Times Square hosts Diwali festival on 24 October

Times Square hosts Diwali at Times Square on 24 October 2026, with the celebration centred on Broadway between 46th and 48th Streets in New York City. The festival brings South Asian music, dance and cultural programming to one of Manhattan's principal pedestrian spaces.

Diwali at Times Square brings a festival to Broadway

The organiser lists 24 October 2026 as the event date and gives the venue as 46th-48th Street and Broadway. The date falls within the current October programme for visitors to New York City.

The programme includes a Diwali Bazaar, a Kids Zone, food, cultural performances, corporate pavilions and an evening concert. The celebration is also scheduled to include a diya lighting and countdown on the One Times Square tower, linking the festival's central ritual with the building associated with the district's public image.

The organiser's event date and location place the celebration between 46th and 48th Streets. A separate festival programme names the bazaar, performances, countdown and concert.

Times Square's pedestrian plazas shape the October event

The area is formed by Broadway, Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Its name dates from 1904, when the city renamed the former Long Acre Square after The New York Times moved its headquarters to a new building at the intersection.

The Broadway section used for the festival is part of a network of pedestrian plazas. New York City's Department of Design and Construction says the reconstruction converted space between West 42nd and West 47th Streets into five pedestrian plazas, with wider sidewalks, benches, rebuilt curbs and improved lighting.

That layout gives Diwali at Times Square a setting in which performances, stalls and public gathering can share the same car-free urban environment. The relationship between the programme and the site is therefore practical as well as symbolic: the festival uses the plazas rather than a single enclosed venue.

The district's 1904 history is documented by the Times Square Alliance, while the city's account of the pedestrian plaza reconstruction describes the public-space changes completed in 2016.

One Times Square connects the countdown to the site

One Times Square stands at the southern end of the district, near the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street. The tower began as the headquarters building of The New York Times and later became associated with the annual New Year's Eve ball drop.

For the October festival, the diya lighting and countdown are planned for the same tower. This places a religious celebration within the visible architectural and media landscape that has defined the square since the early twentieth century.

Visiting Times Square: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Diwali at Times Square takes place on 24 October 2026 on Broadway between 46th and 48th Streets in New York City.
• The programme uses the pedestrian plazas and includes a bazaar, cultural performances, a Kids Zone and a diya lighting countdown on One Times Square.
• The main public transport interchange is Times Sq - 42 St, served by the N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3, 7 and S subway services. The 42 St - Port Authority station on 8th Avenue is also nearby.
• The venue is an open urban setting with broad pedestrian plazas, benches, pavements and street crossings rather than a single indoor hall.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Times Square

When does Diwali at Times Square take place?

Diwali at Times Square takes place on 24 October 2026 on Broadway between 46th and 48th Streets.

What is Times Square?

It is a pedestrian-focused public space in Midtown Manhattan formed by Broadway, Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street. The area was renamed in 1904.

Where is Times Square and how do you get there?

It is in New York City, with the Times Sq - 42 St subway station serving the surrounding streets and plazas.