This is every major Indian festival date from September 2026 through April 2027 in one place, with what to wear for each and how far ahead to buy. The 2026 festive season runs late — the Hindu calendar carries an extra lunar month (Adhik Maas) this year, which pushes most dates further back than their 2025 equivalents. Diwali lands on 8 November rather than late October.
Dates below follow the most widely used Indian panchangs. Lunisolar festivals can shift by a day between regional calculations, and muhurat timings always depend on local sunrise and sunset — so confirm locally before booking anything that depends on an exact hour.
The 2026 festive season at a glance
| Festival | Date | Day | What it calls for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ganesh Chaturthi | 14 September 2026 | Monday | Kurtas, comfortable footwear, bright colour |
| Anant Chaturdashi (Ganpati Visarjan) | 25 September 2026 | Friday | Clothes that survive crowds, rain and immersion |
| Sharad Navratri (9 nights) | 11–20 October 2026 | Sun–Tue | Day-wise colours, garba-friendly movement |
| Durga Puja | Within Navratri week | — | Red-and-white traditional, pandal-hopping comfort |
| Dussehra / Vijayadashami | 20 October 2026 | Tuesday | Daytime ethnic, new clothes tradition |
| Karwa Chauth | 29 October 2026 | Thursday | Red and deep tones, evening dressing |
| Dhanteras | 6 November 2026 | Friday | Gold-friendly colours, shopping day |
| Choti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi) | 7 November 2026 | Saturday | Relaxed festive, family evening |
| Diwali / Lakshmi Puja | 8 November 2026 | Sunday | The biggest dressing night of the year |
| Govardhan Puja | 10 November 2026 | Tuesday | Daytime ethnic |
| Bhai Dooj | 11 November 2026 | Wednesday | Family lunch dressing, gifting |
| Chhath Puja | 13–16 November 2026 | Fri–Mon | Modest cotton, riverbank practicality |
| Christmas | 25 December 2026 | Friday | Party dressing, winter layers |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December 2026 | Thursday | Sequins, metallics, late nights |
The 2027 dates worth planning for now
| Festival | Date | Day | What it calls for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lohri | 14 January 2027 | Thursday | Bonfire night, warm layers over ethnic |
| Makar Sankranti / Pongal | 15 January 2027 | Friday | Yellow and white, rooftop-friendly |
| Valentine's Day | 14 February 2027 | Sunday | Date dressing, gifting |
| Maha Shivaratri | 6 March 2027 | Saturday | Simple white and light, all-night vigil |
| Holika Dahan | 21 March 2027 | Sunday | Evening bonfire, cover up |
| Rangwali Holi | 22 March 2027 | Monday | White cotton you can sacrifice |
| Gudi Padwa | 7 April 2027 | Wednesday | Maharashtrian new year, saffron and gold |
A note on Holi: a few regional panchangs place Holika Dahan on 22 March and Rangwali Holi on 23 March 2027. The dates above are the most widely cited. Holika Dahan muhurat depends on local sunset and the Bhadra period, so confirm it in your city closer to the time.
When to start shopping for each
The honest answer is earlier than you think, and the reason is delivery rather than stock. Festive weeks are the slowest delivery windows of the Indian year — courier networks run at capacity and Tier 2 and Tier 3 addresses feel it most.
- Three weeks ahead for anything you need on a specific day. That is the safe window for Diwali (order by mid-October) and Navratri (order by late September).
- Two weeks ahead for a metro address with no fixed date.
- Immediately for anything that needs alteration. Tailors are fully booked through October and early November.
- Off-season for the best choice. The widest selection of festive kurtas is in stock in August, not the week before Diwali.
What to wear: the season, festival by festival
Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi (14–25 September 2026)
Eleven days, and the outfit brief is comfort — pandal queues, standing, Mumbai humidity. Short kurtas for men, cotton kurtas for women, footwear you can walk in. Our Ganpati outfit guide for Mumbai and the visarjan outfit guide cover the full window. Try the Uri Mint Dobby Motif Short Kurta (Rs.1,099) or the Women Sea Green Kurta With Embroidered Yoke (Rs.799).
Navratri and Dussehra (11–20 October 2026)
Nine nights of day-wise colours, then Dussehra on the 20th. This is the longest continuous dressing stretch of the year and the one worth planning as a set rather than nine separate decisions. See our Navratri 9-day colour guide, the garba night colours guide and Dussehra colours. Movement matters more than anything — the Women Multicolor High Twist Anarkali Kurta (Rs.699) is cut for it.
Karwa Chauth (29 October 2026)
Red and deep jewel tones, evening dressing, and a long day of fasting — pick something you can sit in comfortably. The Women Red Floral Printed Tie-Up Neck Kurta (Rs.799) works for the daytime; our Karwa Chauth guide covers the evening.
The Diwali week (6–11 November 2026)
Five distinct occasions in six days, each with a different dress code: Dhanteras shopping, Choti Diwali at home, Diwali night itself, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. Our Diwali colours by day, Dhanteras outfit ideas, Diwali dresses for women and Bhai Dooj gift guide cover the week. Perfume is the safest gift across all five days — the Solera No.14 Eau De Parfum and No.18 for Men are Rs.999 each.
Chhath Puja (13–16 November 2026)
Four days, with Sandhya Arghya on the 15th and Usha Arghya at sunrise on the 16th. Modest cotton, nothing that suffers from water or sand. See our Chhath Puja outfit guide. Plain cotton is the whole brief — the Women Off White Cotton Dobby Kurta (Rs.799) and the White & Olive Striped Cotton Kurta (Rs.699) suit a riverbank morning.
Christmas and New Year (25–31 December 2026)
Party season, and the only stretch of the Indian festive calendar where a sequin is the default rather than the exception. Our Christmas party outfits and New Year's Eve guides cover both. For December evenings the Burgundy Off Shoulder Dress With Long Sleeve (Rs.1,699) and the Scalloped Fit And Flare Dress (Rs.1,999) both work.
Holi (21–22 March 2027)
White cotton you are willing to lose, full sleeves, oiled hair. Our complete Holi 2027 guide has the dates, the fabric table and the aftercare method.
Festival calendar FAQ
Why are the 2026 festival dates so late?
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar, and 2026 carries an extra lunar month known as Adhik Maas. That extra month pushes most festivals later in the Gregorian year than their 2025 equivalents — which is why Diwali falls on 8 November rather than in late October.
Do these dates change by region?
Lunisolar festival dates can differ by a day between regional panchangs, and muhurat timings always depend on local sunrise and sunset. The dates here follow the most widely used Indian calendars. For anything timing-critical — Holika Dahan, Chhath arghya, a puja muhurat — check a panchang for your own city.
When is the best time to shop for the festive season?
August and early September, before the season starts. Selection is widest, sizes are complete, and delivery networks are not yet at capacity. The week before Diwali is the worst time on all three counts.
How far ahead should I order to be safe?
Three weeks for a specific date, more if the address is outside a metro, and more still if anything needs altering.
Where to start
Browse the season in our women's kurtas, kurta sets and menswear edits, or read the full-season festive wear guide for how to plan the whole run as one wardrobe.