Makar Sankranti and Pongal in Australia: A Midsummer Festival Guide

Quick answer: In 2027 the Sun enters Makara in the early hours of Friday 15 January on Australia's east coast (2:44 AM in Sydney and Melbourne, 2:14 AM in Adelaide, 1:44 AM in Brisbane) and at 11:44 PM on Thursday in Perth. Every Australian city keeps Makar Sankranti and Thai Pongal on Friday 15 January, the same day as India.

Key facts for 2027

The moment is the same instant everywhere, 15:44 UTC, or 9:14 PM IST in India. As in India, Bhogi is the day before Thai Pongal and Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal are the two days after it. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Why does every Australian city keep Friday?

The panchang rule used by Drik Panchang looks at where the moment falls against local sunset. If the Sun enters Makara before sunset, the festival belongs to that day. If it enters after sunset, the festival moves to the next day.

• East coast and Adelaide. The moment falls in the small hours of Friday, after midnight and before sunrise. It is already Friday, and the festival day is Friday.
• Perth. The moment is 11:44 PM on Thursday, after Thursday's sunset. So the festival moves to the next day, Friday, exactly as it does in India.

This makes Australia one of the easier places to plan for: your Sankranti day lines up with India's, and family calls back home happen on the same festival morning. Australia also differs from North America and the UK, where the moment comes in daylight on Thursday 14 January and the festival is kept a day earlier.

We do not print Punya Kaal timings for Australian cities, because we have not checked a published panchang value for each one. Drik Panchang publishes a city page for Makar Sankranti; your temple's calendar is the best guide. Most families boil the Pongal on Friday morning after sunrise, which in midsummer comes early, before 6 AM in Sydney and Brisbane.

A midsummer festival

Pongal is a harvest festival from Tamil Nadu, where it falls in the cooler months after the rice harvest. In Australia the same days fall in the middle of summer and the school holidays. That changes the practical side of the festival, not its meaning.

Heat and sun safety

• Cook early. The traditional time to boil the Pongal is the morning after bathing, so finish outdoor cooking before the day heats up.
• Sun protection. Cancer Council advises sun protection whenever the UV Index is 3 or above: slip on clothing, slop on SPF50 or SPF50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade and slide on sunglasses. A morning Surya arghya (offering water to the Sun) takes only a few minutes, but outdoor kolam drawing, cooking and Kaanum Pongal outings can take hours.
• Heat. NSW Health's Beat the Heat advice is to limit outdoor activity to the cooler parts of the day, drink water regularly and carry water when you go out. Take extra care with elders, babies and anyone who is fasting.
• Food in the heat. Pongal is made with milk and ghee. Keep prasadam and leftovers covered and refrigerate them once they have cooled, rather than leaving them out through a hot afternoon.

The day-by-day outline in an Australian summer

Bhogi fires and outdoor cooking: total fire ban rules

January is bushfire season across much of Australia. Every state fire service can declare a Total Fire Ban, and the rules on those days are strict. Check the fire danger rating and ban status for your area on the morning itself. Never light a Bhogi fire on a Total Fire Ban day. Outside ban days, many councils still restrict backyard burning, so check your council's rules before lighting anything.

• New South Wales. The NSW Rural Fire Service says that on a Total Fire Ban day no fire may be lit in the open, and solid-fuel barbecues, incinerators and smokers (wood, charcoal, heat beads) cannot be used outside. A gas or electric barbecue may be used on a residential property only under conditions, including being within 20 metres of the house, attended by a responsible adult, with the ground 2 metres around it clear and a continuous water supply at hand.
• Victoria. The Country Fire Authority says campfires and solid- and liquid-fuel barbecues are banned on Total Fire Ban days, and fire permits are suspended. Gas and electric barbecues are allowed only if they meet set conditions. Check the CFA's "Can I or can't I?" guidance, the VicEmergency app or the VicEmergency Hotline.
• South Australia. The Country Fire Service allows gas or electric barbecues on ban days only under listed conditions, such as within 15 metres of a home, at least 4 metres clear of flammable vegetation, with a person able to control the fire present and water or an extinguisher at hand. Solid-fuel cookers need a permit.
• Western Australia. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services says barbecues and cookers using solid or liquid fuel cannot be used in an area that is not fully enclosed on a Total Fire Ban day. Gas barbecues are allowed only under its conditions.
• Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory. Check your own fire service before any outdoor flame.

For the Pongal pot itself, the safest choice on a hot, windy day is the kitchen stove. If you cook outside on a gas ring, the same state conditions apply on a ban day. Keep a hose ready, keep children well back, and never leave the pot unattended.

Remember the allergens too: sweet Pongal usually has cashews and ghee (dairy), and Sankranti sweets often have sesame and peanuts.

Tamil and Telugu communities in Australia

Tamil and Telugu families keep the festival at home, at temples and through community associations across the capital cities. These are temples and associations whose own websites we checked on 12 November 2026. Check their website for this year's programme:

• Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple, Carrum Downs, Melbourne (Hindu Society of Victoria). Its history page says Thai Pongal was celebrated at the temple site from its early years. In 2022 the temple explained why it kept Thai Pongal on Saturday 15 January: following the Vakya panchangam, it found the Sun's entry into Makara at Melbourne's latitude fell after sunset on 14 January, so the Pongal was performed the next morning. hsvshivavishnutemple.org.au
• Sri Venkateswara Temple, Helensburgh, south of Sydney. Its website says the Sri Venkateswara Temple Association was formed in Sydney on 17 November 1978. svtsydney.org
• Queensland Tamil Mandram, Brisbane. Its website listed a Pongal celebration at New Farm Park in February 2026, a reminder that some community celebrations fall weeks after the festival day. qtm.org.au
• Telugu Association of Australia Inc., Melbourne. Founded and incorporated in 1992 to represent Telugu-speaking people in Victoria. taai.net.au
• Perth Bala Murugan Temple, Perth. perthmurugan.org.au

For Sydney's Tamil associations and other cities, ask your local temple; we have not listed organisations whose own websites we could not open.

Ingredients and children

Indian and Sri Lankan grocers in the capital cities carry the staples: raw rice such as ponni or sona masoori, split moong dal, jaggery and ghee. Ask your grocer early about sugarcane, a fresh turmeric plant and banana leaves; if they are not available, a fresh turmeric root tied to the pot and steel plates are fine substitutes.

Because Pongal falls in the summer school holidays, children can take part fully:

• Draw a large kolam (rice-flour pattern) on the driveway early in the morning, before the heat.
• Let them call out "Pongalo Pongal!" as the pot boils over.
• Give them sunscreen, a hat and water bottles for the Kaanum Pongal outing.
• Make Bhogi a donation day: outgrown clothes and toys to charity, rather than anything into a fire.

Lohri in Australia

Lohri is the Punjabi bonfire evening before Makar Sankranti, shared by Hindu and Sikh families; the next day, Maghi, also recalls for Sikhs the Forty Liberated Ones commemorated at Sri Muktsar Sahib. In Australia the Lohri evening falls on the evening before your local Sankranti. The same Total Fire Ban rules apply: no open fire on a ban day, and council rules on other days. Many families keep the songs, dancing and rewri, gajak, peanuts and popcorn, and gather around lamps instead. Read more in our Lohri bonfire guide.

New Zealand

In Auckland the Sun enters Makara at 4:44 AM on Friday 15 January 2027, before sunrise, so Sankranti and Thai Pongal are on Friday 15 January there too. It is summer in New Zealand as well, so the same advice on early cooking, sun protection and checking local fire restrictions applies. For other cities, see our dates and times abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pongal on 14 or 15 January in Australia in 2027?

Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti fall on Friday 15 January 2027 in every Australian capital city. On the east coast the moment is in the early hours of Friday; in Perth it is late on Thursday night, after sunset, so the festival moves to Friday. This is the same day as India.

What time is Makar Sankranti in Sydney and Melbourne?

The Sun enters Makara at 2:44 AM on Friday 15 January 2027 in Sydney and Melbourne. It is 2:14 AM in Adelaide, 1:44 AM in Brisbane and 11:44 PM on Thursday 14 January in Perth. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Why is Perth's festival on Friday if the moment is on Thursday?

The panchang rule moves the festival to the next day when the moment falls after local sunset. In Perth the moment is 11:44 PM on Thursday, well after sunset, so Friday is the festival day, as it is in India.

Can I light a Bhogi fire in my backyard?

Never on a Total Fire Ban day, in any state. On other days, check your council's rules and your state fire service's restrictions before lighting anything, and never burn plastic, rubber or household waste. Many families now keep Bhogi as a clean-out and donation day.

Can I cook Pongal on a gas barbecue on a total fire ban day?

Only if your state's conditions are met. In NSW, for example, the barbecue must be on residential property within 20 metres of the house, attended by an adult, with cleared ground and water at hand. The kitchen stove is the simplest choice on a ban day.

When do Australian temples and associations celebrate?

Many hold their main celebration on the weekend after the festival, and some later in January or in February. Check each organiser's website for this year's programme.

Is the date the same in New Zealand?

Yes. In Auckland the Sun enters Makara at 4:44 AM on Friday 15 January 2027, before sunrise, so Sankranti and Thai Pongal are on Friday 15 January there as well. It is summer in New Zealand too, so plan for heat, sun and local fire restrictions.

Sources

• Drik Panchang, Makar Sankranti 2027 (ingress 15:44 UTC; city pages): https://www.drikpanchang.com/sankranti/makar-sankranti-date-time.html (accessed 11 November 2026)
• NSW Rural Fire Service, Total Fire Ban rules: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans/total-fire-ban-rules (accessed 12 November 2026)
• NSW Rural Fire Service, Total Fire Bans factsheet: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/9430/NSW-RFS-Total-Fire-Bans-A5-Factsheet.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Country Fire Authority (Victoria), Can I or can't I?: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-restrictions/can (accessed 12 November 2026)
• SA Country Fire Service, What can I do? What can't I do?: https://cfs.sa.gov.au/bans-and-ratings/what-can-i-do-what-cant-i-do/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA), Total fire ban: https://dfes.wa.gov.au/hazard-information/bushfire/total-fire-ban (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Cancer Council Australia, Preventing skin cancer: https://www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/sun-protection/preventing-skin-cancer (accessed 12 November 2026)
• NSW Health, Beat the heat: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Factsheets/beat-the-heat.pdf (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Hindu Society of Victoria, Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple, Thai Pongal 2022: https://www.hsvshivavishnutemple.org.au/events/thai-pongal-2022/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Hindu Society of Victoria, Temple history: https://www.hsvshivavishnutemple.org.au/about-us/temple-history/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Sri Venkateswara Temple, History: https://www.svtsydney.org/history/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Queensland Tamil Mandram: https://www.qtm.org.au/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Telugu Association of Australia Inc.: https://taai.net.au/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Perth Bala Murugan Temple: https://www.perthmurugan.org.au/ (accessed 12 November 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

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• Makar Sankranti 2027: date and Punya Kaal timings
• Makar Sankranti and Pongal abroad: dates and times by city
• Hindu life in Australia
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• Pongal across India: one festival, many names
• Pongal 2027: the four days and how it is celebrated
• Bhogi: the fire and safe alternatives
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• Pongal and Sankranti in the UK