Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8 in Spain and Portugal, the same calendar date as in India, part of a 5-day festival running from Dhanteras on November 6 through Bhai Dooj on November 10. Both countries have smaller Indian communities than France or Germany, with Barcelona and Madrid hosting the larger concentrations in Spain, mostly in trade, hospitality and tech.
Spain and Portugal are not in the same time zone
Despite sharing a land border, Spain uses Central European Time (CET) and Portugal uses Western European Time (WET), one hour behind. This is a historical quirk (Spain aligned its clocks with Germany during the 1940s rather than following its geographic longitude), and it means Lisbon’s Diwali puja window falls a full clock hour earlier than Madrid’s, even though the two cities are close in actual longitude and their true solar time is fairly similar.
Getting the puja timing right
Lakshmi Puja is traditionally timed to Pradosh Kaal, the period around local sunset. Madrid and Barcelona, both on CET, have slightly different sunset times from each other due to Barcelona’s more easterly position, while Lisbon’s WET-based clock time makes its puja window appear an hour earlier on paper despite similar solar timing to Madrid.
Clock changes to watch for
Both Spain and Portugal shift back an hour on the last Sunday of October, before Diwali, so by November 8 both countries are on their respective winter standard times (CET for Spain, WET for Portugal).
Celebrating with a smaller community
The Indian population in Spain and Portugal is considerably smaller than in the UK, Germany or France. Madrid and Barcelona have growing communities, particularly around the Lavapies neighbourhood in Madrid and Raval in Barcelona, but there is no equivalent of London’s Neasden Temple or a large organized Diwali mela. Most families celebrate at home with a small gathering. Lisbon’s community is even more compact, with celebrations typically organized through word-of-mouth WhatsApp groups rather than formal associations.
This means the home puja carries more weight than it would in a city with large public celebrations. Families who want diyas, specific puja items, or particular sweets should plan their shopping a week or two early. Indian grocery stores in Madrid (around Lavapies) and Barcelona stock seasonal items, but quantities are limited and popular items sell out quickly. For Lisbon, some families order from Madrid-based stores or stock up during a trip.
Fireworks and noise rules
Spain has no blanket national ban on residential fireworks, but municipalities set their own rules, and Madrid requires a permit for anything beyond small sparklers. Barcelona is stricter, especially in dense neighbourhoods, where noise complaints escalate quickly to a visit from the Guardia Urbana. Portugal’s rules are similar: Lisbon restricts fireworks to licensed events, and residential blocks, most of central Lisbon, effectively rule out anything louder than balcony sparklers. The practical workaround most families use is diyas, rangoli and string lighting at home, saving louder celebration for a community hall booking where noise is permitted.
A Diwali-week scenario worth planning for
A family in Barcelona wants to host a Sunday evening puja followed by dinner for a dozen guests. November 8 sunset there is around 5:40 PM, putting Pradosh Kaal roughly between 5:15 and 7:45 PM, a tight window if guests are crossing the city on public transport, since Barcelona’s metro runs less often on Sunday evenings. Families who have hosted this before set the puja for the earlier half of that window, around 5:30 to 6:00 PM, so dinner can follow without rushing anyone. The same logic applies in Madrid and Lisbon: check the exact sunset and work backward when sending invitations, rather than picking a round number like “7 PM.”
Check your city’s timing
Use the muhurat page with Madrid, Barcelona or Lisbon selected to see November 8’s sunset, Rahu Kaal and Abhijit Muhurat for your local Lakshmi Puja window.