The balcony is the part of a flat the street sees, and on Diwali night it is the part that gets photographed from below. It also raises the same questions every year: how many diyas, which lights, where the candles go. So here are our Diwali balcony decoration ideas, built around four things at ₹99 each: clay diyas, a ten-metre warm white string light, floating candles and a brass akhand diya for the corner the wind reaches. Everything ships free across India and is paid in cash at the door.
Start with the rail: how many diyas one balcony takes
Stand on the balcony with a measuring tape before you order anything. The rail is where the diyas go, and the number depends only on its length. We allow a hand’s width between diyas, roughly six inches, which keeps the flames apart and still reads as a continuous line from the road.
- A four-foot rail, the usual width of a bedroom balcony, takes about eight diyas. One set of twelve covers the rail and leaves four for the door.
- An eight-foot rail on a living-room balcony takes about sixteen. Two sets, with eight spare for the window sills inside.
- An L-shaped balcony is two rails added together. Measure both.
- A wraparound balcony can run to thirty diyas. Three sets, and light them in stages so the first ones are not burning out as the last are lit.
Each of our handpainted clay diyas holds enough oil or ghee for two to three hours, which covers the puja and the evening. Fill them two-thirds and keep the bottle of oil on the balcony for a top-up at nine.
Three layers of light
A balcony that looks right from the street has light at three heights: the rail, the frame above it, and the table or floor behind. One layer alone looks thin. Here is what to use for each.
Clay diyas, set of twelve: the rail (₹99)
Traditional terracotta, hand painted in red, gold and green. Because each is painted by hand, no two are exactly alike, and that is what makes a line of them look alive rather than printed. Stand each diya on a steel plate or a strip of foil so the oil does not mark the rail or the sill. Fit the cotton wicks the day before and fill with oil only on the evening, so nothing spills while you are moving them about.
Warm white LED string lights, 10 m: the frame (₹99)
A copper-wire light with a hundred warm white LEDs and eight lighting modes, plugging into a standard socket. Ten metres runs around a door frame and one window, or along a full balcony rail with enough left to drop down one side. Warm white works better than multicolour here, because from the road it reads like diya light, and it does not fight with the flames. The warm white string lights go up first, before anything else, because you need to test the modes and fix the wire while the balcony is still empty.
Scented floating candles, pack of six: the table (₹99)
Rose and sandalwood scented candles that float in a bowl of water or an urli, burning for about four hours each. Three in a wide bowl on the balcony table, with a few marigold petals, is the layer people notice when they step out with a plate. They also suit a balcony where a diya would be knocked, because a floating candle sits in water. The scented floating candles are the easy answer for a balcony that is too small for a row of diyas.
Brass akhand diya with glass cover: the windy corner (₹99)
Every balcony has one corner where the wind comes through, and that is where a clay diya keeps going out. The brass akhand diya with glass cover has a glass chimney around the flame, so a draught from the fan or an open window does not put it out, and it is sized for a puja shelf, so it sits on a small stool or a ledge without taking the whole corner. On the night, light it first and light the wicks of the clay diyas from it.
Layouts for three kinds of balcony
The four-foot rail
Eight diyas along the rail, string lights around the door frame behind, and the floating candle bowl on a stool in the corner. One set of diyas, one string light, one pack of candles. Total ₹297.
The L-shaped balcony
Diyas along both rails, sixteen to twenty, and the string light along the longer rail rather than the door, with the plug end nearest the socket. Put the akhand diya in the inside corner of the L, where the two rails meet and the wind swirls. Two sets of diyas, one string light, one akhand diya. Total ₹396.
The wraparound
This is the one the neighbours photograph. Three sets of diyas, two string lights end to end along the rail, the akhand diya at the corner that faces the road and the candle bowl on the table. Light the rail in the order the sun sets, from the west end, so the first diyas are still full when the last are lit. Total ₹693.
How we keep it safe
We do not sell fireproof anything, and we would not claim to. These are simply the habits of people who have lit balconies every year.
- A plate under every diya. Steel plates from the kitchen or a strip of foil. Oil on a wooden rail is the stain you will still see in March.
- Nothing that moves near a flame. Curtains tied back, the toran on the door rather than over the rail, and no string light wire running behind a diya.
- The plug and controller of the string light stay indoors, away from water. Run the wire through a window that stays open rather than a door that closes on it.
- The candle bowl on a surface that does not tip. A stool is fine; the rail is not.
- Someone stays on the balcony while the diyas are lit, and the last thing anyone does before bed is walk the rail and check every one is out.
- Children and pets watch from inside the door until the lighting is done.
Diwali balcony decoration ideas by size: the shopping list
- Four-foot rail: one set of diyas, one string light, one pack of candles. ₹297.
- Eight-foot or L-shaped: two sets of diyas, one string light, one akhand diya, one pack of candles. ₹495.
- Wraparound: three sets of diyas, two string lights, one akhand diya, one pack of candles. ₹693.
Everything above sits in our Diyas and Lights category. If the balcony is part of a rented flat and you cannot drill for hooks, our guide to decorating a small apartment or rented flat for Diwali covers the rest of the rooms and how to fix lights without leaving marks.
Order-by dates for Diwali 2026
Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November. Orders are packed in Hyderabad and handed to the courier within one working day, Monday to Saturday. Delivery after that is two to three days within Telangana, three to four to the other southern metros, five to seven for most of India, and eight to twelve for remote and hill areas. Courier networks are at their busiest in the fortnight before the festival, so order by 29 October wherever you are, and earlier if you want the string lights up for the week before.
Every order is cash on delivery with no extra charge, and shipping is free to any serviceable pincode in India. Each clay diya is wrapped individually and packed in a fitted carton. If a diya or the chimney arrives cracked, photograph it with the box within 48 hours and write to us; we replace it free or refund by UPI or bank transfer.
Frequently asked questions
Allow a hand’s width between diyas. A four-foot rail takes about eight, so one set of twelve covers the rail and the door. An L-shaped or wraparound balcony needs two or three sets.
The listing says the light plugs into a standard socket. We keep the plug and controller indoors and away from water, and we do not leave the wire out in rain. Check the product description before you order.
Each holds enough oil or ghee for two to three hours, which covers the puja and the evening. Keep the oil bottle on the balcony for a top-up if guests stay late.
Order by 29 October 2026 for most of India. Dispatch is within one working day from Hyderabad, and delivery is five to seven days for most of the country after that.
