Deepavali in Singapore

13 October 2026 · Tutor Circle

Deepavali is Sunday, 8 November 2026, with Monday, 9 November as the public holiday, and Thursday, 28 October 2027, when the festival and the public holiday are the same day. Both dates fall inside MOE Term 4, so school is closed on the weekday. The street celebration is in Little India.

Families walking a shophouse street at dusk with oil lamps, fairy lights and a kolam on the pavement — In Singapore the public celebration is in Little India. The weekday off school is 9 November 2026, and 28 October 2027.

2026: Sunday, 8 November. Monday, 9 November is the public holiday and a school day off
2027: Thursday, 28 October, public holiday and school closure, inside Term 4
What it is: The Hindu festival of lights, one of Singapore’s 11 gazetted public holidays
Where: Little India, Serangoon Road, Little India MRT. Indian Heritage Centre, 5 Campbell Lane
With children: Morning for the bazaar and a temple visit. Evening for the lights, if the child can handle the crowd
School terms: Full term dates are on the 2026 and 2027 holiday pages

2026 and 2027 dates

MOM gazettes 11 public holidays a year. Deepavali is one of them. The date moves because the festival follows a lunar calendar. [1] [2]

Table 1. Deepavali against the MOE primary and secondary calendar. Sources: MOM public-holiday releases; MOE term dates.
Year	Festival day	Weekday off	School
2026	Sun 8 Nov	Mon 9 Nov, public holiday	Term 4. Schools closed on Monday. Sunday is already a weekend
2027	Thu 28 Oct	Thu 28 Oct, the festival itself	Term 4. Schools closed on Thursday

How many days after Term 4 starts Deepavali falls

2026

56 days

2027

45 days

Term 4 in 2026 starts on 14 September, and the Monday public holiday is 9 November, 56 days later. Term 4 in 2027 starts on 13 September, and Deepavali is 28 October, 45 days later. The chart is a planning gap, not a school rule. Sources: MOE term starts and MOM dates.

Count check: 14 September to 9 November 2026 is 56 days. 13 September to 28 October 2027 is 45 days. PSLE papers, if they fall in late September or early October, come before Deepavali. Confirm the year on SEAB.

School, work, and childcare

Employees covered by the Employment Act are entitled to the 11 paid public holidays on MOM’s list. In 2026 the gazetted weekday is Monday, 9 November, because the festival is a Sunday. In 2027 the gazetted day is the Thursday of the festival. [1] [2]

MOE schools are closed on that weekday. [3] A secondary student and a primary student both have the day off. Children’s Day is a different, primary-only holiday earlier in October. The full lists are on the 2026 and 2027 pages.

An infant care or childcare centre does not have to close because the primary school does. Ask the centre in September. The licensing and subsidy rules are on the infant care page.

What families actually do

Deepavali is the festival of lights. Homes that observe it are cleaned beforehand. The morning often starts with an oil bath, new clothes, prayers, and a kolam, the rice-flour pattern at the door. Lamps are lit. Sweets are shared with neighbours. None of that requires a booking.

Regional stories differ. Some families tell the return of Rama to Ayodhya. Others mark Krishna’s victory over Narakasura. You do not need to pick a single version to take a child. The part a primary child can join is the lamps, the clothes, the kolam, and the food.

A kolam needs rice flour or coloured powder, a swept floor, and about twenty minutes. A balcony works if the corridor is shared.
Lamps: a small LED tea light is enough in an HDB corridor. An open flame needs a holder and a grown-up in the room.
New clothes are the custom. The bazaar in Little India in the week before is cheaper and more crowded than on the day.
Sweets from a bakery the family already trusts. A child with a nut or milk allergy needs the ingredient list, including mithai that look plain.

Little India with children

A child and an adult drawing a rice-flour kolam on a tiled doorstep, with clay oil lamps beside them — A kolam and a few lamps at the door are the part of Deepavali a child can join at home, before the street lights.

The public lights run along Serangoon Road and the streets off it. Little India MRT, on the Downtown and North East lines, is the simplest arrival. The Indian Heritage Centre is at 5 Campbell Lane, a short walk from the station, and it is the place to take a child when the street is too loud or the rain starts. [4]

Table 2. A Deepavali outing with children, in the order that usually works.
When	What	Why this slot
Week before	Bazaar for clothes and sweets	The eve and the day itself are the crush
Morning of the holiday	Temple, then the Heritage Centre	Cooler, shorter queues, prayers still going
Late afternoon	Serangoon Road lights	The photograph. Leave if the child is done
If it storms	Heritage Centre, or home lamps	The street has little shelter

Strollers fit the MRT and struggle on a festival pavement. A carrier, or a child who can walk and be carried, is the more honest plan. Eat before you go. A hungry child and a packed banana-leaf queue end the outing.

If the holiday Monday is a long weekend and you want a second day that is not a crowd, the Jurassic Mile is outdoors and free to walk, and an indoor playground takes the rain. The weekend planner is here: things to do this weekend.

Temple visit

Before you step in

Shoes off at the rack. Socks are fine. Watch a toddler near the step.
Shoulders and knees covered. A spare T-shirt in the bag saves a turnaround.
Phones down in the sanctum unless a steward has said photographs are fine.
A child can hold a flower or a sweet that is offered. They follow the adult’s cue on whether to eat it there.
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on Serangoon Road is the one most families can find on foot from the MRT. Check that temple’s notice for the day’s crowd and any timed entry.

A school day off is also a day a Primary 5 or 6 child can use for one paper, then the outing. English Paper 1, including situational writing, is the piece that improves with a single marked practice. The method is on the situational writing page.

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Questions parents ask

When is Deepavali in 2026 and 2027?

Deepavali is Sunday, 8 November 2026. Because it falls on a Sunday, Monday, 9 November 2026 is a public holiday. In 2027, Deepavali is Thursday, 28 October, and that Thursday is the public holiday. MOM gazettes the dates. Hindu festival dates follow the lunar calendar, so the weekday changes every year.

Is Deepavali a school holiday in Singapore?

Yes when the public holiday falls on a school day. In 2026, Monday 9 November is inside Term 4, so MOE schools are closed that Monday. The festival itself is the Sunday. In 2027, Thursday 28 October is inside Term 4, so schools are closed on the festival day. ECDA infant care and childcare centres set their own closure days.

What is Deepavali?

Deepavali, also called Diwali, is the Hindu festival of lights. In Singapore it is one of the 11 gazetted public holidays. Households that observe it mark the victory of light over darkness with prayers, an oil bath, new clothes, a kolam at the door, lamps, and sweets. The public lights and bazaar are in Little India.

Where should families go on Deepavali?

Little India, around Serangoon Road, near Little India MRT. The Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane runs cultural programmes and is the indoor stop if the street is packed or the weather turns. Go in the morning with a stroller. The evening lights are the photograph, and the pavements are crowded.

Can non-Hindu families join in?

The street lights, bazaar and museum are public. A temple has its own rules: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, and ask before you photograph the sanctum. A child can stand with the family at the side of a hall. Follow the stewards if a queue is in place for the deity.

Sources

Holiday dates are from MOM. School-term placement is from MOE’s calendar. The Indian Heritage Centre is the National Heritage Board museum in Little India. Household customs described here are the ones families in Singapore commonly keep. A temple’s own notice overrides a general etiquette list.

Ministry of Manpower, public holidays. Deepavali 2026 is Sunday, 8 November, and Monday, 9 November is a public holiday for an employee whose rest day is that Sunday. MOM’s 16 June 2025 release lists Monday, 9 November 2026 as a public holiday. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/public-holidays
Ministry of Manpower, “Public Holidays for 2027,” 18 June 2026. Deepavali is Thursday, 28 October 2027. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/2026/0618-public-holidays-for-2027
Ministry of Education, school terms for 2026 and 2027. In 2026, Monday 9 November falls in Term 4 (14 September to 20 November). In 2027, Thursday 28 October falls in Term 4 (13 September to 19 November). Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.moe.gov.sg/calendar
Indian Heritage Centre, National Heritage Board, 5 Campbell Lane, in Little India. The centre is the museum stop for families who want an indoor account of Indian heritage beside the street festival. Check the centre’s own page for that year’s Deepavali programme and opening hours. Accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.indianheritagecentre.gov.sg/