This year is different. Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8, and thanks to AB 268 — signed by Governor Newsom on October 6, 2025 — Monday, November 9 becomes California’s first official statewide Diwali holiday. K-12 schools and community colleges are now authorized to close, and state employees can take the day off with pay. For families in Fremont and Newark, that means the long weekend itself can finally be a real festival window, not just a school night squeezed between work meetings.
The anchor for most local families is the Fremont Hindu Temple (Vedic Dharma Samaj) at 3676 Delaware Dr — the oldest Hindu temple in the Bay Area, serving the community since 1985, with major festivals drawing up to 2,000 attendees per the Pluralism Project at Harvard.
Lakshmi Puja on Diwali night, Annakut the day after, and a weekend mela format with food, jewelry, and handicraft booths make it a strong full-day option. Practical note: parking historically extends across Delaware Dr to Grimmer Elementary, so do one thing — go early if attending Saturday’s mela.
For families with younger kids, SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at 36665 Cedar Blvd in Newark is purpose-built for the under-10 crowd.
Their annual Diwali & Annakut Celebration includes a dedicated Kids Carnival with games and prizes, a food festival, raffle, and a complimentary Mahaprasad community dinner — KQED and Patch have flagged it as a marquee East Bay option. ICC Milpitas runs its annual Diwali Dhamaka in a 600-seat hall, and the Fremont Main Library at 2400 Stevenson Blvd ran a free “Magic of Diwali” workshop last October that’s a gentle entry point for the youngest kids.
Want the mega-event experience?
AIA’s Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton drew 25,000+ attendees, with a 40-foot Ravana effigy, Ram Leela, fireworks finale, and 135+ vendor booths…