Diwali is not a date on a media plan. It is a season. The principal day, Lakshmi Puja, falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the five-day observance runs Dhanteras 6 November to Bhai Dooj 10 November. The commercial cycle begins earlier: Sharad Navratri runs 11 – 19 October 2026 and Dussehra falls on 20 October 2026.
That gives Indian consumer categories a continuous, culturally sanctioned buying window of roughly four weeks. Dhanteras is the most auspicious purchase day in the Indian calendar for gold, jewellery, vehicles and property: decisions otherwise spread across the year are deliberately concentrated into it.
For planners the consequence is straightforward. A campaign live from mid-October to mid-November covers the whole high-intent period; one launching in the first week of November has already missed most of it.
