India celebrates a festival almost every week, across every faith and region, and each one is a reason to dress up. This calendar lists the major festivals coming up over the next 12 months: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi festivals, plus national days and regional celebrations. Each one has its date, who celebrates it and where, and links to our outfit, mehndi and rangoli ideas. Bookmark this page. We update it every year.
Coming up next: Dhanteras (Fri, Nov 6) → Diwali (Sun, Nov 8) → Bhai Dooj (Wed, Nov 11) → Chhath Puja (Sun, Nov 15) → Guru Nanak Jayanti (Tue, Nov 24) → Christmas (Fri, Dec 25)
Dates follow the Central Government holiday list where available, and the panchang for New Delhi for other Hindu festivals. Islamic festivals depend on the sighting of the moon and may shift by a day. Some festivals fall on different days in different regions, so check locally for exact timings.
November 2026
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 6 | Dhanteras: first day of Diwali | Hindu, Jain; all India | Diwali mehndi designs · Lakshmi charan rangoli |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Diwali, the festival of lights. Also Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh) and the Jain festival marking Lord Mahavira’s nirvana. | Hindu, Sikh, Jain; all India | 30 Diwali rangoli designs · Diwali mehndi · Paithani sarees |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Govardhan Puja; Gujarati New Year | Hindu; North India, Gujarat | Easy rangoli designs |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Bhai Dooj: sisters pray for their brothers | Hindu; all India | Gift ideas for brothers |
| Nov 13–16 (main day Sun, Nov 15) | Chhath Puja: prayers to the Sun God at sunset and sunrise | Hindu; Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern UP | Yellow and orange sarees |
| Tue, Nov 24 | Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab): birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru | Sikh; all India, especially Punjab | Patiala suit designs |
| Tue, Nov 24 | Dev Deepawali: the ghats of Varanasi are lit with diyas | Hindu; Varanasi | — |
December 2026
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1–10 | Hornbill Festival: Naga tribal culture, dance and crafts | Nagaland | — |
| Fri, Dec 25 | Christmas | Christian; all India, especially Goa, Kerala, the Northeast, Mumbai | Christmas party dresses · How to wear red for Christmas |
| Thu, Dec 31 | New Year’s Eve | All India | New Year party outfits |
January 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1 | New Year’s Day | All India | New Year rangoli designs |
| Jan 13 | Lohri: bonfire festival marking the end of winter | Punjabi Sikh and Hindu; Punjab, Haryana, Delhi | Patiala suit designs |
| Jan 14–15 | Makar Sankranti / Pongal / Uttarayan / Magh Bihu: harvest festival; kite flying in Gujarat | Hindu; all India | Sankranthi muggulu · Sankranthi rangoli |
| Fri, Jan 15 | Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti: birth anniversary of the tenth Sikh Guru | Sikh; Punjab, Haryana, Delhi | — |
| Tue, Jan 26 | Republic Day | National | Tricolour outfit ideas |
February 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around Feb 8–9 | Ramadan begins: the month of fasting from dawn to sunset | Muslim; all India | What to wear to iftar parties |
| Thu, Feb 11 | Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja: welcomes spring; yellow is worn | Hindu; North and East India | Yellow outfits |
March 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Mar 6 | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu; all India | — |
| Wed, Mar 10 | Eid ul-Fitr: marks the end of Ramadan (subject to moon sighting) | Muslim; all India | Eid mehndi designs |
| Sun, Mar 21 | Jamshedi Navroz: Persian New Year | Parsi; Mumbai, Gujarat | — |
| Mon, Mar 22 | Holika Dahan: bonfire on the eve of Holi | Hindu; North and West India | — |
| Tue, Mar 23 | Holi: the festival of colours | Hindu; all India | Holi outfit ideas · How to wear white for Holi |
| Around Mar 24 | Hola Mohalla: Sikh festival of martial arts and processions | Sikh; Anandpur Sahib, Punjab | — |
| Fri, Mar 26 | Good Friday | Christian; all India | — |
| Sun, Mar 28 | Easter | Christian; all India | Pastel outfits |
April 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Apr 7 | Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Navratri begins: Hindu New Year | Hindu; Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Maharashtra, North India | — |
| Wed, Apr 14 | Baisakhi / Vishu / Puthandu: harvest and solar new year | Sikh and Hindu; Punjab (Baisakhi), Kerala (Vishu), Tamil Nadu (Puthandu) | Kerala traditional outfits |
| Thu, Apr 15 | Ram Navami; Bohag Bihu and Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year) around the same days † | Hindu; all India; Assam; West Bengal | — |
| Mon, Apr 19 | Mahavir Jayanti: birth of Lord Mahavira | Jain; Gujarat, Rajasthan, all India | White and pastel outfits |
| Tue, Apr 20 | Hanuman Jayanti | Hindu; North India | — |
May 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8–9 | Akshaya Tritiya: an auspicious day to buy gold | Hindu, Jain; all India | — |
| Mon, May 17 | Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) (subject to moon sighting) | Muslim; all India | Eid mehndi designs |
| Thu, May 20 | Buddha Purnima: birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha | Buddhist; Bodh Gaya, Sikkim, Ladakh, all India | White outfits |
June 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Jun 16 | Muharram (Ashura): a day of remembrance (subject to moon sighting) | Muslim; all India | — |
July 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jul 5 | Jagannath Rath Yatra: the chariot festival of Puri | Hindu; Odisha | — |
| Sun, Jul 18 | Guru Purnima: honouring teachers | Hindu, Buddhist, Jain; all India | — |
August 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Aug 4 | Hariyali Teej: women wear green and swing on decorated jhoolas | Hindu; Rajasthan, UP, Haryana | Mehndi designs |
| Fri, Aug 13 | Varalakshmi Vratam | Hindu; Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu | Silk sarees |
| Sun, Aug 15 | Independence Day. The same day also brings Parsi New Year (Navroz) and Milad-un-Nabi, the Prophet’s birthday (subject to moon sighting). | National; Parsi; Muslim | Independence Day outfit ideas |
| Tue, Aug 17 | Raksha Bandhan: sisters tie rakhis on their brothers’ wrists | Hindu; all India | Unusual rakhi designs · Rakhi gifts |
| Aug 24–25 | Krishna Janmashtami; Dahi Handi in Maharashtra. Aug 25 is the official holiday. | Hindu; all India | Mehndi designs for kids |
September 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 4 | Ganesh Chaturthi: ten days of Ganpati celebrations | Hindu; Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra, Telangana | Ganesh rangoli · Ganesh mehndi |
| Sun, Sep 12 | Onam (Thiruvonam): Kerala’s harvest festival, celebrated by all communities | Kerala | Onam pookalam designs · Onam outfits · Onam sarees |
| Thu, Sep 30 | Sharad Navratri begins | Hindu; all India | Navratri colours |
October 2027
| Date | Festival | Who & where | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 2 | Gandhi Jayanti | National | Khadi outfits |
| Sat, Oct 9 | Dussehra / Vijayadashami | Hindu; all India | Dussehra outfit ideas |
| Mon, Oct 18 | Karva Chauth | Hindu; North India | Karva Chauth mehndi |
| Fri, Oct 29 | Diwali; Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh); Mahavira’s nirvana (Jain) | Hindu, Sikh, Jain; all India | Diwali rangoli designs |
Save this calendar to Pinterest so you always know what is coming up.
Festivals by community
- Hindu: Navratri, Dussehra, Karva Chauth, Diwali, Chhath, Makar Sankranti and Pongal, Holi, Ugadi, Ram Navami, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam.
- Muslim: Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha (Bakrid), Muharram, Milad-un-Nabi.
- Christian: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter.
- Sikh: Guru Nanak Jayanti, Lohri, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Hola Mohalla, Baisakhi, Bandi Chhor Divas.
- Jain: Mahavir Jayanti, Diwali (Mahavira’s nirvana), Paryushan.
- Buddhist: Buddha Purnima, Losar (Ladakh and Sikkim).
- Parsi: Jamshedi Navroz, Parsi New Year.
- National: Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti.
- Regional: Bihu (Assam), Hornbill Festival (Nagaland), Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Durga Puja (Bengal).
Festive dressing tips
- Know the traditional colours: yellow for Vasant Panchami, green for Hariyali Teej, red for Karva Chauth, white for Buddha Purnima and Mahavir Jayanti, red and green for Christmas, and a new colour for each day of Navratri.
- Book mehndi early: Mehndi artists are busiest before Karva Chauth, Diwali, Eid and Teej.
- Re-wear smartly: A good silk saree, sharara or Anarkali can carry you through several festivals. Change the dupatta and jewellery for a new look each time.
- Dress respectfully when visiting a place of worship: cover your shoulders and head where it is customary, as in gurdwaras and many temples, mosques and dargahs.
FAQ
When is Diwali in 2026?
Diwali is on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Dhanteras is on November 6 and Bhai Dooj on November 11.
When is Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2026?
Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab) is on Tuesday, November 24, 2026.
When is Eid in 2027?
Eid ul-Fitr is expected on Wednesday, March 10, 2027, and Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) on Monday, May 17, 2027. Both depend on the sighting of the moon.
When is Holi in 2027?
Holi is on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, with Holika Dahan the evening before.
Why do festival dates change every year?
Hindu, Islamic, Jain and Buddhist festivals follow lunar calendars, which are shorter than the 365-day solar year. Islamic dates move about 11 days earlier each year. Hindu calendars add an extra month every few years to stay in step with the seasons. Christmas, Republic Day and Independence Day follow the solar calendar and stay fixed.
