St. Nicholas Day 2026: Sunday, Dec. 6, and the Eve on Saturday, Dec. 5

St. Nicholas Day 2026 is Sunday, Dec. 6, and the eve is Saturday, Dec. 5. The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) gives the calendar date for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker as Sunday, December 6, 2026. The same day is the Second Sunday of Advent, which changes how the U.S. Catholic calendar treats it. Dec. 6 is 33 days away from Nov. 3, and the national Sinterklaas arrival in the Netherlands, Saturday, Nov. 14, is 11 days away.

When is St. Nicholas Day in 2026?

Dec. 6, 2026 is a Sunday, and Dec. 5 is a Saturday. We computed the weekdays. The OCA’s “Lives of the Saints” page for the date lists “Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia” and says “Calendar date: Sunday, December 6, 2026.” Churches that follow the older Julian calendar keep the feast on a later date; we have not confirmed that date, so it is not given here.

Why is Saint Nicholas missing from the U.S. Catholic calendar on Dec. 6, 2026?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publishes the “Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America.” Its December 2026 page lists the Second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, Dec. 6, in violet, and no Saint Nicholas, because the Sunday takes the day. The calendar’s notes say optional memorials are shown in italics within brackets, and Saint Nicholas is one of them. In its 2025 page, Dec. 6 is a Saturday listed as “Advent Weekday” with “[Saint Nicholas, Bishop].”

In 2027 he is back. The USCCB’s 2027 calendar lists Monday, Dec. 6, 2027 as “Advent Weekday violet/white [Saint Nicholas, Bishop].” For the start of the season, see when Advent starts in 2026.

St. Nicholas dates 2026

Date	Weekday	What	Source
Nov. 14, 2026	Saturday	National Sinterklaas arrival in Grave, the Netherlands; live broadcast at noon CET (6 a.m. ET)	Omroep Brabant
Dec. 5, 2026	Saturday	St. Nicholas Eve (“Eve of Sinterklaas”)	St. Nicholas Center
Dec. 6, 2026	Sunday	St. Nicholas Day, Second Sunday of Advent	OCA, USCCB
Dec. 6, 2027	Monday	St. Nicholas Day next year, optional memorial	USCCB

Put the dates on your December 2026 printable calendar and the Nov. 14 arrival on the November 2026 printable calendar.

When is the national Sinterklaas arrival in the Netherlands?

The national Sinterklaas arrival (landelijke intocht) in 2026 is Saturday, Nov. 14, in Grave, in the municipality of Land van Cuijk, North Brabant. Omroep Brabant reported that the town is confirmed by the municipality and the broadcaster, and that it is the first national arrival in Brabant since 2000. Hart van Nederland also named Grave as this year’s host city, and the St. Nicholas Center lists the same date and place.

The live broadcast starts at 12:00 (noon) Central European Time (CET). CET is UTC+1 and Eastern Time (ET) is UTC-5 after Nov. 1, so that is 6 a.m. ET. We computed the conversion.

What happens on St. Nicholas Eve?

The St. Nicholas Center calls Dec. 5 the Eve of Sinterklaas. It describes gift-giving in the Netherlands on that evening, called pakjesavond, and says children in Germany and other countries set out shoes or boots on the evening of Dec. 5 to find treats on Dec. 6. In 2026 that evening is Saturday, Dec. 5, and the morning after is Sunday, Dec. 6. We have not confirmed any public-holiday status or local event dates, so none are listed.

Print the St. Nicholas 2026 dates

The one-page checklist lists the Nov. 14 arrival, the Dec. 5 eve, the Dec. 6 feast and next year’s Monday, Dec. 6, 2027, with a shoe-night list and space for notes. Later saints’ days in the season include Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, and the Christmas 2026 countdown covers the weeks after.