Quick answer: Two UK temples have published December 2026 festival dates that we could verify. Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple in Tividale, West Midlands, holds Vaikunta Ekadasi on Sunday 20 December, with the Vaikunta Dwara Pooja at 1.30pm. Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford holds its Gita Jayanti Maha Yajna, a Bhagavad-gita recitation, on Saturday 26 December. Its Vaishnava calendar marks Mokshada Ekadasi and Gita Jayanti on 20 December. Shree Ghanapathy Temple in Wimbledon lists Ekathasi on Friday 4 December and Chathurthi on Saturday 12 December. For London, Drik Panchang gives Mokshada and Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti on Sunday 20 December, with parana on Monday 21 December, 8.04 to 9.38am.

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Last updated: 5 November 2026.

This is the December follow-up to our UK Hindu temple events for November 2026. Every event below is taken from the temple's own website or official calendar, read on 5 November 2026. Where a temple had not published December dates, we say so instead of guessing. The panchang dates are Drik Panchang's values for London. England, Scotland and Wales keep the same dates; only the clock times shift slightly.

Verified December 2026 events at UK Hindu temples

All times are UK local time (GMT) and are given only where the temple publishes them.

Temple

Where

Event (as published)

Date (2026)

Time

Official source

Shree Ghanapathy Temple

Wimbledon, London SW19

Ekathasi

Fri 4 Dec

Not published

Events

Shree Ghanapathy Temple

Wimbledon, London SW19

Amavasai

Tue 8 Dec

Not published

Events

Shree Ghanapathy Temple

Wimbledon, London SW19

Chathurthi

Sat 12 Dec

8.00pm

Events

Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple of UK

Tividale, West Midlands

Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026

Sun 20 Dec

6.30am Thiruppaavai Sewa; 8.00am Balaji Abhishekam; 11.45am procession of Utsava Moorthys; 1.30pm Vaikunta Dwara Pooja and Vaikunta Dwara Pravesham

Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026

Bhaktivedanta Manor (ISKCON)

Watford, Hertfordshire

Gita Jayanti Maha Yajna: Bhagavad-gita Recitation

Sat 26 Dec

Not given in the page text we read

Event page

At Tividale, the temple says darshan in the Artha Mandapam on Vaikunta Ekadasi runs from 1.30 to 2.30pm and from 4.00 to 8.00pm. The temple is in Tividale, near Birmingham, not in London.

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Vaishnava calendar entries at Bhaktivedanta Manor

The Manor's calendar page links to an official Vaishnava calendar. These are calendar observances, which may not be temple programmes:

Date (2026)

Calendar entry (as published)

Fri 4 Dec

Utpanna Ekadasi (suitable for fasting)

Sun 20 Dec

Mokshada Ekadasi (suitable for fasting); Gita Jayanti: Appearance of Srimad Bhagavad-gita

Mon 21 Dec

Dvadasi, break fast 08:03 to 10:40 (local time)

Note the two dates. Gita Jayanti falls on 20 December in the calendar, while the Manor's public Maha Yajna is on Saturday 26 December. Check the event page before you travel.

Temples whose December calendar we could not confirm

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple), London NW10. Its homepage text listed Diwali on Sunday 8 November and Hindu New Year on Tuesday 10 November. We found no December programme in the page text, and its Diwali schedule is shown only as images. Check neasdentemple.org directly. Published opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 9.00am to 6.00pm. Murti darshan is 9.00am to 12.15pm and 4.00 to 6.00pm, with arti at 11.45am.
  • Shree Ghanapathy Temple, Wimbledon. Its upcoming-events list ends on 12 December. The full calendar is loaded by a script we could not read, so we could not see a Vaikuntha Ekadasi or Thiruvathirai entry. The list does not print the year, but the weekdays match 2026.
  • London Sri Murugan Temple, Manor Park. Its events page still shows 2025 dates, and its "2026" programme link opens an older calendar. Not verified: check the temple directly.
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UK dates for December 2026 (London, Drik Panchang)

These are Drik Panchang's values for London. Two rows are calculated from Drik timings rather than listed by Drik, and are marked as such.

Date (2026)

Observance

London detail

Mon 30 Nov

Kalabhairav Jayanti

A day before India (Tue 1 Dec)

Fri 4 Dec

Utpanna Ekadashi

Ekadashi 5.33pm 3 Dec to 6.14pm 4 Dec; parana Sat 5 Dec, 7.49 to 9.26am

Tue 8 Dec

Karthika Amavasya, last day of amanta Karthika

Calculated from tithi at sunrise

Mon 14 Dec

Vivah Panchami

Same day as India

Wed 16 Dec

Dhanu Sankranti

Sankranti at 4.59am GMT; punya kala 8.00 to 11.56am

Wed 16 Dec

Margazhi / Dhanurmasam begins

Calculated from Drik's sankranti time

Sun 20 Dec

Mokshada Ekadashi, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti

One date for Smarta and Vaishnava; Ekadashi 4.39pm 19 Dec to 2.44pm 20 Dec; parana Mon 21 Dec, 8.04 to 9.38am

Wed 23 Dec

Datta Jayanti and Margashirsha Purnima

Thu 24 Dec

Arudra Darshan (Thiruvathirai)

Thiruvathirai nakshatra 11.23pm 23 Dec to 8.17pm 24 Dec

Two parana windows are in circulation for 21 December. Drik gives 8.04 to 9.38am for London. Bhaktivedanta Manor's calendar gives 08:03 to 10:40. If you follow a temple, break the fast by that temple's calendar.

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Why the UK has one Vaikuntha Ekadashi date this year

In the US East, Drik splits Mokshada and Vaikuntha Ekadashi across two days: Saturday 19 December for Smarta households and Sunday 20 December for Vaishnava. In London there is no split. The Ekadashi tithi runs from 4.39pm on Saturday to 2.44pm on Sunday. Drik gives the same date, Sunday 20 December, for both traditions, and Tividale, the Manor's calendar and Drik all agree. If a relative in New Jersey fasts on Saturday, both of you are following your local panchang correctly. Our Ekadashi dates guide for India and abroad explains the rule.

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Practical tips for December temple visits

  • Sunday visit. Vaikunta Ekadasi falls on a Sunday. At Tividale, the Vaikunta Dwara Pooja is at 1.30pm, and Artha Mandapam darshan follows from 1.30 to 2.30pm and again from 4.00 to 8.00pm. Arrive before 1.30pm if you want to see the Dwara Pooja.
  • Winter closing. Tividale's published hours say the temple closes at 8.30pm from November to March. Its normal weekend hours are 9.00am to 2.30pm and 4.00pm to 9.00pm, and weekdays are 9.00am to 1.00pm and 5.00pm to 9.00pm.
  • Bhaktivedanta Manor lists visiting times as Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 1.00pm and 4.00 to 7.30pm, and Sunday 10.00am to 7.30pm. For sat-nav, it asks visitors to use WD25 8HE.
  • Shree Ghanapathy publishes daily opening from 8.00am to 9.30pm, with poojas at 10.00am, 12 noon, 5.00pm and 8.00pm.
  • Fasting on a work day. Utpanna Ekadashi is a Friday (4 December), and its London parana is a Saturday morning, 7.49 to 9.26am. The Vaikuntha parana is Monday 21 December, 8.04 to 9.38am, so plan breakfast before the commute.
  • Dhanurmasam dawns. From 16 December, temples that keep Dhanurmasam hold early-morning Tiruppavai. Tividale's Vaikunta Ekadasi day already starts with a 6.30am Thiruppaavai Sewa.
  • Christmas week. Datta Jayanti (23 December) and Arudra Darshan (24 December) fall in a short working week. Check each temple's page for holiday hours.

Sources

Temple calendars (read 5 November 2026):

Panchang (Drik Panchang, London):

Frequently asked questions

When is Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026 at UK temples?

Sunday 20 December 2026. Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple in Tividale, West Midlands, holds the Vaikunta Dwara Pooja and Pravesham at 1.30pm that day. Drik Panchang gives the same date for London, with parana on Monday 21 December from 8.04 to 9.38am.

When is Gita Jayanti 2026 in the UK?

The panchang date is Sunday 20 December 2026 in London, the same day as Mokshada Ekadashi. Bhaktivedanta Manor's calendar marks Gita Jayanti on 20 December, and the temple holds its public Gita Jayanti Maha Yajna, a Bhagavad-gita recitation, on Saturday 26 December.

Is the Balaji temple at Tividale in London?

No. Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple of UK is at 101 Dudley Road East, Tividale, in the West Midlands, near Birmingham. It is a separate temple from the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

When does Dhanurmasam start in the UK in 2026?

Drik Panchang gives Dhanu Sankranti on Wednesday 16 December 2026 in London, at 4.59am GMT, with punya kala from 8.00 to 11.56am. Margazhi and Dhanurmasam begin that day, and the month runs until Makara Sankranti in mid-January 2027.

When is Arudra Darshan 2026 in the UK?

Thursday 24 December 2026. In London, the Thiruvathirai nakshatra runs from 11.23pm on 23 December to 8.17pm on 24 December, according to Drik Panchang.

What is on at Neasden Temple in December 2026?

We could not confirm it. The temple's homepage text covered Diwali and Hindu New Year in November, and its festival schedule is shown as images. Check neasdentemple.org before you visit.

Is HinduTone connected to these temples?

No. HinduTone is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with any temple listed. Every temple row links to that temple's official page so you can confirm details yourself.