Diwali in Glasgow: How the City Celebrates the Festival of Lights
Diwali arrives in the darkest stretch of the Glasgow year. That is exactly the point.
The main night in 2026 is Sunday 8 November, and the five day festival begins on Friday 6 November. At Madras Cafe, the Indian restaurant on Stockwell Street in Glasgow city centre, we cook food from across India, and Diwali is one of the few festivals where the food matters as much as the lights. Here is how Glasgow marks it, and what ends up on the table.
What the lights are for
The name comes from Sanskrit and means a row of lights. That is why small clay oil lamps, called diyas, are lit at dusk, and why doorways and hallways are decorated with rangoli, colourful floor patterns made from rice, sand or flower petals, as Historic Environment Scotland explains. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, most Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists, and each tradition has its own story behind it. The shared idea is light over darkness and good over evil.
For Sikhs, the same days are Bandi Chhor Divas, which remembers the release of Guru Hargobind from Gwalior Fort. It is marked with lit homes and gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship), processions and langar, the free community meal, according to Wikipedia's account of the festival, which also gives 8 November as the 2026 date.
How Diwali found its way to Glasgow
Diwali has been celebrated in Scotland since the 1950s, and for the first families and students it was a small affair held at home. As communities grew, gatherings moved from front rooms to rented halls. By the 1960s, student societies were bringing people together for festivals in Glasgow, and the city's first gurdwara, set up in 1954, was a top floor tenement flat. All of that comes from Historic Environment Scotland's history of Diwali in Scotland.
Today there is no single Diwali in Glasgow. It is spread across the city.
The temple. Hindu Mandir Glasgow, at 1 La Belle Place, began in 1971 when money raised by a group of Hindu women bought a building on Great George Street. It says it is open to everyone, members or not, and asks visitors to check its news page before a festival for timings and langar.
Community associations. Glasgow Tamil Sangam held its Diwali celebration at Maryhill Community Centre on 11 November 2023, with more than 400 people, food, dancing and singing, according to a Scottish Parliament motion. In November 2025 the Scottish Indian Cultural and Festival Committee held a celebration with performances and traditional food, which the Consulate General of India in Edinburgh attended.
Students. The Strathclyde Indian Students' Association's 2021 night had dances, bingo, a catered buffet and a group playing dhol drums and bagpipes in the same medley, as the Strathclyde Telegraph reported. A University of Glasgow student from Mumbai wrote in 2025 about visiting the Hindu Mandir on Diwali day and then joining a Desi Society celebration, in a student blog from the university.
George Square. The city centre has hosted it too. Diwali in the Square first ran in 2009, drew more than 3,000 visitors despite torrential rain, and returned in 2010 with music, dancing, stalls and food from 1pm to 7pm, according to an Evening Times report republished by SikhNet.
Programmes change from year to year and are usually announced close to the day, so check each organiser's own page for 2026 details before you head out.
The sweets at the centre of it
Ask what Diwali tastes like and the answer is mithai, the Indian sweets that families make, buy and give to each other. Food Republic notes that families often gather beforehand to make large batches. Unlike Western sweets, which lean on sugar and butter, mithai is built from flours, rice, legumes, milk and ghee, scented with cardamom or saffron, and served in small bites. Barfi is a milk-based sweet, often with nuts and cardamom. Gulab jamun are fried dough balls in a syrup scented with cardamom, saffron and rosewater, and best served warm. Historic Environment Scotland mentions barfi and gulab jamun specifically as sweets made to give as offerings and then eaten with meals.
There are hundreds of mithai, and there is no single Diwali menu. Some are favourites across India, and others belong to one region or one family.
Eating Diwali style on Stockwell Street
Diwali is about gathering, so the food that suits it is food that is shared.
Our Gulab Jamun is soft milk dumplings soaked in rose-flavoured sugar syrup, served warm with vanilla ice cream made from Scottish milk and double cream. It is the closest thing on our menu to a Diwali sweet. The Sweet Rose Lassi, made with a traditional flower and herb syrup, and the Honey Mango Lassi, with mango, cardamom and honey, carry the same perfumed flavours into a glass. The Mango Peshwari Naan, a bread stuffed with mango-infused coconut, does the same job at the main course.
For the savoury side, a table for four can start with our Sharing Platter of Grilled Masala Wings, Vegetable Pakoda, Aloo Tikki and Chicken Tikka, then pass the mains around. If your group is vegetarian, our guide to vegetarian Indian food in Glasgow covers what to order.
We are on Stockwell Street, a short walk from Glasgow Central Station. You can book a table here, and more stories like this live on our Food Stories page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Diwali 2026?
The main night is Sunday 8 November 2026. The five day festival begins on Friday 6 November, and exact observances vary by region and household.
Are there Diwali celebrations in Glasgow?
Yes. They are spread across the Hindu Mandir on La Belle Place, community associations and university societies. Programmes change each year, so check the organisers' own pages.
What do people eat at Diwali?
Sweets called mithai are at the centre of it, including barfi, laddoo and gulab jamun. Families also cook and share meals, and traditions vary by region and household.
Do Sikhs celebrate Diwali?
Many Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas at the same time. It remembers the release of Guru Hargobind from Gwalior Fort and is celebrated with lamps, processions and langar.
Where can I try gulab jamun in Glasgow?
Madras Cafe on Stockwell Street serves it warm, with vanilla ice cream made from Scottish milk and double cream.