Dhanteras falls on Friday, 6 November 2026, Diwali on Sunday, 8 November, and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, 11 November. That is the busiest week of the year for many local businesses, and also the week when everyone wants to post festive videos. The problem is obvious: when the shop is full, nobody has time to film.
The answer is to shoot early. Spend thirty minutes this week capturing clips, and you will have enough material for the whole festive season.
Why film before the rush
- Your staff are calm and have time to help.
- You can shoot in good daylight instead of at the end of a long day.
- Your decorations are fresh and the shop is tidy.
- You can re-shoot anything that doesn't look right.
The shot list
Use your phone, held vertically. Each clip only needs to be a few seconds long.
- The entrance: walk in through your door, slowly, with the decorations visible.
- Lights and diyas: close-ups of lights being switched on, diyas being lit, rangoli being made.
- Your products or services: festive stock on shelves, sweets being packed, a festive hairstyle being finished, a gift hamper being wrapped.
- Your team: everyone together saying "Happy Diwali", with everyone's permission.
- Hands at work: packing, cooking, styling, writing a card. These clips are very useful for transitions.
- The owner's message: a fifteen-second greeting from you, looking at the camera, in the language your customers use.
- The shop at dusk: the outside of your shop with lights on, filmed from across the road.
Turn the clips into a week of posts
- A few days before Dhanteras: a quick product or service video, plus your festival timings.
- Dhanteras: a clip of shining new stock or packed gift boxes, with a greeting.
- Choti Diwali: a short clip of decorations and lights.
- Diwali: the team greeting or the owner's message.
- Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj: a warm family-themed clip or gifting idea.
- After the festival: a thank-you video with clips of the busy week.
Festival dates can vary by a day depending on the panchang your area follows, so check before scheduling.
Safety and permissions
- Be careful with diyas, candles and lights near fabric, paper and decorations while filming.
- Get permission from staff and customers before they appear in a video. In clinics, avoid filming patients entirely.
- Avoid fireworks footage that could encourage unsafe use, and respect local rules on firecrackers.
Sound and text
Add short on-screen text, such as "Happy Diwali from all of us at [your business]", because many people watch on mute. For music, use the free tracks inside Instagram, YouTube or Facebook rather than downloading songs from elsewhere.
Where to post
Instagram and Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts and WhatsApp Status are the obvious places. A real clip of your shop, under 30 seconds, can also go on your Google Business Profile, where customers looking for festive shopping or services nearby will see it.
Thirty minutes of filming this week can give you a full week of festive videos when you need them most.
Want ready-made festive videos?
Along with daily banners, we send ready-to-post short videos for every festival, made for your type of business with your name and number added, and personalised voiceovers in English or Hinglish. Book a free demo or see our daily banner and video service.