Diwali Fest Vancouver

The Lower Mainland celebrates the Diwali Festival in autumn with South Asian cultural celebrations in Vancouver, Surrey and elsewhere.

2025 marks the 22nd anniversary of Diwali Fest. There are a few events happening in October this year. Additional details are below.

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Diwali Festival in Metro Vancouver in 2025

Diwali Fest events throughout the region typically include plays, storytelling, music and dance performances. In 2025 the celebrations take place on select dates between October 5th and 19th.

In addition to “official” festival events, Diwali-themed boat parties usually take place in Vancouver too, and 2025 is no exception.

What is Diwali Fest?

Diwali is an annual Hindu festival of lights celebrated in the fall sometime between mid-October and mid-November. It’s one of the largest and most important festivals in India. People celebrate the festival with small clay lamps and other traditional art forms that symbolize the triumph of good over evil.

In Vancouver, the Diwali Celebration Society hosts Diwali Fest with the aim of uniting people from different cultures through celebratory events.

Diwali Fest is an arts and culture festival that provides an opportunity to experience different elements of South Asian culture. Spread out over a couple weeks (or sometimes up to a month-and-a-half) across the Lower Mainland, it’s a fair-sized festival made up of smaller individual events. Some of the events are free, or admission by donation.

Indian Diwalli Dancer — A Dancer at Diwali Fest Vancouver

Diwali Events

Numerous events take place over the course of Diwali Fest this year, including in Surrey, Coquitlam and New Westminster. All are free events (or by donation). They feature dance performances, live music, ethnic foods and a wide variety of both contemporary and classical Indian and South Asian culture. Diwali-themed dance parties also take place most years.

Diwali in Vancouver

Although not official “Diwali Festival” events, most years there are Diwali-themed boat parties hosted by Vancouver Boat Parties.

In 2025 there’s the Diwali Fusion Bollywood Boat Party on Sunday, October 18th. It’s an adults-only (ages 19+) cruise on the Burrard Queen vessel, which departs from False Creek at 760 Pacific Boulevard.

The party runs from 8:00 pm until midnight with three hours of sailing. There’s lots of dancing to Bollywood-style music, and there’s also a licensed bar onboard. Indian attire is encouraged. Admission costs between $40 and $75 depending on how far in advance you buy your tickets.

For full details about the events, see the Vancouver Boat Parties website or call 1-888-450-3991.

Diwali Downtown Vancouver usually takes place at the Roundhouse Community Centre at 181 Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown. As of mid-July, it doesn’t look like there’s a Diwali Fest event in Vancouver this year.

When it does take place, it’s normally the largest of the festival’s various free (or by donation) events. It generally offers the most performances, along with the largest selection of vendor stalls and exhibits.

Diwali Fest at the Roundhouse — Diwali Fest Vancouver at the Roundhouse

Diwali Downtown Surrey

Diwali Downtown Surrey takes place on Sunday, October 5th in 2025. The event is held all day at Surrey City Hall, located at 13450-104th Avenue. There’s live entertainment, food trucks, and various arts and crafts to keep everyone busy.

Sari Tying Demo at Diwali Fest — Sari-Tying Demonstrations at Diwali Fest in Surrey

Diwali in Coquitlam

Diwali in Coquitlam is another celebration in 2025. It runs throughout most of the day on Friday, October 10th, at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. The venue’s address is 1205 Pinetree Way in Coquitlam. This year’s event features live music and dance performances along with art-related activities.

Diwali in New Westminster

In 2025 Diwali in New Westminster happens on Sunday, October 19th. The event takes place all day. As of mid-July, the exact location is to be confirmed. What we do know is that the celebration includes live entertainment, Henna and other things to see and do.