Festivals
Festivals in Mumbai, and getting around them.
Mumbai keeps more festivals than almost any city in the world, and keeps them on the street. Here are the dates for the year ahead, what each one does to the roads, and how the house moves you through them.
Diwali 2026Fri 6 Nov (Dhanteras) — Sun 8 Nov (Lakshmi Puja) — Wed 11 Nov (Bhau Beej)
Christmas · New Year’s EveFri 25 Dec · Thu 31 Dec 2026
Makar SankrantiFri 15 Jan 2027
Eid al-FitrAbout Wed 10 Mar 2027, by the moon
HoliSun 21 Mar (Holika Dahan) · Mon 22 Mar 2027
Gudi PadwaWed 7 Apr 2027
Eid al-AdhaAbout Mon 17 May 2027, by the moon
Ganesh ChaturthiSat 4 Sep 2027 — Anant Chaturdashi, Tue 14 Sep
Navratri · DussehraThu 30 Sep — Sat 9 Oct 2027
Diwali 2027Wed 27 Oct (Dhanteras) — Fri 29 Oct (Lakshmi Puja)
Dates follow the Hindu and Islamic calendars and move each year; the house checks them against the panchang and the moon-sighting before writing your journey. Eid is confirmed only the evening before.
I
Five days of lamps, family visits and gifts across the city — the busiest evenings of the year on the road, and the most beautiful.
II
Ten days when Mumbai belongs to Ganpati: the great mandals of Lalbaug and Girgaon, and the processions to the sea.
III
Midnight Mass in Bandra, the long night at the sea face — and a car that is there at the hour you leave, not an hour later.
IV
Nine nights of garba and dandiya, late and joyful — a door-to-door journey both ways, with the sarathi waiting.
V
A morning of colour. The house’s cars are dressed for it, and the cabin is ready for you after it.
VI
Prayers at dawn, the feast, the visits — and Mohammed Ali Road on the nights of Ramadan before.
What changes on a festival day
The roadsProcessions, markets and temples close or slow whole stretches of the city, often at short notice. The house plans each route against that day’s police and municipal notices, not against a map.
The timeA journey that takes forty minutes on a Tuesday can take two hours on Dhanteras or Anant Chaturdashi. Your sarathi leaves early enough that you do not.
The carFor a family visit, puja or celebration, the car can arrive dressed — flowers, or a toran on the dashboard — when you ask. Never by default.
The hourLate nights are normal in festival weeks. The night rate is on the rate card; nothing else changes because it is a festival.
Visiting for a festival
Many guests fly in for Diwali or Ganpati with family. The house meets the flight, takes you home or to the hotel, and keeps the same car and sarathi with you through the days, if you like — written in one confirmation. See planning your days with the house and parents arriving.
Reserve for a festival dayWrite the festival and the places in the note; the house plans the day around them.
Questions guests ask
When is Diwali in Mumbai in 2026?
Lakshmi Puja, the main Diwali evening, is on Sunday 8 November 2026. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Diwali Padwa (also the Gujarati New Year) on Tuesday 10 November and Bhau Beej on Wednesday 11 November.
When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2027?
Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Saturday 4 September 2027, and Anant Chaturdashi — the day of the great immersions — on Tuesday 14 September 2027.
Is it a good idea to drive in Mumbai during festivals?
It is slower, and some roads close for processions. With a sarathi who knows the closures and a driver who leaves early, it is the most comfortable way to see the city lit up — and to reach family on time.
Can the car be decorated for a festival?
Yes, when you ask: flowers, or a toran for a puja visit. The house never decorates a car unasked.
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