Is Diwali Celebrated in Kerala? Deepavali in Kochi, Explained

Yes, Diwali is celebrated in Kerala, where it is often called Deepavali, and it is on the state's list of public holidays, but it is a far more subdued occasion than in north India. In 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November. Under the rule Kerala announced in October 2024, firecrackers were allowed only between 8 pm and 10 pm on Deepavali, and only green crackers could be sold. In Kochi, the place to see Diwali is Mattancherry, home to much of the city's Gujarati community.

• Is Diwali a holiday in Kerala?
• Which state doesn't celebrate Diwali?
• Where does Kochi celebrate Diwali?
• What are the firecracker rules in Kerala?
• Diwali 2026 dates

Is Diwali a holiday in Kerala?

Yes. Deepavali appears on Kerala's list of public holidays. The catch in 2026 is the calendar: the holiday falls on Sunday 8 November, a day most offices are shut anyway.

Which state doesn't celebrate Diwali?

Kerala is often the answer people give, and it is only half right. Deepavali is marked here, just not on the north Indian scale. A Deccan Herald opinion piece in October 2025 put it plainly: Diwali is not celebrated in Kerala or Kashmir with the same gusto as in the north, west and east of India. Our view is that this is no bad thing; Kerala has its own festival calendar, and it does not need to borrow someone else's.

Writing in The South First in 2023, journalist Majnu Babu offered three reasons:

• A different story: in Kerala, Deepavali marks Krishna's defeat of the demon Narakasura, not Rama's return to Ayodhya.
• Bigger festivals: Onam and Vishu see more celebration than Deepavali.
• The farming year: after Onam, farmers plant new crops and have little to spare for a grand Deepavali.

Onam, for its part, is the official festival of the state. The Narakasura story also explains a date quirk you may notice with Tamil neighbours: in most years, Tamil Nadu traditionally celebrates Deepavali on Naraka Chaturdashi itself, a day before the new-moon night that most of India uses.

Where does Kochi celebrate Diwali?

Go to Mattancherry. Merchants from Gujarat have been settling in Kochi since at least the nineteenth century, and Mattancherry is home to much of the community, as well as to Gujarati Street, a cultural landmark for Keralite Gujaratis. Its landmark is Shantilal S Mithaiwala, a sweet shop founded in 1953 and run by the same Gujarati family for three generations. When Onmanorama visited at Diwali in 2018, it reported strong demand for its boxes of assorted sweets and for jalebis, from customers spread across Kerala.

• For sweets: Gujarati Street, Mattancherry, in the days before Diwali.
• For history: the Dharmanath Jain temple in Mattancherry, dating from 1904.
• For the rest of the old town: pair it with a walk through Mattancherry and Fort Kochi.

Our Fort Kochi vs Mattancherry guide helps you plan the area, and the Mattancherry heritage walk covers what to see on foot.

What are the firecracker rules in Kerala?

In October 2024 the Kerala government restricted firecrackers to 8 pm to 10 pm on Deepavali, and to 11.55 pm to 12.30 am on Christmas and New Year, and allowed only green crackers to be sold. The order followed a communication from the State Pollution Control Board on the state's air quality, and a National Green Tribunal direction that limits areas with moderate or poorer air quality to green crackers and a two-hour window. Before Deepavali each year, check whether the government has re-issued or changed the window rather than assuming the 2024 timings still apply.

Diwali 2026 dates

What	Date
Diwali (Deepavali) public holiday, Kerala	Sunday 8 November 2026
Cracker window under the 2024 state order	8 pm to 10 pm

For the rest of the year's festivals, see our Kochi festivals calendar, or browse more in Lifestyle.