When is Diwali 2026? Date, Five Days and Holidays

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, when Lakshmi Puja is performed on Kartik Amavasya. The five-day festival runs from Dhanteras on Friday 6 November to Bhai Dooj on 10 or 11 November 2026, depending on your regional calendar. Puja timings vary by city, so check a local panchang for your family's location.

When is Diwali 2026?

Diwali 2026 (Lakshmi Puja) falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, on Kartik Amavasya. In New Delhi the Lakshmi Puja muhurat runs from 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM IST, within Pradosh Kaal from 5:31 PM to 8:09 PM. The Amavasya tithi runs from 11:27 AM on 8 November to 12:31 PM on 9 November 2026.

Many families plan the evening around the puja, so the muhurat matters if you are joining in person or on a video call. The puja day is fixed by the lunar calendar: it is the day when Amavasya prevails during Pradosh, the period after sunset. For New Delhi, the Vrishabha Kaal, the most auspicious window, is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM on 8 November 2026. Timings differ from city to city, so a local panchang for your family's location is the reliable source.

The five days of Diwali 2026

The five days of Diwali 2026 begin with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November and end with Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November in New Delhi. Naraka Chaturdashi falls on Sunday 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja, and Govardhan Puja on Tuesday 10 November 2026.

Here is how the five days line up for New Delhi in 2026:

1. Dhanteras: Friday 6 November 2026.
2. Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Deepavali): Sunday 8 November 2026. The Chaturdashi tithi runs from 10:47 AM on 7 November to 11:27 AM on 8 November, and the Abhyang Snan (ritual bath) muhurat is 5:41 AM to 6:38 AM on 8 November.
3. Diwali and Lakshmi Puja: Sunday 8 November 2026, with muhurat 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM.
4. Govardhan Puja: Tuesday 10 November 2026. This day is also listed as Annakut, Bali Pratipada and Gujarati New Year.
5. Bhai Dooj: Wednesday 11 November 2026.

Note that in some regions the five days start earlier: in Maharashtra the festival begins a day before Dhanteras on Govatsa Dwadashi, and in Gujarat two days before on Agyaras. For London and New York the 2026 calendar gives Dhanteras on Friday 6 November, Narak Chaturdashi on Saturday 7 November, Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November. If you are travelling or working abroad, confirm the date with your family before planning a call, because regional calendars can place Bhai Dooj a day apart.

Why the Diwali date changes every year

Diwali follows the lunar calendar, so the Gregorian date moves each year. It falls on the day when the Amavasya (new moon) tithi prevails during Pradosh, the period after sunset, in the Hindu month of Kartik. That rule is why the date shifts rather than staying fixed.

Because the festival is tied to the moon rather than the Gregorian calendar, the date drifts from year to year and the five days do not always map onto the same weekdays. The lunar day itself is named differently in regional calendars: Naraka Chaturdashi falls on Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi of Kartik in the Purnimanta calendar, which is the same lunar day as Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi of Ashwin in the Amanta calendar. The two systems name the month differently, which is one reason two families in different regions may celebrate on slightly different dates. If your family follows a regional calendar, treat their date as the one that matters for calls, gifts and travel plans.

Diwali 2027 and the years ahead

Diwali 2027 (Lakshmi Puja) falls on Friday 29 October 2027 in New Delhi. The five days run from Dhanteras on Wednesday 27 October to Bhai Dooj on Sunday 31 October 2027. Both dates follow the same lunar rule, so they move earlier in the Gregorian year compared with 2026.

Here is the Diwali 2027 calendar for New Delhi:

1. Dhanteras: Wednesday 27 October 2027.
2. Narak Chaturdashi: Thursday 28 October 2027.
3. Lakshmi Puja (Diwali): Friday 29 October 2027.
4. Govardhan Puja: Saturday 30 October 2027.
5. Bhai Dooj: Sunday 31 October 2027.

If you are planning ahead for travel or time off, these are the dates to note. As with 2026, the exact puja timing on the main day varies by city, and regional calendars can differ by a day. Check a local panchang closer to the time for your family's location.

Is Diwali a public holiday?

Diwali is a gazetted public holiday in India on Sunday 8 November 2026, and a public holiday in Singapore and Malaysia on the same date. It is not a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. In the United States, California law AB 268 lets K-12 schools and community colleges close for Diwali from 2026.

Here is how the holiday status breaks down by country for 2026:

• India: Diwali (Deepavali) is a gazetted holiday in Central Government offices on Sunday 8 November 2026, as set by DoPT Office Memorandum F.No.12/2/2023-JCA dated 3 July 2025. It is also one of the compulsory holidays for Central Government offices outside Delhi, alongside Republic Day and Independence Day. Because it falls on a Sunday in 2026, it does not add a weekday closure.
• Singapore: Deepavali is a public holiday on Sunday 8 November 2026, and Monday 9 November 2026 is the public holiday in lieu.
• Malaysia: Hari Deepavali is a federal public holiday on Sunday 8 November 2026 in every state except Sarawak, according to the Prime Minister's Department 2026 public holiday schedule.
• United Kingdom: Diwali is not a bank holiday. The 2026 bank holiday lists for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland contain no date in November other than St Andrew's Day on 30 November in Scotland.
• USA: California law AB 268, signed by Governor Newsom on 7 October 2025 and effective 1 January 2026, lets K-12 schools and community colleges close for Diwali and lets state and school employees take the day off. California is the third US state to recognise Diwali as a state holiday. New York City public schools have no Diwali closure in the 2026 to 2027 calendar because Diwali falls on a Sunday, even though a recent law made Diwali a school holiday.

Celebrating Diwali with family abroad

If you are abroad for Diwali 2026, the main evening puja in India falls on Sunday 8 November, with the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in New Delhi running from 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM IST. Plan your call around that window, and check your family's local panchang because timings vary by city.

Networks get busy around the main evening, so a quick message before the puja and a call after often works better than trying to reach everyone at once. If you are travelling, a data eSIM keeps you connected for video calls and messages without touching your home SIM's roaming. Slashtel eSIMs are data only: there is no local phone number and no calls or SMS, but WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges. The eSIM is bought online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and the QR code arrives by email within minutes. Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it. Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so you can buy and install it at home before the flight. The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand, and more data can be added to the same eSIM later with no new QR code. The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week.

Sending a top-up home for Diwali

Keeping an Indian number active needs a validity recharge, and bank OTPs arrive on the Indian number. Slashtel sends direct mobile top-ups to Indian numbers (Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL) paid by card from abroad, delivered in minutes. That makes it straightforward to recharge an Indian number before the festival.

If you want to keep your Indian number active while you are overseas, a validity recharge is the part that matters most. A top-up alone may not extend the number's life, so check the plan before you pay. Bank OTPs arrive on the Indian number, which is another reason to keep it live if you still use it for banking. To top up a specific network, you can use Jio recharge or Airtel recharge through Slashtel. Payments are by card from abroad, and delivery is in minutes, so you can sort it out before the puja on Sunday 8 November 2026. Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes, which keep a prepaid home line active.

Send a mobile top-up to India.

Sources

Checked 24 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

• https://www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?year=2026
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/lakshmipuja/festivals-lakshmipuja-timings.html?year=2026
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/abhyangsnan/festivals-abhyangsnan-timings.html
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?geoname-id=2643743&year=2026
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?year=2027
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/diwali/naraka-chaturdashi/info/naraka-chaturdashi.html
• https://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/bhai-dooj/info/bhai-dooj.html
• https://dfe.gov.in/uploads/documents/list-of-gazetted-holidays-2026.pdf
• https://www.gconnect.in/news/holidays-to-be-observed-in-central-government-offices-during-the-year-2026.html
• https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/public-holidays
• https://www.kabinet.gov.my/storage/2025/08/HKA-2026.pdf
• https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays
• https://www.hinduamerican.org/diwali-california-state-holiday
• https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/politics/2025/10/20/diwali-state-holiday-california-newsom
• https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/a-later-start-and-end-for-schools-in-2026-27/article_a791e9c8-5193-501e-91fb-bbafb445783a.html