Diwali 2026 Is Sunday, Nov. 8: Five-Day Calendar, Lakshmi Puja Times in U.S. Cities and Where It's a Holiday

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, Nov. 8. Lakshmi Puja, the central prayer of the festival, takes place that evening after sunset, on the Amavasya (new moon) night of the Hindu month of Kartik. The five days of celebration begin with Dhanteras on Friday, Nov. 6 and end with Bhai Dooj on Tuesday, Nov. 10. This year is also the first Diwali that California observes as a state holiday.

Diwali 2026 dates: the five days

Day	Date	What it marks
Dhanteras	Friday, Nov. 6	Buying gold, silver or new utensils; lamps lit at the door
Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)	Saturday, Nov. 7	Early oil bath, the first diyas, rangoli
Diwali (Lakshmi Puja)	Sunday, Nov. 8	Lakshmi and Ganesha puja after sunset, diyas, sweets, fireworks
Govardhan Puja	Monday, Nov. 9	Annakut food offerings; Gujarati New Year for many families
Bhai Dooj	Tuesday, Nov. 10	Sisters pray for their brothers; brothers give gifts

Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas at the same time. Customs and the names of the days differ between regions, so families from Gujarat, Bengal or Tamil Nadu may follow a slightly different order.

Why Diwali is on Nov. 8 this year

Hindu festivals follow a lunisolar calendar, so Diwali moves each year, usually between mid-October and mid-November. It is celebrated on the evening when the Amavasya tithi, the last lunar day before the new moon, is in effect after sunset.

In 2026 the new moon arrives at 07:02 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Monday, Nov. 9, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. That is 12:32 p.m. in India and 2:02 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States. On both sides of the world, the Amavasya evening is Sunday, Nov. 8, so Indian and American families celebrate on the same night.

Diwali 2026 is 19 days later than in 2025, when it fell on Oct. 20. In 2027 it moves back to Friday, Oct. 29.

Lakshmi Puja time in the United States

Lakshmi Puja is traditionally performed during Pradosh Kaal, the window that opens at sunset. We counted it as 2 hours 24 minutes from local sunset, using Naval Observatory sunset times for Nov. 8. U.S. clocks fall back on Sunday, Nov. 1, so every time below is standard time.

City	Sunset	Pradosh Kaal
New York, NY	4:44 p.m. EST	4:44 to 7:08 p.m.
Edison, NJ	4:46 p.m. EST	4:46 to 7:10 p.m.
Boston, MA	4:29 p.m. EST	4:29 to 6:53 p.m.
Washington, DC	5:00 p.m. EST	5:00 to 7:24 p.m.
Atlanta, GA	5:39 p.m. EST	5:39 to 8:03 p.m.
Chicago, IL	4:36 p.m. CST	4:36 to 7:00 p.m.
Dallas, TX	5:30 p.m. CST	5:30 to 7:54 p.m.
Houston, TX	5:30 p.m. CST	5:30 to 7:54 p.m.
Phoenix, AZ	5:30 p.m. MST	5:30 to 7:54 p.m.
Seattle, WA	4:41 p.m. PST	4:41 to 7:05 p.m.
San Jose, CA	5:03 p.m. PST	5:03 to 7:27 p.m.
Los Angeles, CA	4:54 p.m. PST	4:54 to 7:18 p.m.

Many temples and family priests choose a shorter muhurat inside this window, based on the rising sign at their location. When your temple publishes one, follow it. The printable Lakshmi Puja table in the downloads lists these 12 cities with sunrise as well.

Where Diwali is a holiday in the U.S.

California. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 268 on Oct. 6, 2025, making Diwali a state holiday starting in 2026. The law allows public schools and community colleges to close for it. Because Diwali falls on a Sunday this year, most campuses are closed that day anyway.

Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Pennsylvania named Diwali an official state holiday in 2024, and Connecticut followed in 2025. Neither law requires offices or schools to close.

New York City. A law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on Nov. 14, 2023 made Diwali a holiday for New York City public schools. The schools first closed for it in 2024. With Diwali on a Sunday in 2026, there is no school day to cancel.

Diwali is not a federal holiday, so post offices, banks and federal offices keep their normal hours. On Sunday that means most are closed regardless.

Planning the week

With Diwali on a Sunday, the main celebrations fall on a weekend for most families: Choti Diwali on Saturday, Lakshmi Puja on Sunday night. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj land on Monday and Tuesday, so families who travel for Bhai Dooj may need a day off. Election Day falls the Tuesday before, on Nov. 3, and Veterans Day the Wednesday after, on Nov. 11.

Our free Diwali planner splits the preparations by day, from cleaning and buying diyas before Dhanteras to the Bhai Dooj tilak. To see the whole month, print a November 2026 calendar and mark the five days. For other festivals that follow the Moon, see our guides to Ramadan 2027 and Lunar New Year 2027, or plan ahead with a 2027 printable yearly calendar. Thanksgiving comes three weeks after Diwali, on Nov. 26; our page on when Thanksgiving falls explains the rule.