Diwali 2026 · Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Diwali catering, with the date held before the menu.
Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. Villa dinners, card parties, office celebrations and satvik puja menus, from twenty guests upward.
Diwali in the UAE is a week of dinners rather than one. Dhanteras on the Friday, Choti Diwali on the Saturday, Lakshmi Puja on the Sunday, then Bhai Dooj on the Tuesday, with a card party or two in between. Every one of those evenings wants the same thing from a caterer: a chaat counter going as guests arrive, hot mains that hold through a late puja, and mithai that is worth the diet you broke for it.
Because the whole community celebrates on the same few dates, the kitchen's Diwali week fills before anything else in the year. So this page works the other way round from the rest of the site: hold the date first, with a name, a number and a rough headcount, and design the menu with us afterwards.
When
Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November.
The five days run from Dhanteras on Friday 6 November to Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November 2026, with Lakshmi Puja on the Sunday. Diwali is not a UAE public holiday, so the parties land on the weekend: Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November go first, then the Friday, then the weekends either side for anyone hosting early or late.
September is when the calls start. If you want a Saturday or Sunday in Diwali week, hold it now and settle the food in October; most hosts confirm their menu two to three weeks before the day. There is nothing to pay to hold a date, and your final guest count is due 72 hours before the event.
| Date | Day | What people book |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct · Sun 1 Nov | Weekend before | Early Diwali parties, society and community events |
| Fri 6 Nov | Dhanteras | Family dinners at home, office Diwali lunches |
| Sat 7 Nov | Choti Diwali | The busiest party night of the week |
| Sun 8 Nov | Diwali · Lakshmi Puja | Puja dinners, satvik and Jain menus, family gatherings |
| Mon 9 Nov | Govardhan Puja | Annakut and temple-style vegetarian spreads |
| Tue 10 Nov | Bhai Dooj | Small family lunches and dinners |
| Sat 14 Nov · Sun 15 Nov | Weekend after | Late Diwali parties and corporate celebrations |
Formats
The Diwali evenings we cater.
- Villa Diwali dinners: a chaat counter in the garden as guests arrive, buffet mains inside, live jalebi to close.
- Card parties: grazing food that holds for hours, kebabs and street food on rotation, and a late-night round.
- Lakshmi Puja dinners: satvik or Jain menus with no onion, no garlic and no root, cooked on a separate line.
- Office Diwali celebrations: a lunch or an evening spread for mixed teams, veg and non-veg clearly separated.
- Community and society Diwali melas: live counters at scale, from the same operation that has served 3,500 at once.
- Bhai Dooj and family lunches: from twenty guests, with the crockery, staff and setup included in the quote.
The menu
Chaat to open, mithai to close.
A Diwali menu is built around the counter people gather at. Pani puri, dahi puri and sev puri assembled to order, a tak-a-tak or tandoor station if there is garden space, then a buffet of the dishes the family actually asks for: dum biryani, paneer, dal makhani, kebabs for the non-vegetarians, breads from the tandoor.
It ends in sweets. Our mithai and plated desserts come from Chhappan Bhog, the kitchen that holds the 2019 Guinness World Record for the largest display of sweets, and a live jalebi and rabri counter is the single most requested station of the week. Mithai boxes for guests to take home can be added when we confirm the menu.
For the puja itself, satvik and Jain menus are cooked on a separate line rather than adapted from the main one. The kitchen does handle nuts, dairy, gluten and shellfish elsewhere, so we cannot guarantee the absence of traces.
What it costs
A worked example, not a range.
Eighty guests at home on the Premium package at AED 150 per head is AED 12,000 of food. Four waiters at AED 150 is AED 600, transport is AED 500, and the total before VAT is AED 13,100. With 5% VAT that is AED 13,755, staffed and set up, with one live station included in the tier.
A second live counter, the jalebi say, is a fixed setup fee rather than a per-guest charge. Crockery and cutlery hire is AED 9 per guest if you would rather not use your own, and soft drinks are AED 12 per guest. Every one of these numbers is what the booking engine charges; build the menu online and the total updates as you choose.
| Line | Calculation | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 80 guests × AED 150 | 12,000 |
| Service staff | 4 waiters × AED 150 | 600 |
| Transport | Flat | 500 |
| Subtotal | 13,100 | |
| VAT | 5% | 655 |
| Total | 13,755 |
How to book
Hold the date now. Choose the food later.
- Reserve the date with your name, WhatsApp number, the date and a rough guest count. It takes under a minute and nothing is charged.
- Amit Chopra confirms Dubai and Northern Emirates dates on WhatsApp; Abu Dhabi dates are confirmed from our head office.
- Design the menu whenever you are ready, online with the live price, or with us over a call.
- A 50% deposit confirms the booking once the menu is agreed. Final numbers are due 72 hours before the event.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- When is Diwali 2026 in the UAE?
- Diwali, the day of Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026. Dhanteras is Friday 6 November, Choti Diwali Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj Tuesday 10 November. It is not a public holiday in the UAE, so most parties fall on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November.
- How early should I book Diwali catering?
- Hold the date as soon as you know it. Diwali weekend is the first to fill in the kitchen's year, and it goes in September and early October. The menu can be settled later; most hosts confirm it two to three weeks before the day.
- Can I reserve a date without choosing a menu?
- Yes. Reserve with your name, WhatsApp number, the date and an approximate guest count, and we hold it while you decide on the food. There is no charge to hold a date; a 50% deposit confirms the booking once the menu is agreed.
- How much does Diwali party catering cost?
- Packages start at AED 125 per head for Classic, AED 150 for Premium and AED 180 for Luxury. On top of that you pay AED 500 transport, service staff at AED 150 per waiter, one per 25 guests with a minimum of two, and 5% VAT. Eighty guests on Premium come to AED 13,755 all in. The minimum booking is 20 guests or AED 2,500.
- Do you cater a satvik or Jain menu for Lakshmi Puja?
- Yes. Jain menus with no onion, no garlic and no root, and satvik pure-vegetarian menus, are cooked on a separate line. We can run a satvik puja dinner on the Sunday and a mixed veg and non-veg party on the Saturday for the same family.
- Can you set up live chaat and jalebi at home?
- Yes, given open space. Live counters need room for a chef and equipment, so they work in villas, gardens and halls rather than apartments. Premium includes one live station and Luxury two; each extra counter is a fixed setup fee.
- Do you do Diwali celebrations for offices?
- Yes. A Diwali lunch or evening spread for a team, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian lines kept clearly apart, and a chaat or dessert counter if the office has the space. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates.
- Can guests take mithai home?
- Yes. Mithai boxes from Chhappan Bhog can be added to the order when we confirm the menu, packed for guests to take away at the end of the evening.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- CateringHome & villa party cateringPrivate party catering at home in Dubai. Birthdays, Diwali, anniversaries and villa dinners from 20 guests and AED 125 per head. Staff, crockery and setup included in the quote.
- CuisinesStreet food & chaat cateringLive chaat and street food catering in Dubai. Pani puri, papdi, sev puri, kathi rolls and tak-a-tak, assembled in front of your guests from AED 22 per guest.
- CuisinesJain & vegan cateringJain and vegan catering in Dubai, cooked on a separate line. No onion, no garlic, no root, and fully plant-based menus for weddings, festivals and corporate events.
- GuidesWhat catering costs per person in DubaiWhat catering actually costs per person in Dubai: real package rates from AED 125, staff at AED 150, transport AED 500 and 5% VAT, with worked totals for 50, 200 and 500 guests.
Ready when you are
Hold the date now, plan the menu later.
A name, a number, the date and a rough guest count. Nothing to pay to hold it, and the menu can wait until you are ready.