Festivals · Thu 29 Oct 2026
Deepavali in Kuala Lumpur: Batu Caves and Brickfields on the day
Deepavali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. Here is how the capital marks the festival of lights, from the temple steps at Batu Caves in the morning to the kolam and crowds of Brickfields through the day.
Deepavali, the festival of lights, falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, and in Kuala Lumpur it is a public holiday: Deepavali is a federal holiday in every state except Sarawak, and because the day lands on a Sunday this year, Monday 9 November is taken as the replacement holiday in the capital. That gives the city a long weekend built around one of its warmest festivals, and two places carry it: the temple caves at Batu Caves in the morning, and Brickfields, the city's Little India, for the rest of the day. The full listing is on the Deepavali 2026 event page.
Morning: the temple run to Batu Caves
Devotees start early. Batu Caves, the limestone hill 13 kilometres north of the centre with the 140 foot Murugan statue and 272 painted steps up to the cathedral cave, draws Hindu families through the morning for prayers, and the steps are at their busiest before the heat builds. Entry to the main cave is free and there is nothing to book; the KTM Komuter train runs to the station at the gate, which is the calm way in on a festival morning. If you would rather go with a guide, a Batu Caves tour is bookable from the card on the Kuala Lumpur attractions page.
The day in Brickfields
By late morning the centre of gravity shifts to Brickfields. Along Jalan Tun Sambanthan the shopfronts carry kolam, the coloured rice flour designs laid out for the festival, stalls sell sweets, flowers and festive clothes, and the temples fill and empty in waves. Traffic around Brickfields is heavy on Deepavali itself, so come on foot from KL Sentral, which adjoins the district, or by monorail to Tun Sambanthan station. Deepavali is also open house season in Malaysia, when colleagues and neighbours host, so the streets, rather than the restaurants, are the main event.
Making a weekend of it
With Monday a holiday as well, the weekend stretches. The KL Tower and the Petronas Towers decks are the city's two viewpoints if you want the festival city from above, and both sit on the same attractions page. If you are flying in for it, the KLIA Ekspres runs between the airport and KL Sentral in 28 minutes. Dates on this site are checked against official sources, and the Deepavali listing is confirmed for 8 November 2026.
More reading on the articles page, or go straight to the events calendar.