Exploring Deepavali at the Mosaic Children’s Museum

ALEX DAUD BRIGGS | 6 November 2026

Children (and parents!) enjoy a colourful celebration of Deepavali at Mosaic, discovering the festival through a week of hands-on activities, creative crafts, music and cultural experiences.

DOWNTOWN Kuala Lumpur is a place where the old and new continue to find ways to coexist. In its historic streets and older buildings, spaces are being reimagined for new generations, giving the city centre fresh purpose while keeping it alive with activity. One such space is the Museum of Science, Arts and Innovation for Children (Mosaic) – a place for children to learn, play and discover.

And this week, discovery came with a splash of colour as Mosaic celebrates Deepavali with a programme introducing young visitors to the traditions and festivities of the Hindu festival of lights. While the festival is familiar to many Malaysians, every celebration will be someone's first. For the youngest members of our community, the week-long programme ofhas been offering an opportunity to explore and learn about Deepavali through a safe yet engaging cultural experience.

From arts and crafts and servings of traditional snacks to a stage show presented by an upcoming young talent, Mosaic’s “Colours of Diwali” programme had plenty for kids and their parents to enjoy (please note that adults are only allowed into Mosaic if accompanied by their children!).

“We designed the whole week, from Nov 1 to Nov 7, around Deepavali-themed play inspired by the colours of rangoli,” says Mosaic Director Fiza Zin (pic above).

“Staying true to our concept of open play and inviting children to explore their creativity, we’ve installed different stations inspired by the elements that make up Deepavali. We have craftwork, storytelling and a classical Indian music performance by a young talent, Varuneaswaran Yomarakuro (Varun), who will also be demonstrating the Indian martial art of Silambam.”

Upon entering the second floor of Mosaic's four-storey building, guests were greeted by a decorated arts room known as the atelier, and a workshop where children were encouraged to flex their creativity throughout the week.

Installed at the atelier were several stations, one of which allowed children to create rangoli, intricate patterns made using different shades of coloured rice, carefully arranged to piece together exquisite works of art. You've probably seen such displays at local shopping centres and other public areas, but here, children have the chance to take part themselves.

Children get creative as they explore, mould and play with clay and rice through hands-on activities.

Alongside these were stations featuring clay, often used during the festival to make traditional diya lamps. Although, with a mixture of children and clay, a number of dinosaurs and cats could also be seen stomping through the sea of lights.

In the early afternoon on Nov 1 when WarisanKL.my turned up, the real festivities began. Everyone was gathered around a small stage, where they were greeted by Varun, a 10-year-old boy training as both a Carnatic violinist and a Silambam martial artist. Even at such a young age, Varun spoke calmly in a clear yet energetic voice, happy to demonstrate and showcase two aspects of his culture with pride, as the younger children in the audience looked on in wonder.

Varun (pic above) has been playing the Indian style of Carnatic violin for just over a year. When asked what he enjoyed most about the instrument, he said: “What I enjoy most is the music itself, the way we just like to play the violin in our own style.”

He notes that he was quite nervous when performing, but explained that as soon as he got to the stage, he felt comfortable interacting with his audience. “It was like, okay, I am going to do this, I know how to do this!”

Varuneaswaran Yomarakuro demonstrates some impressive Silambam moves, inviting the audience to join in and give the traditional martial art a try.

When asked what he enjoyed most about Deepavali, Varun, while slowly sifting sand through his fingers onto a rangoli, replied with a firm one-word answer: Food.

It's certainly no lie that the many treats shared during Deepavali make it a feast to remember, and Mosaic understood that well, offering an assortment of snacks on the third floor. The buffet consisted of chai, murukku, dried pineapple and much more, making for a relaxing tea time for both children and parents after a highly active play session.

The programme admittedly doesn't delve into the more complex religious aspects of Deepavali, but that's not really the point. It's aimed primarily at pre-school children aged between three and seven, giving them a spark of curiosity about the diverse cultures that make up Malaysia's wider community.

Fatin, a geologist who brought her two children to the event, said that they had a good time and that it's great that they're able to celebrate so many different holidays.

“I think they really enjoyed everything, especially at this age. They're just doing so much. The clay-making, the dances, the violin introduction just now, it's all really fun for them. They're celebrating different kinds of celebrations with different races. I think it's pretty cool that they're exposed to these different cultural ideas at such a young age.”

Fiza says that they wish to continue organising programmes around different holidays. Mosaic held a Hari Raya programme earlier in the year, with plans in place for Christmas activities in the coming months, and Chinese New Year in 2027. Ideally, they'd like to organise activities for all four festivals every year.

In a diverse society such as Malaysia, it is important to give children the opportunity to explore and learn about different cultural practices in a safe and engaging play area.

If you're looking to take a young child out on a day trip, perhaps a visit to Mosaic could both entertain and educate at the same time.

MoSAIC | Museum of Arts Science & Innovation for Children

Address: Level 5, Yayasan Ubaidi, 10, Jalan Tun Perak, Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 016-225 0731