Sharad Purnima 2026 in the USA, UK and Canada: Kojagari Night (24 or 25 October?) and Moonrise Time by City

Quick answer: In India, Sharad Purnima and Kojagari Lakshmi Puja are on Sunday 25 October 2026. Abroad, Drik Panchang splits the date: Sunday 25 October in the UK, the US East Coast, Chicago, Toronto and Montreal, but Saturday 24 October in Houston, Dallas, Calgary, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver. Moonrise on the festival night is 5:31 PM in New York, 4:07 PM in London (GMT) and 5:11 PM in Los Angeles (Saturday).

Last updated: 18 October 2026. Temples may choose their own night for community programmes, so check with your mandir.

This guide is for Hindus in the USA, Canada and the UK keeping the autumn full moon: the local date and moonrise, the midnight Kojagara time, why the date splits inside the USA, the UK clock change, moonlit kheer in a cold climate and a short home puja. For the meaning, stories and full puja vidhi, see our Sharad Purnima 2026 guide.

Sharad Purnima 2026 date and moonrise by city

Times are local, from Drik Panchang's Sharad Purnima and Kojagara Puja pages for each city, fetched on 18 October 2026; both pages give the same date and moonrise for every city. Nishita times run past midnight into the next calendar date. UK times are in GMT, because British Summer Time ends at 2 AM on Sunday 25 October. North American cities stay on daylight time until 1 November.

In India, the Purnima tithi runs from 11:55 AM IST on Sunday 25 October to 9:41 AM IST on Monday 26 October, so Sunday night is the full-moon night and Monday is Ashwina Purnima, with Valmiki Jayanti (Drik Panchang). Do not convert India's times to your own clock; use your city's row.

Why the date splits: the midnight rule

Sharad Purnima is one instant worldwide, but its local clock time moves by time zone. The Kojagara Lakshmi Puja belongs to Nishita, the period around local midnight, on the night when Purnima prevails; the name Kojagari comes from "Ko jagarti?", "Who is awake?", the question the Goddess is said to ask that night.

• Eastern time and the UK: Purnima begins early on Sunday 25 October (2:25 AM in New York, 6:25 AM GMT in London), long after Saturday's midnight, and covers Sunday's moonrise and evening, ending at 12:11 AM in New York and 4:11 AM GMT in London. So Sunday night is the Kojagari night.
• Pacific and Mountain time: Purnima begins late on Saturday (11:25 PM in Los Angeles and Vancouver, 12:25 AM on Sunday in Calgary) and ends on Sunday evening (9:11 PM Pacific, 10:11 PM Mountain), before Sunday midnight. So Saturday night is the only Nishita with Purnima, and Drik lists Saturday 24 October.
• Central time: Purnima begins at 1:25 AM on Sunday and ends at 11:11 PM on Sunday. Houston's and Dallas's Saturday-night Nishita windows run until 1:31 AM and 1:37 AM, so they catch the start of Purnima; Chicago's ends at 1:02 AM, before it, so Chicago, like New York, keeps Sunday, when Purnima covers moonrise and the evening. Drik therefore gives Saturday for Texas and Sunday for Chicago.

If your temple keeps a different night, that is a choice of convention, not an error. In the split cities, a family can keep the kheer and vigil on Drik's night and still join a temple programme on the other. Both nights are a weekend in 2026.

The UK clock change on Kojagari night

British Summer Time ends at 2 AM on Sunday 25 October, when clocks go back to 1 AM. Drik's London times for that day are already in GMT: Purnima begins at 6:25 AM, the moon rises at 4:07 PM, and the Kojagara Nishita time is 11:17 PM to 12:13 AM. If you use a phone reminder set before the change, check that it shows the GMT time. The earlier sunset also means the moon is up well before dinner, which suits families with young children.

Moonlit kheer in a cold climate

Leaving a bowl of rice kheer in the light of the Sharad Purnima moon and eating it as prasad is a widely loved custom. Abroad, the night is often cold, wet or both:

• Cover the bowl with a fine muslin cloth or mesh lid so that dew, insects and leaves stay out.
• Use a clean, raised spot: a windowsill, balcony table or doorstep where the moon is visible. Indoors, a window facing the moon works too.
• Keep it out for a while after moonrise or through the puja, then bring it in. Do not leave milk dishes out all night; refrigerate or eat it the same night.
• Keep it away from pets, foxes and other animals in the garden.
• People with diabetes can take a small portion or use a suitable sweetener.

See the safety section of our Sharad Purnima 2026 guide for more.

A short Kojagari Lakshmi puja at home

A simple puja suits a busy weekend evening. After moonrise, or at the Nishita time if you keep the vigil:

1. Clean the puja space and, if it is your custom, draw a small alpana or rangoli with footprints of Lakshmi leading in.
2. Light a ghee lamp and incense, and place an image of Goddess Lakshmi with flowers, rice, fruit and the kheer as naivedya.
3. Chant the Lakshmi mantra below 11 or 108 times, or read a Lakshmi stotra your family uses.
4. Offer aarti, look at the moon and offer water (arghya) if that is your custom, then share the prasad.
5. Spend part of the night awake together, singing bhajans or reading, in the spirit of "Who is awake?".

Lakshmi mantra:

ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः॥

oṃ śrīṃ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ||

The text is from our verified mantra list. Chanting is an act of devotion and does not promise wealth or any other outcome.

Bengali households keep Kojagari Lakshmi Puja with their own vidhi, bhog and the Lakshmir Panchali; see our Kojagari Lakshmi Puja 2026 guide. The same date rule applies, so Bengali families in Texas and on the West Coast will find Saturday 24 October on Drik's local pages.

Fasting and the night vigil

Some devotees keep a day fast on Purnima and break it after the night puja; others simply keep the vigil. Health note: pregnant women, people with diabetes or other conditions, older relatives and children should check with their doctor before fasting, and anyone driving early on Monday should not stay up all night. A short vigil after the puja is enough.

After Sharad Purnima: the road to Diwali

The next moon-sighting observance is Karwa Chauth, which Drik places on Wednesday 28 October in the USA and Canada and Thursday 29 October in the UK; see our moonrise guides for the USA, Canada and the UK. Diwali follows on Sunday 8 November; see our Diwali 2026 guide.

Frequently asked questions

When is Sharad Purnima 2026 in the USA?

It depends on the city. Drik Panchang gives Sunday 25 October for New York, Edison, Washington DC, Atlanta and Chicago, and Saturday 24 October for Houston, Dallas, San Jose, Los Angeles and Seattle. Check the table for your city.

When is Sharad Purnima 2026 in the UK?

Sunday 25 October in London, Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester, per Drik Panchang. Moonrise in London is at 4:07 PM and the Kojagara Nishita time is 11:17 PM to 12:13 AM, both in GMT, because the clocks go back that morning.

When is Sharad Purnima 2026 in Canada?

Sunday 25 October in Toronto and Montreal, and Saturday 24 October in Calgary and Vancouver, per Drik Panchang's city pages.

Why do Houston and Chicago have different dates in the same time zone?

Kojagara Puja is kept on the night when Purnima prevails at Nishita, the period around local midnight. On Saturday night Purnima begins at 1:25 AM Central time. Houston's Nishita window runs until 1:31 AM, so it catches the start of Purnima; Chicago's ends at 1:02 AM, so Drik moves Chicago to Sunday.

What time is moonrise on Sharad Purnima?

On the festival night Drik gives moonrise at 5:31 PM in New York, 5:47 PM in Toronto, 4:07 PM (GMT) in London, and 5:11 PM in Los Angeles on Saturday 24 October.

Can I leave kheer outside overnight in a cold country?

Keep it covered with a fine cloth or mesh, on a clean windowsill, balcony or doorstep for a short while after moonrise, then bring it in and refrigerate it or eat it that night. Do not leave milk dishes out all night, and keep them away from animals.

Related guides

• Sharad Purnima 2026: meaning, Kojagari puja and moonlit kheer
• Kojagari Lakshmi Puja 2026 (Bengal)
• Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA: moonrise by city
• Karwa Chauth 2026 in the UK: moonrise by city
• Karwa Chauth 2026 in Canada: moonrise by city
• Bijoya Dashami 2026 abroad
• Panchangam for Sunday 25 October 2026 (India)

Editor's note (18 October 2026)

Dates, moonrise, Nishita and tithi times are from Drik Panchang's Sharad Purnima and Kojagara Puja pages for each listed city, checked on 18 October 2026. India times are from Drik Panchang, as in our Sharad Purnima guide. Moonrise is for a level horizon; buildings, hills or cloud can delay the first sighting by several minutes. Temples may keep a different night; follow your mandir or family custom.