That is the main day — Lakshmi Puja — when the evening lamps are lit and the puja is performed after sunset. The wider festival runs five days, Friday November 6 to Tuesday November 10, 2026, in the United States.
Diwali is not a US federal holiday, so most people celebrate in the evening or move gatherings to the nearest weekend. In 2026 the main day already falls on a Sunday.
Dates calculated for US time zones. Last checked August 2026.
| Year | Main day (Lakshmi Puja), US | Weekday | Five-day window (US) | Same date in India? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 8, 2026 | Sunday | Nov 6 – Nov 10 | Yes on the main day |
| 2027 | October 28, 2027 | Thursday | Oct 26 – Oct 30 | No — Oct 29 in India |
| 2028 | October 17, 2028 | Tuesday | Oct 15 – Oct 19 | Yes, all five days |
| 2029 | November 5, 2029 | Monday | Nov 3 – Nov 7 | Yes on the main day |
| 2030 | October 25, 2030 | Friday | Oct 24 – Oct 27 | No — Oct 26 in India |
Diwali is not a day off for most people in the United States, so the weekday matters as much as the date. Here is how the next five years fall.
Also called Dhanatrayodashi. Homes are cleaned and lit, and many families buy something in metal — gold, silver, or a new kitchen vessel — as a sign of coming prosperity. Dhanvantari, associated with healing, is honoured on this day.
Known as Chhoti Diwali in the north and Kali Chaudas in Gujarat and Bengal. In South India this is the main Deepavali day, marked before sunrise with a ceremonial oil bath (abhyanga snana) and new clothes.
The main day. Lamps line doorways and balconies, and the evening puja to Lakshmi and Ganesha is performed after sunset, during the pradosh period while the amavasya tithi still holds. In Bengal, Odisha and Assam, this night is Kali Puja instead.
Also Annakut, when a mountain of food is offered in memory of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan. In Maharashtra the same day is Bali Pratipada; in Gujarat it is Bestu Varas, the new year.
Also Bhai Beej or Yama Dwitiya. Sisters mark their brothers' foreheads and pray for their long life; brothers travel to visit, and the festival closes with a shared meal.
In Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat the season opens a day early with Vasu Baras, honouring cows and calves. Many family calendars therefore show six days rather than five.
Hindu festival days are set by the tithi — a lunar day that begins and ends at a precise moment, not at midnight. Because that moment is a point in time, it lands on different calendar dates depending on your time zone. A tithi that begins late in the evening in India can begin that same morning in New York.
This is not a rounding error; in two of the next five years it moves the main day itself.
The dates on this page are calculated for US time zones, and they hold from coast to coast — New York and San Francisco agree in all five years. If you are coordinating a call, a video puja or a package with family in India, check their calendar too, particularly in 2027 and 2030.
Diwali is a festival of light over darkness, and more than one tradition arrives at that idea by a different road.
These are distinct observances that share a date and a symbol, not one holiday with several names. If you are wishing someone well and are not sure which they keep, “Happy Diwali” is widely welcome, and “Happy Bandi Chhor Divas” is the greeting many Sikh families prefer.
Roughly 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the United States, and Pew Research Center found that about seven in ten Indian Americans celebrate Diwali — including 95% of Hindus and 45% of those who are not Hindu. It is also observed in Nepali, Sri Lankan, Guyanese, Trinidadian, Fijian and Indo-Caribbean communities.
Official recognition has grown quickly. New York City public schools have closed for Diwali since 2024, following state legislation signed in November 2023. Pennsylvania recognised the holiday by statute in October 2024, and Connecticut's recognition took effect in October 2025. There is still no federal holiday, and school and workplace policy varies widely by district and employer.
Practically, that means most American families celebrate in the evening after work and school, and often hold the larger gathering on the closest weekend. In 2026 that problem solves itself: the main day is a Sunday.
Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026. That is the main day, Lakshmi Puja, when the evening lamps are lit. The full five-day festival runs from Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in US time zones.
Diwali follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. It always falls on the new moon, or amavasya, of the month of Kartika. Because the lunar month is shorter than the solar month, that new moon shifts across mid-October to mid-November from year to year.
Both, depending on what you mean. The main day is a single day, Lakshmi Puja. It sits inside a five-day festival that begins with Dhanteras and ends with Bhai Dooj. Some communities, particularly in Maharashtra, add Govatsa Dwadashi the day before, which makes six.
Usually, but not always. Hindu festival days are fixed by the tithi, a lunar day that starts at a precise moment, so it can fall on different calendar dates in different time zones. In 2026 the main Diwali day is November 8 in both countries, but Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj fall on November 9 and 10 in the United States and on November 10 and 11 in India.
In two of the next five years the main day itself splits. Diwali 2027 is October 28 in the United States and October 29 in India. Diwali 2030 is October 25 in the United States and October 26 in India. Diwali 2028 and 2029 fall on the same main day in both countries.
The puja is traditionally performed after sunset, during the pradosh period, while the amavasya tithi still holds. The exact window depends on your city's sunset, so it differs between New York, Chicago and San Francisco. A panchang calculated for your own city will give the precise muhurat.
They observe the same date for their own reasons. Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas, the release of Guru Hargobind from Gwalior Fort. Jains commemorate the nirvana of Mahavira, and begin their new year the following day. Newar Buddhists in Nepal keep the same five-day cycle as Tihar. These are separate observances that happen to share a date.
It is not a federal holiday. New York City public schools have closed for Diwali since 2024, Pennsylvania recognised the holiday in 2024, and Connecticut's recognition took effect in 2025. Elsewhere, time off depends on your school district or employer.
Diwali 2027 falls on Thursday, October 28, 2027 in the United States, with the five-day festival running from October 26 to October 30. In India the same Lakshmi Puja is observed a day later, on Friday, October 29, 2027.
Diwali 2028 falls on Tuesday, October 17, 2028. The five days run from Dhanteras on Sunday, October 15 to Bhai Dooj on Thursday, October 19. All five days fall on the same dates in the United States and in India that year.
Diwali 2029 falls on Monday, November 5, 2029. In US time zones the festival runs from Dhanteras on Saturday, November 3 to Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, November 7. In India, Dhanteras that year falls a day later, on November 4.
Diwali 2030 falls on Friday, October 25, 2030 in the United States, with the festival running October 24 to 27. That year Naraka Chaturdashi and Lakshmi Puja share a single day, so the celebration covers four calendar dates rather than five. In India, Lakshmi Puja 2030 is observed on Saturday, October 26.
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