Pop-up stalls and flexi holidays: Ad agencies light up workplaces with new Diwali playbook

For an industry that spends much of the year figuring out how to make consumers feel something, Diwali presents an interesting challenge: how do you create that same magic for the people sitting inside your own offices?

Turns out, a traditional puja, a box of sweets and a mandatory ethnic-wear day are no longer enough to light up the workplace. Media and creative agencies are increasingly treating Diwali as an opportunity to flex their creative muscles internally, bringing in everything from pop-up shopping experiences and Bollywood-themed evenings to diya-painting workshops, community initiatives and flexible holidays.

At McCann India, the celebrations began with a mini festive marketplace. Employees had three days to browse pop-up stalls featuring jewellery, nail art, clothing and candles, alongside office decorations, traditional attire, Diwali puja, festive lunches and a game of Housie.

"We wanted to make the celebrations more engaging and give everyone something to look forward to," says Navdeep Nijjar, Director-People, McCann India.

The idea was to make the office feel a little less like a workplace and a little more like a festive destination. After all, when employees can squeeze in some nail art or browse jewellery between meetings, the festive spirit gets a rather practical upgrade.

But organising celebrations in an agency environment, where client deadlines rarely take a festive holiday, requires some planning.

"We plan our celebrations in a way that allows most of them to participate while ensuring client work and delivery schedules continue smoothly," Nijjar says. The agency also encourages leaders and managers to be mindful of the festive season, while its flexi-leave policy gives employees greater freedom to plan their breaks.

At dentsu India, the emphasis is on making celebrations an extension of workplace culture, particularly as teams in Mumbai and Gurugram come together in their new workplaces.

"At dentsu India, we see festivals like Diwali as an important opportunity to strengthen connection, culture and belonging," says Harini Muralidharan, Cluster HR Director – India, Financial Services & India Business Platforms, dentsu.

For the network, the idea is to make its new offices more than just places where employees show up for work. They should also be spaces where people connect, collaborate and build a sense of community.

However, Muralidharan believes that inclusion also means recognising that not everyone celebrates festivals in the same way.

"Our flexi-holiday framework gives employees greater choice around the cultural and religious occasions that matter to them," she says, adding that the aim is to create shared experiences while allowing people the flexibility to celebrate in ways that are personally meaningful.

If McCann is bringing the festive bazaar to the office, Cheil India is taking employees on a Bollywood detour.

At its Delhi office, employees are participating in bay-decoration and rangoli competitions, taking charge of transforming their workspaces. Mumbai, meanwhile, is getting a cinematic makeover, with a Bollywood-themed celebration where employees dress up as their favourite film characters, followed by Bollywood trivia and a karaoke evening.

"It's a wonderful way to bring out the creative, fun-loving side of our people," says Vipul Sharma, Head HR & Admin, Cheil India.

Traditional Days, Diwali games, food and collective pujas across both offices complete the celebrations. The agency has also factored in the fact that Diwali is a major travel period, particularly for employees heading back to their hometowns.

With Diwali falling on a Sunday this year, Sharma says the extended festive break gives employees more time with their families.

"Ultimately, it's about striking the right balance. We have important business commitments to deliver, particularly during the festive season, but we also recognise that our people need time to celebrate, unwind and reconnect with family and friends," he says.

At ^ a t o m Network, the festive mood begins well before the actual festival. The office gets its festive makeover almost a week in advance, with decorations, lights and the obligatory rangoli.

"How else would people crack their age-old HR jokes?" quips Abhik Santara, Co-Founder of At ^ a t o m Network.

Office parties, games and activities are part of the celebrations, but Santara says the real ingredient is employee participation. Teams are encouraged to contribute ideas and make the festivities their own.

In fact, the agency says it does not need a festival to celebrate. A random Tuesday can also turn festive at ^ a t o m.

"Our idea is simple: celebrations should be something employees look forward to, not something that adds to their workload," Santara says. The agency's philosophy is that a happy, connected team brings better energy to the workplace, provided the celebrations do not come at the cost of client commitments.

Veena Joji, Chief People Officer, WPP Media South Asia, said, "We transformed our offices into vibrant spaces filled with lights, colours and festive cheer, complete with Instagram-worthy corners that were an instant hit with our younger colleagues. Colourful rangolis, colleagues dressed in their traditional best, spirited competitions, diya and coaster painting, and nostalgic festive treats added to the excitement. A celebratory lunch and the infectious beats of dhol brought the festivities to a high."

Joji said, "The enthusiasm was infectious. Our offices were buzzing with music, laughter, selfies and colleagues wholeheartedly embracing the festive spirit. It was wonderful to see everyone letting their hair down and enjoying the celebrations."

Meanwhile, Gozoop Group is taking the idea of spreading festive cheer beyond the office walls.

This year, its teams came together to make more than 100 sandwiches for children at an NGO, giving the festival a community-oriented twist.

"For us, a people-first culture isn't just about what we do for our teams on special occasions. It's about creating an environment where people feel valued, connected and inspired to make a difference, both within the organisation and beyond it," says Bansi Raja, Chief Happiness Officer, Gozoop Group.

The initiative brings a different dimension to the usual office festivities. Instead of focusing entirely on what employees receive during the festival, the agency has made the act of giving an important part of the celebration.

At TheSmallBigIdea, the festive makeover has been a mix of traditional rituals and newer experiences. Alongside festive décor, snacks and traditional attire, the agency introduced a DJ, a photo booth and a diya-painting session.

Interestingly, the celebrations were planned and led by its Gen Z team, which brought fresh ideas to the festivities.

Even gifting received a rethink. Instead of conventional festive hampers, employees received practical presents that they could use in their everyday lives.

"Every Diwali, we aim to make the celebration a little more special than the one before," says Gireesh Pillai, CHRO, TheSmallBigIdea.

The agency also offered flexible work-from-home options during Diwali week, allowing employees to spend more time with their families while keeping work commitments on track.

The business of festive happiness

While the celebrations may look like a collection of colourful activities, there is a larger workplace conversation unfolding underneath the glitter and fairy lights.

For media and creative agencies, where long working hours, tight deadlines and constant client demands are part of the job, festivals offer an opportunity to pause and reconnect. They also allow employees to interact outside the usual reporting structures, creative reviews and client presentations.

There is a clear shift from simply organising an annual celebration to designing experiences that employees can actively participate in. A shopping pop-up, a rangoli competition, a Bollywood costume evening or a diya-painting workshop gives people something to contribute to rather than merely attend.

Flexibility is becoming an equally important part of the festive equation. Agencies are increasingly recognising that celebrating Diwali at work should not mean employees have less time to celebrate it at home. Flexi-holidays, work-from-home options and longer breaks are becoming part of the broader festive experience.

And perhaps that is the real creative brief agencies are trying to crack this Diwali: how to make employees feel that they belong, without turning celebration into another item on their to-do list.

After all, agencies are in the business of selling happiness, excitement and festive nostalgia to consumers. For a few days every year, they get to practise what they preach.

The campaigns may have different clients, the office decorations may come down and the rangoli may eventually be swept away. But if employees remember the laughter, the impromptu karaoke, the diya they painted or the sandwiches they made for someone else, the internal festive campaign has probably done its job.

And unlike most advertising campaigns, this one does not need a media budget to generate goodwill.