🪔 Happy Deepavali! Your 2026 Festival Guide for Tamil Nadu
⏱ 2 min read · 405 words
Everything you need for Deepavali on Sunday, 8 November: cracker timings, the extra holiday on 9 November, special buses and Metro hours, fare helplines, low-cost festival packs and emergency numbers, gathered in one place.
Everything you need for Deepavali on Sunday, 8 November: cracker timings, the extra holiday on 9 November, special buses and Metro hours, fare helplines, low-cost festival packs and emergency numbers, gathered in one place.
Deepavali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. VettriThalapathy wishes every family a safe, bright and happy festival. Here is everything the Tamil Nadu government has put in place for the festival, gathered in one place.
8 NovDeepavali (Sunday)
9 NovExtra holiday
6–7 AM · 7–8 PMCracker slots
112Emergency number
Cracker Timings
Crackers may be burst on Deepavali day only from 6 AM to 7 AM and 7 PM to 8 PM.
Use only green crackers, preferably together in open spaces.
Keep away from hospitals, huts and places where people sleep, and think of small children, the elderly, the unwell and pets.
Holidays
Monday, 9 November is a holiday for government offices, public sector undertakings, schools and colleges, so families have time to return home.
Saturday, 28 November will be a working day in its place.
Chennai’s Koyambedu market is closed on 9 November and reopens on 10 November.
Getting Home and Back
What
Details
Special buses
15,659 buses on 5–7 November; 11,197 to bring people back to Chennai
Omni bus fares
Overcharging buses can be seized; complaints on 1800 425 6151 or tc.tn@nic.in
Chennai Metro
Longer hours on 5–6 November for festival travellers
Festival Help for Families
₹200 grocery pack of 10 kitchen essentials at cooperative stores.
₹100 Vetri vegetable combo of 10 vegetables (5–7 November).
Free dhoti and saree for old-age pensioners, with doorstep delivery for the bedridden.
Deepavali bonus of up to 20% for public sector workers, and bonuses for transport, cooperative and sugar mill workers.
Stay Safe
Light crackers at arm’s length, wear cotton clothes, and keep a bucket of water or sand close by.
Children should burst crackers only with an adult present.
Never relight a cracker that fails to go off, and never burst crackers inside the house or in a vehicle.
For a minor burn, cool it under running water for several minutes — do not apply ink, toothpaste or oil — and see a doctor.
Emergency Numbers
Service
Number
All emergencies
112
Fire & Rescue
101
Ambulance
108
Police
100
Omni bus fare complaints
1800 425 6151
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Deepavali! 🪔