Diwali operator checklist for India F2P (store, UPI, creative)
Diwali 2026 is widely listed on 8 November. India F2P ops need creative, store and UPI/payment gates—not a market-size essay.
Diwali is a spend and session peak for India F2P. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and can vary by region.
2026 date
Civil and panchang calendars widely list Diwali / Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November 2026 (with Dhanteras and related days adjacent). Confirm against the year’s state holiday notifications via india.gov.in / state gazettes before locking national paid media—India holidays are often state-listed.
Checklist
- Date confirm — National vs state holiday rows for IN targeting.
- Creative — Lights/diya motifs reviewed for brand and platform policy; no mis-timed festival art.
- UPI / payments — PSP and UPI partners’ holiday risk and settlement delays noted (labelled operational risk—not a fee schedule).
- Store — Play/App Store IN featuring and rating response staffing.
- UA pacing — Budget caps for peak nights; no invented CPI.
- Live-ops — Offer end in IST.
- Teardown — Post-Diwali creative rollback.
Facts versus limits
| Field | Evidence or limit |
|---|---|
| Commonly listed Diwali 2026 | 8 Nov 2026 |
| Binding state holiday lists | Re-check india.gov.in / state notices |
| UPI outage statistics | Not asserted |
