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Indian Festival Dates
Major Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and regional festivals. Most Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar — dates shift annually by ~11 days.
| Date | Day | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan | Wed | Makar Sankranti / Pongal |
| 26 Jan | Mon | Republic Day |
| 21 Feb | Sat | Maha Shivratri |
| 4 Mar | Wed | Holi |
| 21 Mar | Sat | Eid-ul-Fitr |
| 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 14 Apr | Tue | Tamil New Year / Vishu |
| 15 Apr | Wed | Bengali New Year |
| 26 Apr | Sun | Akshaya Tritiya |
| 31 May | Sun | Bakri Eid |
| 15 Aug | Sat | Independence Day |
| 27 Aug | Thu | Janmashtami |
| 28 Aug | Fri | Onam |
| 4 Sept | Fri | Ganesh Chaturthi |
| 2 Oct | Fri | Gandhi Jayanti / Vijaya Dashami |
| 21 Oct | Wed | Diwali |
| 22 Oct | Thu | Govardhan Puja |
| 24 Oct | Sat | Bhai Dooj |
| 1 Nov | Sun | Karva Chauth |
| 25 Nov | Wed | Guru Nanak Jayanti |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas |
Why dates shift every year
Almost every major Indian festival is set by a non-Gregorian calendar. Hindu festivals follow the lunisolar Vikram Samvat — 12 lunar months ≈ 354 days, so dates drift back ~11 days every year, until an extra month (Adhik Maas) is added every 32–33 months. Islamic festivals use the purely lunar Hijri calendar with no leap correction — they drift ~11 days earlier each Gregorian year, cycling through all seasons over 33 years. Christian (Christmas, Good Friday) and Sikh Nanakshahi observances are mostly fixed or near-fixed in the Gregorian calendar.
Worked example
Holi 2024: 25 Mar. Holi 2025: 14 Mar. Holi 2026: 4 Mar. Onam (Thiruvonam) is fixed in the Malayalam Chingam month and shifts ~10 days each year: 2024 was 15 Sep, 2025 was 5 Sep, 2026 falls on 26 Aug. Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: 7 Sep, 2025: 27 Aug, 2026: 14 Sep (Adhik Maas year). Ram Navami 2026: 26 Mar. Knowing these in advance helps with travel bookings — IRCTC's 60-day window means tickets open 2 months prior.
When to use this
- Wedding planners and event managers booking venues 6–18 months in advance
- HR teams publishing the annual leave calendar with regional gazetted holidays
- Travel agents pricing peak surcharges around Diwali, Chhath, Onam and Eid
- Multi-faith office calendars covering Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Christian observances
For a live countdown to the very next festival, use the festival countdown tool; for bank closures see bank holidays calendar.
FAQ
Why do festival dates shift?
Hindu festivals follow the lunar / luni-solar calendar. The lunar month is ~29.5 days, so festivals shift by ~11 days per Gregorian year. Adhik Maas (intercalary month every ~3 years) corrects the drift.
Why two dates for same festival?
Regional variations. Diwali in North India = Lakshmi Puja (5-day festival). South = Naraka Chaturdashi or Bali Pratipada. Bengali Kali Puja same day as North's Diwali.
Public holidays vs religious festivals?
Not all religious festivals are gazetted holidays. Diwali, Holi, Eid are. Janmashtami varies by state. Karva Chauth is rarely a public holiday but widely observed.