Diwali in Mumbai has a Maharashtrian shape and a Gujarati commercial one running side by side. The Maharashtrian version has the abhyang snan — the ritual oil bath before dawn on Narak Chaturdashi — and faral, the box of home-made sweets and savouries that every household makes and exchanges: chakli, chivda, shankarpali, karanji, ladoo.
The Gujarati and Marwari trading houses close their books on Diwali, do Chopda Pujan on Lakshmi Puja, and open new ones on Bestu Varas the next day. Burrabazar’s Mumbai equivalents — Kalbadevi, Zaveri Bazaar, Masjid Bunder — run at full stretch for the fortnight before.
The names
Places, groups and events| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Diwali Pahat1990s | Shivaji Park, Girgaon, Thane | Pre-dawn classical and semi-classical music concerts held through Diwali week; free and very well attended. |
| Abhyang snan | Maharashtrian homes | The ritual oil bath before dawn on Narak Chaturdashi. |
| Faral | every Maharashtrian home | Chakli, chivda, shankarpali, karanji, ladoo; made at home and exchanged between households. |
| Akash kandil | Dadar, Matunga, Girgaon | The paper and bamboo lanterns; the street markets for them run for a fortnight. |
| Chopda Pujan | Kalbadevi, Zaveri Bazaar | The trading houses’ worship of the account books on Lakshmi Puja. |
| Bestu Varas | city-wide | The Gujarati new year, the day after; new books opened. |
| Zaveri Bazaar1860s | Kalbadevi | Gold buying peaks on Dhanteras; the market is at its busiest of the year. |
| Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar | south Mumbai | Lanterns, decoration, mithai and the wholesale festival trade. |
| Dadar market | Dadar West | Flowers, lanterns and faral ingredients; extremely crowded. |
| Mithai and farsan shops | Vile Parle, Ghatkopar, Borivali | The heaviest single trading fortnight of their year. |
| Firecracker restrictions2010s | city-wide | Time limits and green-cracker rules, enforced with varying success. |
Worth knowing
- Diwali Pahat concerts are free, start before dawn, and are one of the best things in the Mumbai year.
- Faral is made at home and exchanged; buying it is a modern shortcut.
- Dhanteras is when Zaveri Bazaar has its biggest day of the year.
- Order mithai and farsan two to three weeks ahead.
- The trading communities open new account books on Bestu Varas, the day after.
The other festivals
Read the city another way
A note on this page. Festival dates move with the lunar calendar and arrangements change every year. Everything here is a snapshot of Mumbai as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check timings, routes and darshan rules before you travel.
Mandal, temple, shop and company names belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.
Our other websites
These open our other sites in a new tab. They are part of the same network and are marked in blue throughout this site.