Diwali Festival Village at Campbell Lane: Sat 31 October

Campbell Lane, in Singapore's Little India, hosts LISHA's Deepavali Festival Village from 10 October to 8 November 2026, with the evening programme starting at 7:00pm. The best single day left in it is Saturday 31 October, when the official calendar stacks a spice-blending class at 11am, a diya-painting workshop at 2pm and free live music at the Campbell Lane Open Stage from 8pm to 10pm. Deepavali itself is Sunday 8 November, and Monday 9 November is a public holiday in lieu.

Deepavali Thiruvizha 2026 is described by its organiser, the Little India Shop Owners and Heritage Association, or LISHA, as its flagship cultural festival, and the Festival Village on Campbell Lane is its home base. The official page gives the dates, 10 October to 8 November, and an evening start time of 7:00pm. It does not publish a closing time or a day-by-day breakdown, so treat 7:00pm as the time the village comes to life rather than a firm schedule.

Campbell Lane is the street the Indian Heritage Centre stands on, off Serangoon Road, so the village sits in the middle of Little India. The nearest MRT is Little India, with Exit E the one the Indian Heritage Centre names for the lane. LISHA's office, at 48 Serangoon Road, Little India Arcade, #02-16, Singapore 217959.

The morning begins with the Spice Blending Masterclass at Campbell Lane, from 11am to 1pm, priced at $8 per person with places for 20 people. The class is small, so book through the official LISHA events page rather than turning up. At 2pm, the Clay Diya Painting workshop starts at Tekka Place, runs to 4pm, costs nothing with registration, and takes 30 people.

Tekka Place is a different building from Tekka Centre, the hawker centre, so check the address on your registration before you leave. In the evening, Sangeetham Under the Stars puts free live music on the Campbell Lane Open Stage from 8pm to 10pm. The earlier session on 17 October has passed, so 31 October is the last one on the calendar, which is the reason to plan the day around it.

The Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane, Singapore 209924, opened in May 2015, and during Deepavali it runs its own Open House programme from 17 October to 8 November, daily 10am to 6pm, extended to 8pm on Saturdays. A museum tour starts at 7pm every Saturday, which slots between the afternoon workshop and the evening music.

Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, students and persons with disabilities, and free for Singapore citizens, permanent residents and children under 6, according to the museum's admission page. On a Saturday, the extended hours mean you can fit the galleries in between the 4pm end of the diya workshop and the 8pm start of the music, without rushing either.

Arrive at the lane in the early evening, before the music starts at 8pm, so you can walk the market stalls and find a place to stand. Campbell Lane is narrow, and a free live set on a Saturday night fills the street, so a spot near the Open Stage is easier to get in the first half hour than at 8:30pm.

If the crowd gets thick, the easiest retreat is back along Campbell Lane to Serangoon Road, where the Deepavali light-up runs from 7:00pm to midnight. That walk is free, takes no booking, and lets you keep the evening going without staying on the lane. For a seat and a meal, Tekka Centre at Blk 665 Buffalo Road, Singapore 210665, is close by.

The festival page lists no menu or stall list, so this is a guide to the neighbourhood rather than the village. Little India Arcade at 48 Serangoon Road publishes opening hours of daily 9:00am to 10:00pm, and it is the nearest roofed place for garlands, brass lamps and festival gifts. Tekka Centre was built in 1980 and has more than 400 stalls, according to the National Environment Agency, and stays open over Deepavali weekend.

The Spice Blending Masterclass is the one item on the programme with a price: $8 per person. The Indian Heritage Centre also lists a Miniature Art Painting workshop at $28 per person on its own Deepavali programme page, which suits someone who wants a longer craft session.

There is no entry fee to the lane and no ticket for the live music. The workshops are the only items that need registration or payment, and their capacity is small, at 20 places for the spice class and 30 for the diya painting. Some other workshops on the LISHA programme, such as brass lamp engraving at Tekka Place, have already taken place, so check the events page for what is still open.

No dress code is published, so wear what you would wear to any Little India stroll, and keep shoulders and knees covered if you plan to visit a temple on the same day. The festival is outdoors in the evening, so bring a small umbrella. Public transport is easier than driving, since Little India MRT is within a short walk of the lane.

This works for families who want a hands-on morning and a free evening out, for friends who want something cultural and cheap, and for visitors to Singapore who want to see Deepavali preparation up close. The 31 October timetable suits people who like a full day. It does not suit anyone who wants a quiet visit, since a free Saturday-night concert on a narrow lane is not quiet.

A fair verdict: book the spice class and the diya workshop if you want either, because both are capped, and treat the 8pm music as the main evening event. Skip the idea of arriving after 9pm, as the music ends at 10pm. If you are visiting only once, make it this Saturday, because 31 October is the last date for the music, the spice class and the diya workshop on the official calendar.