Diwali in Rajasthan 2026: A City-by-City Guide to the Best Places to Celebrate

Diwali in Rajasthan is nothing short of magical Walk through Jaipur’s old city in the first week of November and you will see why Diwali in Rajasthan is worth planning a trip around. Shopfronts are wrapped in lights, havelis have been freshly painted, and families are out buying sweets and gold for Dhanteras on 6 November. The main Diwali day is Sunday, 8 November 2026, with Lakshmi Puja in the evening, and the celebrations carry on until Bhai Dooj on 11 November.

Those festival days feel different in every city. Jaipur is about its lit bazaars, Udaipur celebrates beside the lake, and Jodhpur and Jaisalmer keep it quiet and local. That variety is why travellers who ask for thebest places to celebrate Diwali in Indiaoften end up choosing Rajasthan.

If you would rather have the trip planned around the festival, WanderOn’s events and festival tour packages are a good place to start, and the rest of this guide helps you choose which Rajasthan city to spend Diwali in.

• Jaipur: Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and MI Road are lit from 1 November and are at their busiest from Dhanteras (6 November) until Diwali day, and Nahargarh Fort gives a wide sunset view of the lit old city.
• Udaipur: Lamps along Lake Pichola, evening aarti at Gangaur Ghat and Jagdish Temple, and the City Palace lit above the water.
• Nathdwara: The Shrinathji temple holds its Annakut offering on 9 November, a short drive from Udaipur.
• Jodhpur: Diyas on doorsteps in the blue old city, with Sardar Market busy with festive shopping.
• Jaisalmer: A quiet Diwali inside a living fort, where lamps bring out the glow of the golden sandstone.
• Pushkar: The camel fair opens about nine days after Diwali, so it suits a longer trip.

Diwali in 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, with Lakshmi Puja in the evening. As of 31 October 2026, the dates follow the Drik Panchang calendar for Jaipur, and Diwali in Rajasthan is a five-day festival.

Dhanteras is on Friday, 6 November, when families buy gold, silver and utensils. Choti Diwali follows on Saturday, 7 November. Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November, Govardhan Puja and Annakut are on Monday, 9 November, and Bhai Dooj closes the festival on Wednesday, 11 November.

The lunar days for Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj each run across two dates, so calendars set to other locations can differ by a day. For most travellers, 6 to 9 November is the stretch to plan around.

The festival here is shaped by the state’s trading families and its royal past, and that is what sets the Diwali celebration in Rajasthan apart from other states.

Marwari merchant families perform bahi-khata puja on Diwali evening, blessing new account books before Lakshmi and Ganesh as the business year begins. Annakut on Govardhan Puja day brings a large food offering to the deity, and the Shrinathji temple at Nathdwara, around 50 km from Udaipur, is among the best known places to see it.

Homes and havelis are whitewashed or repainted before the festival. Doorways and courtyards carry mandana, a folk art drawn in white patterns on red clay surfaces.

Diwali in Jaipur is best seen on foot. The old city is decorated for days before the festival, and the merchant associations of Johari, Bapu, Tripolia and Kishanpole bazaars each try to outshine the next.

Hawa Mahal and City Palace glow after dark, and sweet shops sell Rabri Ghevar, a crisp ghevar soaked in thick rabri that is a festive favourite. Plan the evenings for the markets and the days for the best places to visit in Jaipur near the old city, like City Palace, which sits right beside the bazaars.

For Jaipur Diwali lights, start with Johari Bazaar, the jewellery market, where shopfronts glow in warm gold. Jaipur marks its 300th anniversary in 2027, and the Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh has started the celebrations early with an 11-day heritage illumination from 1 to 11 November 2026, so the bazaars are lit well before Diwali.

Dhanteras evening (6 November) brings the heaviest crowds, as people buy gold and silver well past midnight. Bapu Bazaar, known for textiles and mojari, carries similar decorations. MI Road is a wide main road, so walking and enjoying the lights there is easier than in Johari Bazaar.

The lights are at their best from Dhanteras on 6 November through Diwali night on 8 November. Many shops close on the evening of 8 November for Lakshmi Puja, so the streets are quieter and the lights become the main sight.

Nahargarh Fort stands on the Aravalli ridge above Jaipur and looks over the whole city. Reach it before sunset and watch the old city light up below, with the bazaars and the City Palace area glowing after dark. Fort timings can change during festival week, so check the closing time with your hotel before you go.

Udaipur Diwali is centred on the lake, with less of the market rush you find in Jaipur. Lamps line the ghats of Lake Pichola, and the City Palace glows above the water after dark.

Evening aarti at Gangaur Ghat and Jagdish Temple adds to the mood, and a sunset boat ride shows the palace lights from the water. Nathdwara, around 50 km away, holds Annakut at the Shrinathji temple on Monday, 9 November.

Back in the city, try Malpua with Rabri, a rich sweet served through the festival week. Travellers planning a trip from Delhi can enjoy the lakes, the palaces and these festive evenings on our Udaipur group trip from Delhi.

These two cities are quieter than Jaipur and Udaipur and feel more local, which makes them a good pick if you want to avoid the crowds.

In Jodhpur, the festival is in the blue-washed old city below Mehrangarh Fort, where families light diyas on their doorsteps. Sardar Market, near the Ghanta Ghar clock tower, has festive shopping, and Gulab Jamun ki Sabzi (a sweet and savoury curry) is a local dish worth trying.

Jaisalmer is about 5.5 hours from Jodhpur by road. Families still live inside its fort, and the lamps at their doorways bring out the glow of the golden sandstone after dark. Both cities fit into a short break on our 4 Days Jodhpur Jaisalmer trip, which lets you enjoy the festive lamps in the old lanes of each.

The desert is the other draw here, and our Jaisalmer group trip pairs the fort’s festive evenings with a safari across the dunes. Sunset at Gadisar Lake is a calm way to end the day.

Pushkar is about 146 km from Jaipur. The Pushkar Mela 2026 runs from 17 to 24 November, with the camel trading and cultural events throughout the week and the main bathing day on Kartik Purnima, 24 November. That is around nine days after Diwali, so a longer trip lets you see Jaipur’s lit bazaars first and the fair after.

As of 2 November 2026, no Diwali order on cracker timings has been issued for Rajasthan, Jaipur included, so the national rules apply. Only green crackers sold by licensed sellers are allowed, and bursting is limited to 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali. Loud crackers are not allowed between 10 PM and 6 AM. Jaipur district has issued temporary sale licences from 12 October to 11 November 2026.

Even with these limits, some fireworks are usually heard across the city from 7 to 9 November, and 8 November is the loudest night.

Smoke and noise are higher in the walled city, so families with young children can watch from a rooftop or from a viewpoint like Nahargarh Fort.

Late October to mid November is a good time to travel in Rajasthan, as the weather is cool and pleasant. Hotels in Jaipur and lakeside stays in Udaipur get booked early for Diwali week, so reserve rooms and transport well ahead. Dress modestly at temples and keep an eye on your belongings in the crowded markets.

Three days, one city. Jaipur alone works well from 6 to 8 November. Spend Dhanteras evening in Johari Bazaar. On day two, see Amber Fort and City Palace in daylight and go up to Nahargarh for sunset. Keep Diwali night for the lit streets and Hawa Mahal after dark.

If Delhi and Agra come first, the7 Days Golden Triangle tour adds them to Jaipur’s festive evenings.

Six days, three cities. Start in Jaipur on 6 November and spend two nights there. Move to Jodhpur on 8 November for Diwali night in the old city, then to Udaipur on 9 November for two nights beside Lake Pichola.

Each road transfer takes five to six hours, so plan the day around it. For travellers with extra days, the 12 Days Royal Rajasthan tourgoes deeper into the state’s forts and palaces along the same route.

Beyond Rajasthan, the festive season carries on to Kartik Purnima. Dev Deepawali in Varanasi falls on 24 November 2026, when the ghats along the Ganga are lit with diyas.

Whichever route you pick, WanderOn’s group and customised Rajasthan tour packagestake care of the stays and transfers around the festival dates, so the only thing left to decide is which city you want to see lit up.