Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has inaugurated the Amazing Thailand Grand Diwali Festival 2026 in Bangkok, a celebration the Indian Embassy in Thailand describes as the longest Diwali celebration held outside India. The festival runs for 27 days through the month of November.
The inauguration took place at ICONSIAM Bangkok in the presence of Indian Ambassador Puneet Agrawal, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool. The Embassy announced the event on the social media platform X.
A cultural troupe from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations presented Kuchipudi, a classical Indian dance form, at the opening. One report also names the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Thailand among the participating groups.
The festival is organised in collaboration with the Indian Embassy, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Indian diaspora associations. Activities are taking place at various locations across Thailand, according to the organisers.
The Embassy said the festival is open to visitors of all faiths and backgrounds, offering them the chance to experience the diversity of Indian culture in its full splendour. It described the celebrations as a sign of the deepening cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Thailand.
Separately, Diwali was also marked in San Antonio, United States, jointly organised by the City of San Antonio and Anuja SA, the San Antonio-Chennai Sister City Alliance. Consul General D.C. Manjunath of the Consulate General of India in Houston joined San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, city Council members and community leaders for the festivities. The celebrations featured a Diwali River Parade with colourful floats representing various Indian states, traditional cultural performances, music and Indian cuisine. Thousands of visitors attended along San Antonio's River Walk.
The Consulate said the event highlighted the growing cultural ties between India and San Antonio and the important role of the Indian-American community in fostering people-to-people connections.