Diwali date estimator
Enter a year to find the date of Diwali — specifically Lakshmi Puja, the main night, which falls on the new-moon day (Amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik. The tool shows the date and weekday for that year, helping you plan celebrations, travel and time off in advance.
How it works
Diwali tracks the true astronomical new moon as observed in India, so unlike some calendars there is no simple arithmetic formula. Instead, the tool looks up the date from a curated table of published panchang dates for each year and reports the day and weekday. Dates are available for the years covered by that table (2015 through 2030).
Example
For 2026, the lookup returns:
Sunday, 8 November 2026 — Lakshmi Puja, the main Diwali night.
| Year | Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 November 2024 |
| 2025 | 20 October 2025 |
| 2026 | 8 November 2026 |
| 2027 | 29 October 2027 |
Regional panchang can differ by a day, and observances elsewhere may shift to the nearest weekend, so confirm locally for ritual timings. It is privacy-first: the lookup runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
About Diwali — the festival and its calendar
Why the date changes every year
Diwali is governed by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, which interleaves lunar months (each roughly 29.5 days) with solar years. To prevent the calendar from drifting through the seasons, the Hindu calendar periodically inserts a leap month (Adhik Maas or intercalary month), which can shift festival dates by a few weeks relative to the previous year. Diwali specifically falls on the Amavasya (new-moon night) of the month of Kartik, the eighth lunar month. Because this falls in different positions within the Gregorian calendar each year, Diwali typically lands somewhere between mid-October and mid-November — but the exact date must be determined from a panchang (almanac) rather than a simple formula.
The five days of Diwali
The festival Diwali encompasses five distinct days of observance, each with its own traditions:
| Day | Name | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Dhanteras | Worship of Dhanvantari, purchasing gold or silver for prosperity |
| Day 2 | Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) | Defeat of demon Narakasura; early morning rituals |
| Day 3 | Lakshmi Puja (main Diwali night) | Amavasya; worship of Goddess Lakshmi, lighting of diyas, fireworks |
| Day 4 | Govardhan Puja / Annakut | Celebration of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan hill |
| Day 5 | Bhai Dooj | Celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters |
This tool pinpoints Day 3 — the main Lakshmi Puja night, which is the central and most widely recognized night of the festival.
Regional and diaspora variations
While the Lakshmi Puja date is consistent across most of India, observance details differ by region. South Indian communities often observe a different aspect of the festival more prominently on Naraka Chaturdashi. Jains observe Diwali on an overlapping but distinct calendar event (marking Mahavira’s nirvana). Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas (honoring Guru Hargobind ji’s release) around the same time, which sometimes coincides with the Diwali date and sometimes falls a day different. Diaspora communities in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia may shift public celebrations to the nearest weekend while observing household rituals on the correct calendar date.
Planning around Diwali
For employers, schools, and event organizers, knowing Diwali dates several years in advance helps with scheduling. Public holidays in some countries and regions (for example, parts of India, Trinidad and Tobago, and some UK local authorities) are declared around Diwali, and many diaspora community events are planned months ahead. The multi-year table above, and the tool for any year within the supported range, makes this forward planning straightforward.