A Hindu festival calendar for 2026 is essential planning for any household balancing tradition with modern schedules — especially for NRIs across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and UAE who need to coordinate with local sunrise/sunset, school holidays, and family back in India. Below is the complete month-by-month festival schedule for 2026, with dates, tithis, significance and direct links to in-depth guides on each festival.

Dates verified against HinduTone's panchang reference system and the Drik-Ganita panchang. All times are IST sunrise-based; festivals observed by tithi may shift by a day in some time zones — always confirm with your local panchang on the day.

Quick answer: When are the major Hindu festivals in 2026?

The most-asked dates: Holi 4 March, Ugadi 19 March, Sri Rama Navami 26 March, Akshaya Tritiya 21 April, Sri Krishna Janmashtami 25 August, Ganesh Chaturthi 14 September, Sharad Navaratri 11-19 October, Dussehra 19 October, Dhanteras 6 November, Diwali/Lakshmi Puja 8 November, Karthika Purnima 24 November. The 5-day Diwali cluster runs 6-10 November. Adhika (leap) month falls in Jyeshtha (15 May – 13 June 2026).

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Why follow a lunisolar calendar, not just dates?

Hindu festivals follow the Vikrama Samvat lunisolar calendar — dates shift each Gregorian year based on the Moon's phase and the Sun's sign. A festival on Krishna Chaturdashi falls on a different Gregorian date in 2026 vs 2027. That is why no static printout works; you need an annual calendar regenerated against the current panchang. This guide refreshes for each year.

2026 Festival Calendar — Month by Month

Each entry below shows date, tithi, significance, and a link to the in-depth guide. Tap any entry to see complete puja vidhi, samagri lists and NRI-specific timing adjustments.

Q1 — January, February, March 2026

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 — Makar Sankranti / Pongal (Uttarayana begins; Sun enters Makara). Marks the Sun's ingress into Capricorn (Uttarayana) — start of the auspicious half-year. Celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam, Lohri the day before in Punjab.

Sunday, February 15, 2026 — Maha Shivaratri (Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi). The great night of Shiva. All-night vigil, Shiva abhishekam, Rudra mantra japa. One of the few fasts observed across all Shaiva and Smarta traditions.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 — Holika Dahan (Phalguna Purnima evening). Bonfire night before Holi — symbolic burning of evil (Holika) and the victory of Prahlada's devotion.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2026 — Holi (Rangwali / Dhuleti) (Chaitra Krishna Pratipada). Festival of colours. Pan-India observance with regional variations — Lathmar Holi in Barsana, Phag Holi in Punjab, Basanta Utsav in Bengal.

Thursday, March 19, 2026 — Ugadi / Gudi Padwa (Chaitra Shukla Pratipada). Hindu New Year for Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka (Ugadi), Maharashtra (Gudi Padwa), Sindhi (Cheti Chand). Marks the start of Vasanta Ritu in lunisolar reckoning.

Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sri Rama Navami (Chaitra Shukla Navami). Birth anniversary of Lord Rama. Recitations of Rama-Charita-Manasa and Ramayana; processions at Bhadrachalam, Ayodhya, Sitamarhi.

Q2 — April, May, June 2026

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 — Akshaya Tritiya (Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya). One of the most auspicious days — every action begun today is believed to yield "akshaya" (inexhaustible) results. Gold and property purchases peak; Treta Yuga is said to have begun on this tithi.

Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Adhika Jyeshtha Purnima (Adhika Jyeshtha Shukla Purnima). Doubly auspicious full moon — both the leap Adhika month and the Purnima tithi multiply the merit of dana, japa, satsanga and bathing in sacred rivers.

Q3 — July, August, September 2026

Saturday, August 8, 2026 — Hariyali Teej / Shravan begins (Shravana Shukla Tritiya). Marks the green festivals of Shravana for women — Hariyali, then Kajari Teej (Aug 31). Auspicious for Parvati worship and marital harmony rituals.

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Saturday, August 15, 2026 — Raksha Bandhan (Shravana Purnima). Sister ties rakhi on brother's wrist; ancient symbol of sibling protection. Also Upakarma — Yajurveda Brahmins change the sacred thread.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 — Sri Krishna Janmashtami (Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami). Birth of Bhagavan Krishna. Mathura-Vrindavan and ISKCON temples worldwide observe midnight abhishekam, Bhagavata recitation, Dahi-Handi the next day.

Monday, September 14, 2026 — Ganesh Chaturthi (10-day start) (Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi). Birth of Lord Ganesha — Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Maharashtra's biggest festival; 10-day Sarvajanik pandal celebration concludes with Anant Chaturdashi visarjan on Sep 24.

Thursday, September 24, 2026 — Anant Chaturdashi (Ganesh visarjan) (Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi). Concludes the 10-day Ganeshotsav with idol immersion. Also Anant Vrata for Lord Vishnu in his Ananta form.

Friday, September 25, 2026 — Pitru Paksha begins (Ashvina Krishna Pratipada). Sixteen-lunar-day period (Sep 25 – Oct 10) for shraddha rituals to ancestors. Tarpana, pinda-dana, and Bramhin bhojan are prescribed; new ventures are traditionally postponed.

Q4 — October, November, December 2026

Sunday, October 11, 2026 — Sharad Navaratri (9-day start) (Ashvina Shukla Pratipada). Nine nights honouring the Devi in Her three principal forms — Durga (days 1-3), Lakshmi (4-6), Saraswati (7-9). Pan-India observance with regional names: Durga Puja in Bengal, Bhatukamma in Telangana, Garba in Gujarat.

Monday, October 19, 2026 — Dussehra / Vijayadashami (Ashvina Shukla Dashami). Marks Goddess Durga's victory over Mahishasura AND Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. Ravana effigies burnt across North India; Mysuru Dasara procession; Ayudha Puja in the South.

Friday, November 6, 2026 — Dhanteras (Diwali day 1) (Kartik Krishna Trayodashi). Day 1 of the 5-day Diwali festival. Devotees worship Dhanvantari and Lakshmi; auspicious for gold, silver and kitchenware purchases.

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Saturday, November 7, 2026 — Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali (Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi). Marks Lord Krishna's slaying of demon Narakasura. Abhyanga snanam (oil bath before sunrise) is the prescribed ritual; one diya lit at dusk.

Sunday, November 8, 2026 — Diwali / Lakshmi Puja (main day) (Kartik Amavasya). Festival of lights — Lakshmi-Ganesha puja in homes and businesses, return of Rama to Ayodhya. The most celebrated Hindu festival across the diaspora.

Monday, November 9, 2026 — Govardhan Puja / Annakut (Kartik Shukla Pratipada). Krishna lifted Govardhan hill to shield Vraja from Indra's wrath. Annakut "mountain of food" is offered to the Lord in Vaishnava temples.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 — Bhai Dooj / Yama Dvitiya (Kartik Shukla Dvitiya). Day 5 of Diwali. Sister applies tilak and prays for brother's long life; mirrors Raksha Bandhan within the Diwali cluster.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 — Chhath Puja (Kartik Shukla Shashti) (Kartik Shukla Shashti). Four-day Sun-worship festival — Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern UP, Nepal. Devotees offer arghya to the setting and rising Sun standing in water.

Tuesday, November 24, 2026 — Karthika Purnima (Kartik Purnima). One of the holiest full moons — Dev Diwali at Varanasi ghats (a million diyas), Tripuri Purnima (Shiva's destruction of Tripurasura), Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Thursday, December 17, 2026 — Margashirsha Amavasya — Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Purnima). Birth of Bhagavan Dattatreya — the unified form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Especially revered in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana.

Adhika Masa (leap month) in 2026 — what changes

In 2026, the leap month falls in Jyeshtha — Adhika Jyeshtha runs from approximately 15 May to 13 June. During an Adhika month, ALL routine vrats, shraddhas and auspicious ceremonies are paused for the duration; the next regular (Nija) month resumes them. The Adhika month itself is auspicious for dana, japa, sacred-river snanam and Vishnu/Purushottama worship — Lord Vishnu is said to "adopt" the surplus month as His own.

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NRI-specific considerations for 2026

A few practical notes for diaspora households:

  • Time zone: Festivals defined by tithi (Krishna Janmashtami, Maha Shivaratri, Diwali Lakshmi Puja) follow IST sunrise. In the US, observe the previous local-calendar evening for IST-dawn festivals; in Australia, observe the same local date.
  • Sunrise-based muhurats: For city-specific Lakshmi Puja muhurats in NYC, Bay Area, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle — see the Diwali NRI guides linked above. Each US time zone needs separate calculation.
  • Samagri sourcing: Plan haldi-kumkum, supari, paan, deepa, til and akshata orders 2-3 weeks before Diwali / Navaratri / Ganesh Chaturthi — Patel Brothers, Apna Bazaar and online Indian groceries spike.
  • Online puja: For the 2026 cycle, ISKCON, TTD, BAPS Swaminarayan and several private acharyas offer Zoom Lakshmi Puja, Satyanarayana Vrata and Ganesh Visarjan — book 30 days in advance for festival weekends.
  • School / work coordination: Diwali (8 November) falls on Sunday — convenient; Ganesh Chaturthi (14 September) is a Monday; Holi (4 March) is a Wednesday — schedule accordingly.

Browse by sub-category

HinduTone organises each major festival under its own sub-category with year-specific posts, puja vidhi, story collections and city guides. Browse below for deeper coverage:

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Diwali 2026?

Diwali (Lakshmi Puja main day) 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026 — Kartik Amavasya. The 5-day Diwali cluster runs Friday 6 November (Dhanteras) through Tuesday 10 November (Bhai Dooj), with Naraka Chaturdashi on 7 November, Lakshmi Puja on 8 November, and Govardhan Puja on 9 November. NRIs in the US should observe per their local time zone; the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is calculated from local sunset, not IST.

When is Holi 2026?

Holi 2026 falls on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 (Chaitra Krishna Pratipada). Holika Dahan, the bonfire night, is the previous evening — Tuesday, 3 March 2026 (Phalguna Purnima). Both dates are pan-India, with regional names like Phag, Lathmar, Basanta Utsav and Yaosang.

What is the Adhika month in 2026?

The Adhika (leap) month in 2026 is Adhika Jyeshtha, running approximately 15 May to 13 June 2026. During this month, all routine vrats, shraddhas and auspicious ceremonies (marriages, gruhapravesa, upanayana) are paused; the next regular Nija Jyeshtha month resumes them. Adhika months themselves are auspicious for dana, japa, sacred-river snanam and Purushottama (Vishnu) worship.

Which Hindu festivals are observed in the US/UK/Canada/Australia/UAE diaspora?

All major festivals — Diwali, Holi, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Maha Shivaratri, Raksha Bandhan, Ugadi — are widely observed across the global Hindu diaspora. Diaspora celebrations align with the local-calendar date but the puja muhurat is calculated from local sunrise/sunset, not IST. ISKCON, BAPS Swaminarayan, Hindu Heritage Endowment and major regional temples (BAPS Robbinsville, Sri Venkateswara Temple Pittsburgh, Neasden London, Sydney Murugan) organise public events.

How are festival dates calculated?

Hindu festival dates follow the Vikrama Samvat lunisolar calendar — they shift each Gregorian year based on the Moon's phase (tithi), the lunar month (masa) and the Sun's sign (rasi). The Drik-Ganita panchang uses real astronomical observation for the highest precision; older Vakya panchang uses traditional formulas and occasionally drifts by 1-2 days. HinduTone uses Drik-Ganita for all date computations.

Sources & Tradition

Festival dates verified against HinduTone's panchang reference system + Drik-Ganita panchang (drikpanchang.com) computed using the Lahiri sidereal ayanamsa. Scriptural references for festival significance: Bhavishya Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Bhagavata Purana and regional sthala-puranas. Regional variations cross-checked against authoritative temple sources (TTD Tirumala, Kashi Vishwanath Trust, ISKCON GBC).

Editorial Review

Reviewed by HinduTone Dharma Desk — 1 June 2026. All dates verified against multiple panchang sources at time of publication. For NRI households planning travel or major ceremonies tied to a specific date, always re-confirm against your city's local sunrise on the day of observance.