Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is a day filled with color, lights, and joy between friends and family. 

This Hindu festival celebrates light triumphing over dark. To mark this occasion, you should have a Diwali celebration in the office!

You can go all out to create a festive atmosphere in the office for employees. Regardless of whether they celebrate Diwali or not, everyone will enjoy the occasion. 

This article lists the best ways to celebrate Diwali in the office to provide some inspiration. 

16 ways to celebrate Diwali in the office

1. Decorate offices 

To create a festive Diwali atmosphere, the best thing you can do is decorate your offices on the day, or for the entire week of Diwali. Putting up lights, flowers, lanterns, and other colorful elements will get everyone in the spirit. You can even get employees involved in the decorating process. 

2. Dress up

Ask employees to dress up in traditional attire for Diwali. This celebrates the culture and gets everyone involved in the occasion. You can allow employees who celebrate Diwali to dress up, but it is more enjoyable if everyone joins in on the fun and plays their part!

3. Sweet platters 

The delicious range of sweets that get made and passed around during Diwali is something everyone enjoys, so this will be a big hit at the office. Order a few platters of traditional sweets such as Gulab Jamun, Rasgulla, Ladoo, Jalebi, and more. Make sure you order enough for everyone to try!

4. Henna

Henna painting is a fun, traditional way to celebrate Diwali in the office. 

You can hire a henna artist to set up a station for a few hours. Anyone who wants to partake can have henna designs done for a unique, temporary tattoo-like addition to their skin. If you have a limited budget, you can even buy a few henna pens and let employees get creative with designs. 

5. Potluck

Traditional Indian food is varied, with many different dishes and delicacies on offer. You can ask each person to bring in a traditional dish to contribute to a big potluck for everyone to enjoy. Alternatively, you can order an array of dishes from a caterer for a lunch buffet setup. 

6. Charity drive

While Diwali is about celebrating with friends and family, it is also about giving back. Set up a charity drive for employees to donate goods such as food, clothing, toys, books, and more. You can then pack it all up and donate it to a local charity to mark the occasion. 

For a more hands-on approach, you can have employees making sandwiches in the office to be donated, or going out as a team to volunteer at an organization for the day. 

7. Decorate desks

For a fun competition, ask employees to decorate each of their desks in time for Diwali. 

This requires them to get creative, and the office will look more festive by the end of it. You can then judge the finished desks, and award a prize to the winner. If you have a big office, you can even do this contest between teams who decorate their office area. 

8. Rangoli

An enjoyable traditional art form is rangoli, which entails creating a pattern on a flat surface using materials like rocks, ochre, sand, flour, and more. These are generally dyed to create an array of colors in the design. Provide employees with the materials, and they can create their rangolis on the floor or their desks. 

9. Sparklers

Fireworks and sparklers are a big part of Diwali celebrations. 

While the former might be difficult to pull off in an office space, you can give each employee a few sparklers to enjoy. After work (when it’s a bit darker) everyone can go to the outside area and light up their sparklers.

10. Dance party

For a real office celebration, blast a playlist of uplifting Bollywood songs in the office to get everyone's spirits up. You can have this going throughout the day, or invite everyone to an after-work party with a DJ, a dance floor, and a few disco lights. 

11. Gift exchange

It might be difficult for employees to get a gift for every one of their colleagues, so you can set up a secret gift exchange where each employee picks a name out of a hat, and has to buy something for that person. 

This way everyone gets a gift, and it is fun for employees to learn more about each other and connect in this way. It is generally best to set a price limit on how much they can spend. 

If you want to get each of your employees a small gift for the occasion, you can use a service like PerkUp, which makes it easy to pick out the right gift and provides seamless delivery. 

12. Light Diyas

During Diwali, you would traditionally light Diyas (oil lamps) which symbolize prosperity. 

You can place these around the office to celebrate the day. You can explain the significance of these to employees, as well as the meaning and origin of Diwali so that everyone knows what exactly they are celebrating. 

13. Family day

Diwali is all about time shared with loved ones, so why not include families in your office celebrations? 

You can invite employees to bring along a few members of their family to the office to participate in whatever activities and celebrations are happening. This can be a lunch/potluck, a party, crafts, or just a general social day. 

14. Cooking or baking class

While the food and sweets are a big highlight of Diwali, you can get employees active in making these goods. 

Set up a fun cooking or baking class, where employees follow an instructor with a step-by-step guide on how to make a particular delicacy. They can then take their finished product home, or they can all enjoy it together at the office. 

15. Photo booth 

If the office is decorated and everyone is dressed up, employees will be eager to take pictures to commemorate the occasion. 

Set up a fun photo booth in the office for everyone to take group pictures with their colleagues. You can lay out some costumes or props, and your Diwali celebrations can live forever! 

16. Diya painting 

As Diyas are such an important symbol for Diwali, you can get employees to decorate them as a craft activity. Provide paint, brushes, sequins, beads, and more so that they can let their creativity shine. Employees can then take their creations home as a keepsake to light with their families. 

Final thoughts

Diwali is a joyous occasion for all, and there are many ways to celebrate the Festival of Light. 

You can find something to suit the size of your team, your office, and your budget. 

Remember to keep all celebrations inclusive and get everyone involved in the festivities. Use the day as an opportunity to show your employees how much they mean to you, and to celebrate their contributions and hard work throughout the year. 

For an extra special touch, you can use a service like PerkUp to easily order and deliver thoughtful gifts for employees to mark the occasion.