Delhi Diwali is not a day, but a season. We do everything big and Diwali is the biggest. Delhi Diwali is no baseless hype and we are pumped. We have the best Diwali melas for you to visit this season and we don’t just mean once. Believe you me, you will go back again for more. Diwali means taash and cards come with food, drinks, décor and brand-new clothes around here. All of this can be found in just one visit. No, we’re not lying, go see for yourself at the best Diwali melas this season.
1. Blind School Mela
If you only have time for one Diwali mela, don’t look any further. Organised by the Blind Relief Association, this is not some random day out, it’s an experience you’ll remember. Let’s first talk about everything else before we get to the mouth-watering food. Diwali diyas? Here. Decorative flowers? Here. Outfits ranging from ₹500-₹15,000? Here. Handcrafted one of a kind gifts and collectibles? Here! This place is huge.
Anybody would kill to put up a stall here but almost all the spaces are given to the same stores since anyone can remember. So, the mela looks exactly the same every year making it feel like home to the regulars. The vibe here is comforting, people are chirpy, and weather is perfect. The Rajasthani food stall is our top pick at the mela who greet all their customers in traditional attire, style and language. Don’t forget to buy an overpriced kulhad from the chaiwallah making rounds. You won’t be able to ignore his intrusive politeness.
Where: Blind School, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg
When: 18th October – 24th October
Time: 10AM to 8PM
Also read: Explore These 5 Offbeat Places Near Delhi To Escape Diwali Pollution
2. Sunder Nagar Diwali Mela
This is the second most popular Delhi Diwali mela. They’ve got cute lights all over the place with ferry wheels, making an Insta-worthy background for your grid. They’re famous for selling great quality shawls to prepare for the winter. That’s nothing compared to the curated selection of artisanal goods and ornaments you will never spot anywhere else. Many of these are charitable organisations helping local craftsmanship come to the limelight and get a fraction of the attention it deserves. There is a stall of freshly ground spices which is the best aroma you can add to your life.
They have food stalls for every kind of crowd favourite street food all in one place. You can picture anything in your mind and manifest it into reality, it’s like magic land. All of Delhi’s best food stalls set up camp here for two days serving food hot and fresh because there is never enough to stock. The crowd is constantly rotating, and people surely eat more than once.
Where: Colony Park, Sunder Nagar
When: 19th & 20th October
Time: 4PM – 11PM
3. Meri Dilli Utsav
The third edition of this mela has us all excited. People say the Pitampura Dilli Haat is better than the original INA’s, but hey, we don’t discriminate. We will say one thing though, they have 8,000 sqm of parking space and we still wouldn’t recommend driving there during Diwali melas. Dilli Haat is the best place to get your hands-on unique items to gear up for Diwali. They have a sculpture court and we can’t wait to see what they do with it for Diwali melas.
Also read: 5 Restaurants To Enjoy Diwali In Mumbai With Your Family
Visitors will see over 200 lifestyle stalls with everything one could need. Kurtas, sarees, dupattas, get everything in the style of your state of preference. Dilli Haat literally has food and goods from every Indian state, for those who didn’t know. The main attraction here will be the events and performances. There is a fashion show, dandiya and other dance forms will make an appearance on stage too. This is also a great place to get lanterns for commencing Diwali.
Where: Dilli Haat, Pitampura, Near Pitam Pura TV Tower
When: 18th – 20th October
Time: 4PM to 11PM
4. Festival of Lights by Dastkar
This is a great example of the government’s efforts aimed at preserving Indian handicrafts and age-old culture. You will find the most beautiful pieces of art and fashion here because this is the motherboard of where all industries came from. Bandhani or Benarsi, they have it all. The festival of lights makes your whole world bright with candles, diyas and lamps. They have royal ceramics and precious gemstones for evergreen home décor and cabinet crown jewels.
The sellers are mostly the craftsmen who created each masterpiece with so much love that you can see it in their eyes. They’re delighted to meet buyers and point them in the direction of the work that might suit them best, better than they could direct themselves. Even if you’re not a serious buyer, you must get acquainted with this side of our heritage and we don’t even need to make a case for the shutterbugs out there.
Where: Nature Bazaar, Andheria Modh, Desu Colony, Chhatarpur
When: On till 23rd October
Time: 11AM to 7.30PM
5. 10th Grand Diwali Mela By Adaah
They aren’t called grand for no reason. With over 150 stalls, all bigtimers, everything is offered – from from cosmetics to furnishings! There’s no stopping here. Toys, stationary, electronics, handlooms, gardening, crockery, jewellery and of course Ayurvedic everything. Mind blowing clothes are not even a big deal here.
Expect crowds like you’ve never seen before because everyone is in shopping and stocking mode during Diwali melas. This consumer’s hedonist valley displays the same enthusiasm for food. The three days dedicated to this experience is just not enough for Diwali lovers.
Where: Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon
When: 19th – 21st October
Time: 11AM to 8PM
Also read: Places To Celebrate Diwali In Dubai
Delhi Diwali melas do not oversell themselves, in fact they barely advertise. True Dilliwale know where to go when to squeeze the most fun out of every year. We know most of these melas are on dates coinciding but that’s why they’re spread all across town. So, head to Blind School one day and spend the rest at the Diwali melas nearest to your home to avoid the traffic. They’re all amazing and you probably won’t want to cover all of them all at once. So, spread it out custom to your best schedule. But whatever you do, don’t waste October at your regular chilling spots.
With everything happening around us, we could hardly focus long enough to finish this curated list for you. Stay tuned to save time planning your Diwali month as we have all the information chalked out for your every need and let’s face it, want. We don’t need everything we spend on during the best season of the year. But it’s a great way to support local businesses and partake in the festive cheer. Ditch your commercial go to places for the best Diwali melas that can beat any store at price and quality.
First Published: October 14, 2019 2:24 PM