Diwali 2026 Date: Five-Day Deepavali Calendar from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj

Diwali 2026: the date to mark first

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8. India Post lists November 8 as the 2026 Diwali holiday, and the New Delhi Lakshmi Puja calendar also places the main puja on that evening. Use November 8 as the main planning anchor for travel, family meals, greetings and gift delivery.

Five-day calendar for New Delhi reference

Dhanteras is Friday, November 6. Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Narak Chaudas or Choti Diwali, is a regional observance whose date can be shown as November 7 or November 8 depending on the local tithi rule; the New Delhi reference used here places the abhyang snan and Naraka Chaturdashi observance on November 8. Diwali and Lakshmi Puja are also on November 8, Govardhan Puja or Annakut is Tuesday, November 10, and Bhai Dooj is Wednesday, November 11.

Important muhurat note

For New Delhi, the Lakshmi Puja window is 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM on November 8. The Dhanteras puja window is 6:02 PM to 7:57 PM on November 6, Govardhan Puja is 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM on November 10, and the Bhai Dooj aparahna window is 1:09 PM to 3:19 PM on November 11. These are local New Delhi timings, not all-India times. Select your city in a location-based panchang before printing an invitation or sharing a time.

A useful planning example

If your family is travelling, reach by November 6 rather than planning only for Diwali night. Finish online orders before the seller's last delivery date, keep November 7–8 flexible for regional observances, and confirm the temple or community programme separately. This avoids treating a broad five-day calendar as a promise that every city, market or family follows the same schedule.