Diwali Invitation Wording: 42 Messages to Copy

Good Diwali invitation wording answers three questions a normal party invite never has to: when the puja starts, what the food will be, and whether shoes come off at the door. Add the date, the address, who can come and when you need a reply, and nobody has to call your mother to ask.

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8. That's the night of Lakshmi Puja, and Sikhs mark the same day as Bandi Chhor Divas. In the US and UK the five days run from Dhanteras on Friday, November 6 to Bhai Dooj on Tuesday, November 10. Send your invitations by Saturday, October 17 and ask for replies by Sunday, November 1.

Below are 42 messages to copy, grouped by the kind of gathering, plus the lines about food, shoes and clothes that first-time guests look for.

Short version: pick a message, swap in your times, and send it with one Diwali party invitation link that collects the yeses, plus-ones and food needs in one list.

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What to Write on a Diwali Invitation

A Diwali invitation asks people to your home, or your office, for the festival of lights: a Lakshmi Puja, a meal, a party, or all three in one evening. Diwali, or Deepavali as it's called in much of South India, isn't only a Hindu festival. As the Hindu American Foundation notes, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists celebrate it too, among them Newar Buddhists in Nepal. Your guest list may cross faiths before it crosses cultures.

These are the lines a Diwali invitation needs:

Here's the whole thing as a fill-in template:

[Occasion] at [host]'s on [day, date]. Please arrive by [time], puja at [time], [dinner or party] after. [Address]. [Dress or shoes line]. [Food line]. Reply by [date] here: [link]

Put the arrival time before the puja time. Lakshmi Puja is done in a window after sunset called the muhurat, and in November that window opens early. A guest who reads "Diwali dinner, 7pm" walks in after the lamps are lit and the prayers are over, which is the part of the evening your family cares about most.

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Diwali 2026 Dates and Lakshmi Puja Times

The dates below come from Drik Panchang's Diwali calendar, which calculates them per city. Lakshmi Puja is Sunday, November 8 everywhere. The last two days shift depending on where you are.

If your family follows an Indian calendar or a local temple, use their dates for Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. Sources disagree by a day for those two.

The puja time matters more than the date, because it sets your arrival time. Here is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat for Sunday, November 8, from Drik Panchang's Lakshmi Puja timings:

The clocks have just gone back in both the US and the UK, so sunset on Diwali comes before 5pm. That's why a family puja in New York or London starts in what feels like the afternoon. The times in the sample messages below follow New York. Set Drik Panchang to your own city before you copy them.

Three more dates for a mixed guest list:

• Bandi Chhor Divas is also Sunday, November 8. Sikhs mark the release of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, from Gwalior Fort, and gurdwaras are lit up that night. RE:ONLINE's festival calendar gives the same date.
• Jain Diwali marks the nirvana of Mahavira. Jain calendars place it on November 8 or 9 this year, and some Jain temples in the US hold the Nirvan Ladoo puja on Monday, November 9. Ask your Jain guests before you plan around them.
• Halloween is Saturday, October 31. A "weekend before" Diwali party that night competes with costume parties, so Saturday, November 7 or Saturday, November 14 should get more yeses.

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Family Lakshmi Puja Invitation Wording

A family puja invitation is short and warm, and it puts the time first. Elders will arrive early no matter what you write. Everyone else needs the arrival time in plain numbers.

1. The family puja

Lakshmi Puja at our home this Diwali. Sunday, November 8. Please come by 4:45, puja begins at 5:05, and we'll eat together after. 14 Cedar Lane. Reply by November 1 so Mummy knows how many plates to make: [link]

2. Short and traditional

With the blessings of Lakshmi Mata, we invite you to Diwali puja at our home on Sunday, November 8 at 5pm. Prasad and dinner to follow. Kindly reply by November 1.

3. The open house

Our door is open this Diwali. Drop in any time from 4 to 9pm on Sunday, November 8. Puja at 5:05 if you'd like to join, mithai all evening. Tap yes and tell us how many you're bringing: [link]

4. First Diwali in a new home

Our first Diwali in the new house, and we'd love you there for the first puja in it. Sunday, November 8, please arrive by 4:45. Shoes off at the door, there's a rack in the hall. Dinner after. RSVP by Nov 1: [link]

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Diwali Puja and Dinner Invitations

When the puja and the meal are one event, give both times. Some guests only come for dinner, and that's fine, as long as they know when the food starts.

5. Puja, then dinner

Diwali puja and dinner at the Mehtas'. Sunday, November 8. Arrive by 4:45, puja from 5:05 to about 5:45, dinner from 6:30. If you can only make dinner, come at 6:30 and you won't miss a thing. Reply by November 1: [link]

6. Diyas and a thali

Diwali dinner at ours on Sunday, November 8. We'll light the diyas and do a short puja at 5, then a full vegetarian thali. 22 Elm Road. Kids welcome, and the sparklers come out after dinner. RSVP by the 1st: [link]

7. Mandir first, dinner at home

We're going to the mandir for the evening aarti on Diwali, then home to eat. Join us at our place from 7:30pm on Sunday, November 8. 9 Park Avenue. Reply by November 1 so we cook for the right number: [link]

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Diwali Party Invitation Wording

A Diwali party is lighter than a puja, so the message can be too. Say what kind of party it is, because "Diwali party" can mean dinner and dancing, a night of cards or a table full of other people's cooking.

Casual Diwali party

8. The party

Diwali party at ours, Saturday, November 7, from 7pm. Diyas, music, too much food and a lot of mithai. Indian wear if you have it, anything bright if you don't. RSVP by Nov 1: [link]

9. Rangoli first

Come early and help with the rangoli, stay late for the food. Diwali party, Saturday, November 7. Rangoli from 4, party from 7. 31 Lake Street. Tap yes or no here: [link]

10. The Saturday after

Diwali lands on a school night this year, so we're celebrating the Saturday after. November 14, 7pm, at Priya and Dev's. Diyas, dancing and a dessert table. RSVP by the 8th: [link]

Diwali card party

In many families, cards come out in the days around Diwali. Teen patti, rummy and bluff are the usual games, and the custom is often traced to the story of Parvati and Shiva playing dice on Diwali night. Say the stakes in the invitation. Chips or small money keep the beginners at the table.

11. Teen patti night

Teen patti night before Diwali. Saturday, November 7, 8pm until the chips run out. Small stakes, big snacks. Beginners welcome, we'll teach you. RSVP by the 1st so I set up enough tables: [link]

12. Cards for chips

Diwali card party at the Kapoors', Friday, November 6, 8pm. Rummy, teen patti and bluff. We play for chips, not money, so bring your poker face and nothing else. Reply by Nov 1: [link]

13. Couples' card night

Couples' card night for Diwali. Saturday, November 7, 8:30pm. Drinks, chaat and three tables of teen patti. Book the babysitter now. RSVP with your partner's name by Nov 1: [link]

Diwali potluck

A Diwali potluck needs one rule a normal potluck doesn't: say the food must be vegetarian, and say whether eggs count. Then split dishes by category so you don't get four trays of samosas. Our Friendsgiving potluck sign-up plan works here with one swap: the turkey row becomes your main curry, rice and rotis.

14. The vegetarian potluck

Diwali potluck, Saturday, November 7, 6pm. We're making dal, rice and puris. Bring a vegetarian dish or a box of sweets. No meat and no eggs, please, so my grandmother can eat everything on the table. RSVP by Nov 1: [link]

15. By last name

Potluck rules for our Diwali dinner: last names A to K bring a sabzi or a dal, L to R bring a sweet, S to Z bring snacks or drinks. We've got the rice, the rotis and the main curry. Saturday the 7th, 6:30pm.

16. Jain-friendly

We'll have Jain guests at our Diwali potluck, so if you can, make your dish without onion, garlic, potatoes or other root vegetables, and put a label on it. Not sure? Bring fruit or a sweet instead.

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Short Diwali Invitation Messages for WhatsApp

Most Diwali invitations travel through the family WhatsApp group, then get forwarded to two more groups you aren't in. Keep the date, the time and the link in one message, because a forwarded second message usually doesn't make it. Our step-by-step guide to sending invitations on WhatsApp covers sharing one link to several groups.

Ask for one reply per household. "How many from your family?" gets you a count. Waiting for every cousin to answer separately gets you a guess.

17. The bare minimum

Diwali puja at ours, Sun Nov 8. Come by 4:45, dinner after. Yes or no here: [link]

18. The party text

Diwali party, Sat Nov 7, 7pm. Wear something bright. Tap the link so we know numbers: [link]

19. Nani's dinner

Happy Diwali in advance, everyone. Puja and dinner at Nani's on Sunday, 5pm. One reply per family on the link, please, so she cooks for the right number: [link]

20. In or out

Diyas, mithai, cards. Sat the 7th, 8pm. In or out? [link]

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Formal Diwali Invitations for Elders and Extended Family

Elders read the whole invitation, and they notice who it comes from. A formal Diwali invitation leads with the hosts' full names, uses the full date and keeps the tone closer to a printed card than a text. If you're writing a second version in Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi or Tamil, the bilingual notes in our Hindu wedding invitation wording guide apply here too: one language per block, with the date and time in both.

21. The formal card

Shri and Smt. Ramesh Patel cordially invite you and your family to celebrate Diwali and Lakshmi Puja at their residence on Sunday, the eighth of November, 2026. Puja at five o'clock in the evening, followed by dinner. 18 Oakwood Drive, Edison. Kindly reply by the first of November.

22. Warm and respectful

Wishing you and your family a very happy Diwali. We would be honored to have you with us for Lakshmi Puja on Sunday, November 8, at our home. Please arrive by 4:45 in the evening. Dinner will follow the puja. Kindly let us know by November 1 if you will be able to join.

23. For an aunt and uncle

Dear Masi and Masaji, Diwali won't feel complete without you this year. Please join us for Lakshmi Puja and dinner on Sunday, November 8. We'll pick you up at 4pm so you're settled well before the puja at 5:05. Do let us know by November 1.

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Office Diwali Invitation Wording

At work, most of the room may never have celebrated Diwali, and some colleagues celebrate it as Bandi Chhor Divas or Jain Diwali. Explain the festival in one line, say who pays, describe the food and keep any prayer optional. Many office buildings don't allow open flames, so check before anyone brings real diyas. LED ones look fine on a lobby rangoli.

Holding it on a weekday before the festival lets colleagues keep the weekend for family. For a bigger event with a budget and a venue, our company holiday party planning checklist covers booking lead times and per-person costs.

24. Team lunch

Diwali lunch for the team: Friday, November 6, 12:30, in the main kitchen. Vegetarian Indian food, ordered in, plus a mithai table. Everyone welcome, no Diwali experience needed. RSVP by Tuesday, Nov 3 so we order enough: [link]

25. Office potluck

Office Diwali potluck on Friday, November 6. Bring a vegetarian dish from any cuisine and label it, or bring your appetite if you don't cook. We'll put LED diyas around a rangoli in the lobby. RSVP: [link]

26. The explainer

Diwali, the festival of lights, is on Sunday, November 8. Hindu, Sikh and Jain colleagues celebrate it with lamps, sweets and time with family, and we'd like to mark it together on Friday the 6th at 4pm. Chai, snacks and a few words from the colleagues who organized it. RSVP: [link]

27. Dress-up day

Diwali dress-up day on Friday, November 6. Wear something festive, Indian or not, and join us at 3pm for chai, sweets and a group photo. Completely optional, completely welcome. Reply here: [link]

A printed QR code by the kitchen that opens the RSVP page reaches the colleagues who mute the team chat.

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Kid-Friendly Diwali Invitations

Parents want three answers: what the kids will do, when they'll eat, and who's watching when the sparklers come out. Answer those and the replies come back without follow-up questions.

28. The kids' party

Diwali party for the kids, Saturday, November 7, 3 to 6pm. Diya painting, a rangoli contest and an early dinner. Parents welcome to stay. Tell us about any allergies when you RSVP: [link]

29. The whole family

Bring the whole family to our Diwali dinner on Sunday, November 8. Kids eat at 5:30, grown-ups after the puja. Sparklers in the backyard at 7, with adults on bucket duty. Add your kids when you reply: [link]

30. Little ones welcome

Little ones welcome at our Diwali open house. There's a quiet room upstairs for naps and an art table downstairs. Sunday, November 8, 4 to 8pm. Tap yes and add the kids: [link]

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Diwali Invitations for First-Time Guests

A friend coming to their first Diwali wants to know what happens, what to wear and whether they'll do something wrong. Two or three plain lines fix all of it. Don't write a history lesson. One sentence of meaning and three of logistics is the right ratio.

31. Your first Diwali

You're invited to your first Diwali. It's the festival of lights: lamps everywhere, sweets, new clothes and a lot of food. Come to ours on Saturday, November 7 at 7pm. Wear something bright, no need for Indian clothes. Shoes come off at the door. RSVP: [link]

32. Watch or join the puja

Diwali with us this year? Sunday, November 8. We start with a short prayer at 5, and you're welcome to watch or join in, then dinner. It's all vegetarian. If you'd like to bring something, a box of sweets or flowers is perfect. Reply by Nov 1: [link]

33. Learn teen patti

Ever wanted to learn teen patti? Our Diwali card night is Saturday the 7th at 8. We'll teach you the rules and hand you chips, no money involved. Bring a dessert or just yourself. RSVP: [link]

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Bandi Chhor Divas and Inclusive Diwali Wording

If your guests include Sikh friends, name Bandi Chhor Divas alongside Diwali. Many Sikh families spend the evening at the gurdwara, so a party that starts later lets them come to both. For a street or a mixed group, "festival of lights" works as a heading that leaves nobody out.

34. Gurdwara, then home

Happy Bandi Chhor Divas and Diwali. We're at the gurdwara early in the evening on Sunday, November 8, then lighting up the house. Come over from 8pm for food, sweets and the lights. RSVP: [link]

35. Both festivals, one table

Join us to celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas on Saturday, November 7. Whatever you celebrate, or if you've never celebrated either, come for the lights and the food. 6pm, 40 Hill Street. Reply by Nov 1: [link]

36. Festival of lights for the street

A festival of lights evening for everyone on our street. Saturday, November 7, from 5pm, with diyas along the path and chai on the porch. Bring a lantern or a candle if you have one. Tap the link so we make enough chai: [link]

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Food, Shoes and What to Wear: Lines to Add

These are the lines guests check before they reply, especially guests at their first Diwali. Pick the ones that fit your house.

Food

Most puja evenings are vegetarian, and in many Indian homes vegetarian also means no eggs. Write "vegetarian and eggless" if that's what you mean, because to many Western guests a vegetarian dish can still have egg in it. That decides whether the shop-bought cake a guest brings can go on your table.

Jain guests need more than a vegetarian plate. A Jain diet excludes onion, garlic, potatoes and other root vegetables, plus honey. Some observant Jains also don't eat after sunset, and on November 8 sunset comes before 4:45pm in New York and before 4:25pm in London. For those guests, serve a plate before the puja or pack one to take home.

Alcohol depends on the family. Many keep the puja evening dry, while card parties and office parties often serve drinks. Guests can't guess which, so one line settles it: "No alcohol at this one" or "Drinks after the puja."

The reply side is where hosts lose track. Fourteen people say yes in the family group, three answer you privately, and two tell your mother. Invyt keeps those answers on one list. Guests open your link in any phone browser, with no app and no account, and tap yes or no. You decide whether they can bring plus-ones and how many, and kids are counted on their own line. Turn on the dietary question and each guest can tick Vegetarian, Vegan or Gluten-free, or type a note under Other. There's no Jain option, so ask Jain guests to write "Jain, no onion or garlic" there. The headcount updates as the replies come in.

Shoes

Shoes come off in many Indian homes, and for the puja itself. The Hindu American Foundation's temple guide says the same about temples. Put it in the invitation, so nobody turns up in lace-up boots. "Shoes off at the door, socks welcome" is enough.

What to wear

New clothes are part of Diwali, and bright colors are the norm. Some families avoid all-black on festival days. For guests who don't own Indian clothes, say plainly that they don't need any: "Festive Indian wear welcome, anything bright is perfect."

What guests can bring

A box of mithai, dried fruit, flowers or a set of diyas are the classic gifts. If your friends always arrive with wine, and your puja is dry, say "Bring yourself, or a box of sweets" so they don't arrive with a bottle that has nowhere to go.

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A Reply-By Timeline for Diwali 2026

Three to four weeks ahead is right for a home puja or party. The real deadline, though, is set by the food. A sweet shop or caterer needs your number before Diwali week, not during it, so the replies close a week out.

Here's the plan for a gathering on Saturday, November 7 or Sunday, November 8:

1. Saturday, October 17: send the invitation, with the arrival time, the puja time and the reply-by date in the message.
2. Wednesday, October 28: nudge everyone who hasn't answered.
3. Sunday, November 1: your reply-by date. Lock the headcount and the dietary list.
4. Monday, November 2: order the mithai and any catering, with the Jain and eggless counts separate.
5. Thursday, November 5: send the final details: arrival time, shoes, parking.
6. Saturday, November 7 or Sunday, November 8: your party or your puja.
7. Monday, November 9: send the thank-you.

The nudge is the message hosts put off. If you add your guests to the list, Invyt shows who hasn't answered, and one tap opens WhatsApp with a reminder already written. It goes from your own phone, so swap in one of the lines below first. Nothing is sent on its own, and there's no reply-by field, so the date belongs in your message.

Diwali reminder messages

37. The nudge

Quick reminder: Diwali puja is Sunday the 8th and I'm ordering the mithai on Monday the 2nd. Can you tap yes or no by Sunday? Ten seconds: [link]

38. The day before

See you tomorrow. Please arrive by 4:45, the puja starts at 5:05 and it won't wait. Shoes off at the door, street parking only.

39. The final count

Final count for Saturday's card party: 18 people, three tables. If your plans have changed, tell me today so I can fix the tables.

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Diwali Thank-You Messages

Send it the next day, while the house still smells of ghee and marigolds. It's also the moment to return the steel dabbas people left behind.

40. Short and warm

Thank you for making our Diwali so bright. The house still smells of ghee and marigolds. Saal Mubarak to everyone starting a new year today.

41. The leftovers

Thank you for coming, and for the sweets. We'll be eating kaju katli for a week. Whoever left a steel dabba, it's washed and waiting for you.

42. The full house

Thank you to everyone who came for the puja and stayed to clean up. It was the fullest our house has ever been. Same time next Diwali?

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Pick a message, set the puja time for your city, and send it with a link that collects the answers for you. Invyt is free for up to 25 confirmed guests per event, plus-ones included, and a bigger family list needs a one-time upgrade for that event. You can create your Diwali invitation in a few minutes. Share it by WhatsApp, text or a printed QR code, and watch the headcount fill in before you call the sweet shop.