Walk Into the Light on Serangoon Road
It is just after seven in the evening and Serangoon Road has turned gold. Strings of bulbs run the length of the street, and above the traffic the arches carry peacock motifs, tails fanned, lit from within. Campbell Lane smells of jaggery and frying dough, of jasmine and sandalwood, of cardboard cartons newly opened. Crowds move slowly past stalls stacked with silk, brass and marigold garlands, and somewhere ahead a drum troupe is warming up. This is Deepavali in Little India, and in 2026 the festival itself falls on Sunday, 8 November — which means the whole of October and the first week of November is one long, lit runway toward it.
Follow the Light-Up Along Birch Road and Serangoon Road
The Little India Deepavali Street Light-Up is the spine of the season, an annual installation running along Birch Road and Serangoon Road with those peacock decorations arching over the traffic. The lights come on daily from roughly 7pm to midnight, so the best viewing is after dark, when the shopfronts glow underneath them. The official light-up ceremony takes place on 3 October 2026 with music and dance performances, and it is free to attend. Treat the first week of October as your cue: from then until the festival, an evening walk down Serangoon Road is the single most reliable thing you can do.
Shop and Eat Your Way Through the Festival Village
From 10 October to 8 November 2026, Campbell Lane becomes the Deepavali Festival Village and bazaar — a run of stalls selling snacks, crafts, traditional clothing and decorations, with cultural performances threaded through the programme. Entry is free. Come hungry and come unhurried: this is where you buy your oil lamps, your garlands, your gifts, and where you eat standing up between stalls. Pair the bazaar with a stop at Tekka Market as part of the AR/VR Heritage Walk, which also takes in the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, a site dating to the 1880s, and Little India Arcade. Those headset-guided walks run on Saturdays from 10 October to 7 November 2026 at 6pm, cost $15 per person ($10 for students, free for seniors), and include a digital souvenir album.
Make Something With Your Hands
The festival programme is unusually hands-on, and the workshops fill the daytime hours before the lights come on. At Tekka Place you can engrave your own Kuthuvilakku — the traditional oil lamp that stands for light, prosperity and auspiciousness — using pattern hammering and etching, on 10 and 24 October 2026 from 10am to 1pm for $10 per person. The same venue hosts a Clay Diya Painting Workshop on 17 and 31 October, 2pm to 4pm, where you decorate terracotta diyas with acrylic paints, gilding paste and rhinestones and learn the symbolism of the peacock, lotus and kolam motifs; it is free with registration. On Campbell Lane, a chef-led Spice Blending Masterclass on 17 and 31 October, 11am to 1pm, has you making garam masala and sambar powder, tasting as you go, and taking home blends and recipe cards for $8 per person.
Spend Your Evenings at Concerts and Open Houses
Sangeetham Under the Stars brings free live music to the Campbell Lane Open Stage on 17 and 31 October 2026, 8pm to 10pm, moving through Carnatic classical, fusion and Bollywood across the two nights — arrive early enough to hear the first set from the front. For a different view of the lights entirely, the Deepavali Big Bus Tour runs guided evening trips through Little India and the bazaar on 10, 17, 24 and 31 October and 7, 13, 21 and 28 November 2026, departing at 7pm and 8pm, picking up at Orchard Hotel and dropping off on Race Course Road, at $12 per person with a $5 restaurant voucher included. On 1 November 2026, The Istana holds its Deepavali Open House from 9.30am to 8pm, with cultural performances, food, family activities and guided tours for an extra fee; entry is free for Singaporeans, permanent residents and children under four, otherwise $20 per adult and $10 per child, with tickets sold only at the Istana Main Gate on the day. The Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane holds a carnival open house around Deepavali with craft activities, carnival games, live performances, cultural workshops and a festive market — free, with dates to be confirmed closer to the time.
Time Your Trip and Plan the Days Around It
Aim to be in Little India on an evening in mid-to-late October, when the light-up, the bazaar and the weekend workshops and concerts are all running at once, then return for the final stretch before Sunday, 8 November. Base yourself within walking distance of Serangoon Road and Campbell Lane so you can drift between the bazaar, the open stage and the temples without watching the clock. Because these events are organised by different groups, check with individual organisers before you travel in case of changes or cancellations — and then book the workshop slots you want, since several are free with registration and the paid ones run from $8 to $20. Start with the light-up ceremony on 3 October, build your evenings around Campbell Lane, and let the festival carry you to the eighth of November.