Diwali Light It Up returns to Basingstoke on Friday 23 October 2026, free. Four town centre streets close 4pm to 7pm for the parade; timings are still TBC.
Basingstoke’s Diwali parade, Diwali Light It Up, is on Friday 23 October 2026 in the town centre. It is free. The organiser, the dance charity Kala The Arts, has confirmed the date and this year’s theme, Being Human, but has not yet published the programme, the route or the timings. The borough council’s sealed road closure order, dated 24 September, is the best clue to when the parade moves.
The quick answer
- Friday 23 October 2026, Basingstoke town centre, free. Confirmed on Kala The Arts’ own Diwali Light It Up page. Reading’s parade follows on Saturday 24 October.
- Roads close 4pm to 7pm: Cross Street, Wote Street, Winchester Street as far as Market Place, and part of Church Street. The southern end of Church Street, below Church Square, closes only 5.15pm to 6.15pm.
- Still TBC: start time, route, performers and the finale venue. Kala says they “will be announced soon”.
Is it on this year?
Yes. Kala The Arts’ page for the festival is headed “Save the Date – Diwali Light It Up 2026” and gives two dates: Friday 23 October in Basingstoke and Saturday 24 October in Reading. The 2026 theme is Being Human, which the charity says “reflects the values in our manifesto, about care and kindness at a time of paucity”.
Two other first-party sources back the date up. Love Basingstoke, the town centre’s business improvement district, lists “Diwali Light It Up Parade, Friday 23 October 2026, Basingstoke town centre”. And Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has sealed a street closure order “to facilitate the holding of the Diwali Parade” on the same evening.
This is the festival’s sixth year. Kala describes the Basingstoke and Reading events together as the “largest outdoor Diwali celebrations in the South UK”, with more than 4,000 spectators and participants, and says both are “completely free and open to all”.
What time does the parade start?
Not announced. Kala’s page says “event programmes, timings, performers, and ticket details will be announced soon”. We will update this page when they are.
Until then, the council’s order is the firmest guide:
| Road | Closed |
|---|---|
| Cross Street, whole road | 4pm to 7pm |
| Wote Street, whole road | 4pm to 7pm |
| Winchester Street, as far as Market Place | 4pm to 7pm |
| Church Street, between Cross Street and Winchester Street | 4pm to 7pm |
| Church Street, from Church Square to its southern end | 5.15pm to 6.15pm |
The one-hour window on lower Church Street, 5.15pm to 6.15pm, is the likeliest time for the procession itself to pass through that part of town. Love Basingstoke’s listing gives the event as 3pm to 6pm. Kala has not published a time, so treat both as provisional.
Access is kept for residents of the closed roads. The notice and the sealed order are both on the council’s temporary road closures page.
What happened last year
Kala’s own write-up of the 2025 festival, on Friday 17 October, is the best picture of what to expect:
- The procession left from outside the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery at 6pm. Hundreds of people carrying lanterns walked with giant puppets, dhol drummers and dancers in costume through the town centre.
- It finished at the Amphitheatre in Festival Place, with professional performances from 7pm to 8.30pm.
- Every performance had BSL interpretation.
- Local schools took part, with children performing in the parade after workshops with the charity.
The 2025 festival was funded by Arts Council England and supported by Festival Place and the borough council. If 2026 follows the same shape, the parade gathers at the Top of the Town in the early evening and ends with performances at Festival Place.
Parking and getting there
The Willis Museum is at the top of Wote Street, a ten-minute walk from Basingstoke station. With Wote Street, Cross Street and Winchester Street shut from 4pm, anyone driving should park before then and walk up.
The nearest car parks to the Top of the Town are Joices Yard, Castons Yard and Central Car Park, and Festival Place’s own car parks are closest if last year’s finale venue is repeated. Prices and opening hours are on our parking in Basingstoke page. Other closures across the borough that week, including the M3, are on our roadworks and travel page.
Taking part
Kala is recruiting volunteers for stewarding, set-up and workshops, and invites artists, dancers, musicians and puppeteers to join the processions. Its page gives office@kalathearts.co.uk for anyone who wants to take part.
What else is on that week
The parade falls on the last school day before Hampshire’s half term, which runs 26 to 30 October. Free Halloween activities return to the Top of the Town from Wednesday 28 October: see our October half term page.
Everything on this page was checked against Kala The Arts’ own page, Love Basingstoke’s listing and the council’s sealed order on 28 September 2026.
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