Neasden Temple Diwali: Free Annakut and Evening Fireworks

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden opens for Diwali darshan from 10am to 7pm on Sunday 8 November 2026, then lets off evening fireworks over Gibbons Recreation Ground, and entry is free. Known to most Londoners as Neasden Temple, the white marble and limestone mandir off the North Circular Road turns the whole site into a festival ground for the day. Two days later, on Tuesday 10 November, it lays out its Annakut for the Hindu New Year, a tiered display of vegetarian dishes offered to the deities.

Construction started in November 1992, and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, then the spiritual leader of BAPS, inaugurated the mandir on 20 August 1995 during six days of celebrations. The mandir says it used 5,000 tonnes of Italian Carrara and Indian Ambaji marble and Bulgarian limestone, all hand-carved in India and then assembled in London by more than 3,000 volunteers, with no structural steel at all. The result looks out of place in a suburb of semi-detached houses and warehouse retail, which is part of the thrill of arriving on foot.

Inside, the main hall is a forest of carved pillars and domes, with shrines to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and other deities along one side. The complex also includes the haveli, a cultural centre with an intricately carved wooden facade and interior, where the big community events take place. A permanent exhibition, open 9am to 6pm, explains Hindu beliefs and the story of the mandir's construction, and it is a good place to start if you are new to the faith.

The mandir's Diwali programme sets out the day. Diwali darshan in the mandir runs from 10am to 7pm. Sharda Pujan, the worship of account books and pens that marks the end of the financial year for many Gujarati business families, takes place in the early evening. Hot food stalls and the gift shop are open from 10am to 9.30pm, so you can eat well even if you arrive late for the fireworks.

The evening fireworks display is held on Gibbons Recreation Ground, the park directly opposite the mandir. Families start claiming space on the grass well before the first rocket, so aim to be in place by 7pm. Once the show ends, thousands of people head for the station at the same time; the honest advice is to linger at the food stalls for half an hour instead of joining the first rush.

Do not plan your visit for Monday 9 November. The mandir states clearly that there will be no Annakut darshan or Diwali celebrations that day, even though some third-party listings show otherwise. If you cannot come on the Sunday, the Tuesday New Year Annakut is the alternative.

Annakut means 'mountain of food', and on Tuesday 10 November the mandir arranges vegetarian sweets, savouries and dishes in tiers in front of the deities to welcome the Hindu New Year. Mandir Annakut darshan runs from 10am to 9pm, and the Grand Annakut in the haveli also runs from 10am to 9pm, with an arti ceremony every 30 minutes. Arriving just before the half hour lets you see the lamps being waved and hear the singing.

Devotees can sponsor offerings through the BAPS UK donation site, from £25 for one prasad thali up to £1,001 for an entire section of the display. These are optional offerings, not tickets, and you do not need one to visit. Weekday evenings after work are busiest; if you have flexibility, a mid-morning visit on the Tuesday gives you more time in front of the display without being moved along.

Neasden is strict, and the rules matter more on festival days. All bags are searched, and any bag larger than 35cm by 20cm by 10cm must go to the bag drop. Laptops, tablets and power banks are not allowed on Diwali. Leave the rucksack at home and carry a small bag with just your phone, wallet and keys, and you will move through the queue much faster.

The dress code asks for tops that cover shoulders, chest, navel and upper arms, and leg-wear that falls below the knee. Shoes come off before you enter any part of the haveli complex, and there are shoe racks for that. Photography and filming are not allowed inside the mandir or haveli, though most visitors take pictures of the exterior from the forecourt. Food and drink cannot be brought onto the premises; buy from the official stalls instead.

The closest stations listed by the mandir are Stonebridge Park and Harlesden on the Bakerloo line and Overground, Wembley Park on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, and Neasden on the Jubilee line, about a 20-minute walk. On Diwali evening the mandir runs special buses from Neasden Station every 10 minutes between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, and back to the station every 8 minutes after the fireworks until 9.30pm.

Driving is the hardest option. On 8 November the mandir arranges parking at Wembley Park's Pink Car Park from 10am to 10pm, with shuttle buses to the mandir, and on 10 November the same car park is available from 9am to 10pm. The local roads around Brentfield Road are closed or jammed for much of the evening. Public transport plus the special bus is the sensible plan.

The area around the mandir is mainly residential, with big-box shops along the North Circular, so most visitors spend their whole day on the mandir site. Gibbons Recreation Ground is the one green space to rest in before the fireworks. If you want a Diwali bazaar atmosphere beforehand, Ealing Road in Wembley, a short bus ride west, is lined with sari shops, sweet shops and jewellers that stay busy all through the festival week.

On Ealing Road, Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir holds its own Diwali programme and an Annakut on Monday 9 November, the one day Neasden is quiet. That makes a two-temple weekend possible: Neasden on Sunday for the fireworks, Wembley on Monday for its Annakut. If the crowd at Neasden overwhelms you, that is the plan B within easy reach.

Address: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Pramukh Swami Road, Neasden, London NW10 8HW. Regular opening: daily 9am to 6pm, including bank holidays; the exhibition is open 9am to 6pm. Diwali, Sunday 8 November 2026: darshan 10am to 7pm, Sharda Pujan in the early evening, fireworks after dark on Gibbons Recreation Ground, food stalls 10am to 9.30pm.

New Year Annakut, Tuesday 10 November 2026: mandir and haveli darshan 10am to 9pm, arti every 30 minutes. No celebrations on Monday 9 November. Entry is free. Bags over 35 x 20 x 10cm go to the bag drop; no laptops, tablets or power banks. Ask the Karpo APP to time your journey so you catch the special bus back from the fireworks.