Diwali is bringing retail promotions and festival business to the Greater Toronto Area, but local merchants describe an uneven season as household budgets remain tight, according to reporting by CityNews and OMNI News.

With the Festival of Lights falling on Sunday, November 8, some car dealerships are adopting promotions tied to festive buying traditions. Performance Auto Group in Ontario is offering participating customers a one-ounce silver coin with a vehicle purchase or lease, the report says.

For smaller businesses, the holiday remains an important shopping occasion, though customers are adjusting their purchases.

“People used to buy bigger products, now they are buying smaller things, but they are buying more of them,” Vikram Rana, owner of Rana Jewelers in Brampton, told OMNI News.

The season includes Dhanteras, when families traditionally buy gold or silver, as well as purchases of clothing, gifts and mithai — South Asian sweets shared with friends and family.

But festive demand has not insulated every business from financial pressures. Soumya, who runs a small South Asian restaurant in downtown Toronto, told OMNI News that festive-season orders had fallen by almost 50 per cent. She attributed the decline to rising costs and immigration changes, including fewer international students. That figure reflects her business’s experience, not a measure of the wider restaurant sector.

Public celebrations also bring vendors and visitors together. Toronto events at Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Square preceded the holiday, while Brampton is hosting a Diwali Mela on November 8.

Ontario’s tourism ministry told OMNI News that approximately $520,000 in support has gone to Diwali-related festivals and events through Experience Ontario since 2018. The ministry said such events draw visitors who spend at accommodations, restaurants and local shops.

The source report was by CityNews’ John Marchesan and OMNI News’ Rashmeen Rupal.

Sources