Celebrating Diwali

Join us for a week of celebrations marking Diwali, the festival of lights, launching on Saturday 22 October 2022 with a fun, multi-generational family day of making, dancing and delectable things to eat across the Museum. 

What's on

Museum visitors can experience The Night Before Diwali, a special room set curated by Anglo-Asian performance duo Nutkhut, across Diwali week and remaining in place throughout Winter Festival. The room set gives visitors a peek into how a South Asian family in London might prepare for Diwali, delighting those who observe this festival as much as those who are curious about it.

After Diwali, the curators of the room will change the display to show how the family inhabiting the space celebrate Christmas, observing how families of many different faiths in Britain celebrate the season in the Christian tradition as well. 

The array of artwork and crafts made at the Diwali family day will also remain displayed at the Museum across Diwali week, alongside Diwali stories, objects and displays curated with the kind support of Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities local to the Museum. 

Highlights

Families attending the Museum’s Diwali Family Celebration Day on Saturday 22 October will experience: 

• Making lanterns with motifs inspired by the Museum’s collections, culminating in a twilight parade in our garden spaces 
• Sharing the story of Diwali and its significance in Hindu culture 
• Decorating your own diya 
• Bollywood dancing 
• ‘The Night Before Diwali’ room set
• Designing a kaleidoscopic rangoli
• Switching on the Museum’s winter festival lights installations across its garden spaces
• A hot vegan food banquet offering sumptuous spices and flavours by DabbaDrop in our Georgian kitchen, with steaming, flavourful chai tea served all-day