine.
Cinnamon Kitchen
Another excellent choice if you’re celebrating Diwali in London is the Cinnamon Kitchen. What we love about this restaurant is that it has a great variety of special menus.
From awesome canapes to a full-on five course meal, Cinnamon Kitchen is a food lover’s paradise.
Look out for special Diwali menus; they tend to pop up every year and always feature some truly delicious eats. This is definitely one of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London.
We hope that our list of the best places to celebrate Diwali in London has been useful!
As you can see, there are so many great spots in the city to scope out for that special festival of lights. There are so many options for finding the best places to celebrate Diwali in London!
So, make sure you make a list, grab a tube map, and hit as many of these as you can!
