Diwali countdown
Diwali's main day, Lakshmi Puja, is held on Amavasya, the new-moon day of the Hindu month of Kartika (Ashvin in some regional calendars). In 2026 it falls on Sunday, November 8, and the timer counts down to midnight at the start of that day in your time zone.
Countdowns run on your device's clock and time zone, so they reach zero at local midnight wherever you are.
Why the date moves
Main day (Lakshmi Puja); regional calendars vary by a day.
Dates for this event change every year; the table uses the published calendar dates.
How the date of Diwali is set
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar, and its days are counted in tithis, lunar days that do not line up with midnight-to-midnight civil days. Lakshmi Puja is performed on the evening when Amavasya is in effect after sunset, during the period called pradosh kaal. When the new-moon tithi straddles two evenings, almanacs (panchangs) from different regions or traditions can choose different days, which is why one calendar may list Diwali a day before another.
Months are also named differently. North India mostly uses the purnimanta system, in which months end on the full moon, so Diwali falls in Kartika; much of western and southern India uses the amanta system, ending months on the new moon, where the same night closes Ashvin. The date is the same night either way. The main Diwali dates ahead are November 8, 2026, October 29, 2027, October 17, 2028, November 5, 2029 and October 26, 2030.
Five days of festival
In much of North India, Diwali spans five days: Dhanteras, a traditional day for buying gold, silver and kitchenware; Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Choti Diwali; Lakshmi Puja on the new moon; Govardhan Puja; and Bhai Dooj, which celebrates siblings. In Tamil Nadu and other southern states the main celebration, Deepavali, takes place on the morning of Naraka Chaturdashi, the day before North India's Lakshmi Puja. Bengal observes Kali Puja on the new-moon night, Nepal celebrates the five-day Tihar, Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas and Jains commemorate the nirvana of Mahavira at the same time.
Shopping, sweets, new clothes and travel home all cluster in the two weeks before the festival, and flights and trains within India fill early. The current time in Delhi, on India Standard Time at UTC+5:30, helps families abroad schedule calls for the evening puja.
Next dates for Diwali
| Date | Weekday | Days until |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | in 21 days | |
| Friday | in 376 days | |
| Tuesday | in 730 days | |
| Monday | in 1,114 days | |
| Saturday | in 1,469 days |
Other countdowns
Frequently asked questions
- When is Diwali 2026?
- The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday, November 8, 2026. Dhanteras falls two days earlier, and some regional calendars may list the main day a day apart.
- Why do Diwali dates sometimes differ between calendars?
- The festival follows the new-moon tithi, a lunar day that can start at any hour. When it covers parts of two evenings, regional almanacs may choose different days for Lakshmi Puja.
- Is Diwali in October or November?
- It moves with the lunar calendar and always falls between mid-October and mid-November. It is in November in 2026 and 2029 and in October in 2027, 2028 and 2030.
- Which countries have a public holiday for Diwali?
- India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia (except Sarawak), Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are among the countries that give a day off.