Walk into the light-up on Serangoon Road
It is just past seven in the evening and Birch Road is glowing. Peacocks arch overhead along Serangoon Road, strung in lights that switch on daily from about 7pm until midnight, and the pavement below is thick with people moving between stalls. Somewhere ahead, a vendor is weighing out traditional snacks; to your left, racks of Indian ethnic wear and jewellery spill out of the festival bazaar that runs along Campbell Lane and Hastings Road. This is Little India in Deepavali season, and the whole district becomes the centre of the celebration. Deepavali itself falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, marking the victory of good over evil in the Hindu calendar, but the streets are alive for weeks before.
The light-up ceremony on 3 October 2026 opens the season with festive music and dance performances, and it is free to attend. From then on, the lights are your evening anchor: come back at different hours and the crowds, the music drifting from the open stage, and the smell of food from the bazaars shift around you.
Eat and shop your way down Campbell Lane
The Deepavali Festival Village takes over Campbell Lane from 10 October to 8 November 2026, free to enter, with stalls selling snacks, crafts, traditional clothing and decorations, plus cultural performances through the season. Treat it as your base: graze as you go, then carry your purchases into the surrounding streets.
- Pick up traditional snacks and festival treats from the bazaar stalls along Campbell Lane and Hastings Road.
- Browse Indian ethnic wear, jewellery and home decorations in the same market strip.
- Time your visit for the evening, when the lights are on and the performances begin.
Hear Carnatic music under the open sky
On 17 and 31 October 2026, the Campbell Lane Open Stage hosts Sangeetham Under the Stars from 8pm to 10pm, free. Local artists perform Carnatic classical, fusion and Bollywood music, and the setting — an open stage in the middle of the bazaar — makes it easy to drift in for a set and stay for the next. Pair it with an early dinner from the stalls and you have an evening that needs no ticket.
Make something with your hands: lamps, spices and diyas
The festival programme is unusually hands-on, and most of it costs little or nothing.
- Brass Lamp Engraving Workshop — 10 and 24 October 2026, 10am–1pm at Tekka Place, $10 per person. You make a Kuthuvilakku, the traditional oil lamp symbolising light, prosperity and auspiciousness, using pattern hammering and etching.
- Spice Blending Masterclass — 17 and 31 October 2026, 11am–1pm at Campbell Lane, $8 per person. A local chef leads you through making garam masala and sambar powder, with tasting, take-home blends and recipe cards.
- Clay Diya Painting Workshop — 17 and 31 October 2026, 2pm–4pm at Tekka Place, free with registration. Decorate terracotta diyas and learn the symbolism of the peacock, lotus and kolam motifs.
- AR/VR Heritage Walk "Journey Through Time" — Saturdays from 10 October to 7 November 2026, 6pm, starting at Tekka Market and Little India Arcade. $15 per person, $10 per student, free for seniors; the route covers Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, which dates to the 1880s, and includes a digital souvenir album.
Ride the lights by bus, then step into the Istana
The Deepavali Big Bus Tour runs guided evening tours through Little India and the bazaar to view the light-up, departing at 7pm and 8pm on 10, 17, 24 and 31 October and 7, 13, 21 and 28 November 2026. It costs $12 per person, includes a $5 restaurant voucher, picks up at Orchard Hotel and drops off at Race Course Road — a straightforward way to see the decorations if you would rather sit back than navigate the crowds.
For a different kind of day out, the Istana Open House on 1 November 2026 runs 9.30am–8pm, with cultural performances, food and family activities on the grounds. Entry is free for Singaporeans, PRs and children under four; otherwise $20 per adult and $10 per child. Guided tours cost extra, and tickets are sold only at the Istana Main Gate on the day.
Check the carnival, and plan around the date
The Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane holds a free Deepavali open house carnival, usually with craft activities, carnival games, live performances, cultural workshops on the story of Deepavali and a festive market. Dates for 2026 are to be confirmed, so check before you build a day around it — as you should for any of the externally organised events, which can change or be cancelled.
Book your accommodation near Little India so the lights, the bazaars and the open-air concerts are a walk away, and keep 8 November itself clear for the festival proper. Then start with the workshop dates in October: the paid sessions run from $8 to $20, several activities are free, and the ones you want will shape the rest of your trip.