Bursting crackers in Kolkata: the 2026 timings
Diwali falls on 8 November 2026. Here is what is actually permitted in Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, and where to check before you buy.
This page is a summary, not the law. The bursting window and the permitted items are re-notified every season by Kolkata Police, the district police and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, and they can differ by district. Check the current 2026 notification before Diwali.
The permitted window
Bursting in West Bengal is normally notified for 8:00 to 10:00 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali. Outside those hours it is an offence, including on the days either side of Diwali.
Green crackers only
West Bengal permits certified green crackers alone. Look for the CSIR-NEERI green logo and the QR code printed on the box, and keep the box until you have burst everything in it.
Silence zones
No bursting within 100 metres of a hospital, school, court or place of worship, at any hour. Many streets in Kolkata sit inside one without a sign.
Your gated community
The housing complexes of Salt Lake, New Town and Rajarhat, and the older blocks of south Kolkata, often set their own rule on top of the state's: the rooftop or one courtyard only, a fixed hour, or nothing in the common areas. Ask your association or the para committee before you buy.
West Bengal permits certified green crackers only, as notified by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, with bursting normally notified as 8:00 to 10:00 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali, 6:00 to 8:00 AM on Chhath, and 11:35 PM to 12:35 AM on Christmas and New Year's Eve. The notification is reissued every season, so confirm the current one.
What to buy if you are in an apartment
Certified green, silent or low noise, and safe on a balcony or a shared terrace. 8 boxes from the list that meet all three.
Ordering in time
Parcels reach Kolkata in 6 to 8 days from Sivakasi, and the transport lines are at their busiest in the final week, so an early order in the season lands with time to spare. See crackers delivery in Kolkata for how your parcel actually arrives. Fireworks are classed as explosives, so they may not be carried on the Kolkata Metro, on suburban local trains, on buses or ferries, or by ordinary courier.
Kolkata cracker timings: questions people ask
What time can I burst crackers in Kolkata for Kali Puja and Diwali 2026?
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has normally notified 8:00 to 10:00 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali, a two-hour window in line with the Supreme Court's direction. The hours are reissued every year, so confirm the 2026 notification before the festival on 8 November 2026.
Are only green crackers allowed in West Bengal?
Yes. The state pollution board has permitted certified green crackers only in recent seasons. A green cracker carries the CSIR-NEERI green logo and a QR code on the box, and every box we mark as green on this site carries that certification. Confirm the current notification.
Are there windows for Chhath, Christmas and New Year?
In recent seasons the board has normally notified 6:00 to 8:00 AM on Chhath, and 11:35 PM to 12:35 AM on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, green crackers only. These are set again each year, so check the current notification before the day.
Can I burst crackers on my rooftop or in my housing complex?
Your association or para committee decides that as much as the state does. Many complexes in Salt Lake, New Town and Rajarhat allow one courtyard or the roof at a fixed hour, and some allow nothing in common areas. Ask first, and keep anything aerial off a crowded rooftop.
Is there a penalty for bursting outside the notified hours?
It is an offence under the Environment (Protection) Act and the Noise Pollution Rules, and the police do act on complaints at Kali Puja. We are not lawyers and this page is not legal advice: treat the notification from Kolkata Police, the district police and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board as the authority.
Can I carry crackers on the Kolkata Metro or a local train?
No. Fireworks are classed as explosives and may not be carried on the Kolkata Metro, on suburban local trains, on buses or ferries, or by ordinary courier. For the same reason your boxes come up from Sivakasi on a registered goods truck.
Order green crackers for Kolkata
Sealed Standard Fireworks boxes, typically 85% below the printed MRP, minimum order ₹3,000. Delivery charges are not included. You pay the transport office when you collect your parcel.