Festival dates · 2026
Also Lakshmi Puja · Gai Tihar (Nepal)
Ashvina Krishna Amavasya. The date in 21 cities, computed for local sunrise, with the tithi times.
Every calendar city keeps it on the same day this year.
| City | Date | Tithi (local time) | Kathmandu date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | |||
| Sydney | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 4:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 6:03 pm | same day |
| Melbourne | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 4:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 6:03 pm | same day |
| Brisbane | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 3:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 5:03 pm | same day |
| Perth | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 1:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 3:03 pm | same day |
| Adelaide | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 4:29 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 5:33 pm | same day |
| Canberra | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 4:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 6:03 pm | same day |
| Hobart | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 4:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 6:03 pm | same day |
| Darwin | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 3:29 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 4:33 pm | same day |
| Auckland | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 6:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 8:03 pm | same day |
| Nepal | |||
| Kathmandu | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 11:44 am → Mon, 9 Nov, 12:48 pm | — |
| United States | |||
| New York | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 12:59 am → Mon, 9 Nov, 2:03 am | same day |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 11:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 1:03 am | same day |
| Houston | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 11:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 1:03 am | same day |
| Chicago | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 11:59 pm → Mon, 9 Nov, 1:03 am | same day |
| Washington DC | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 12:59 am → Mon, 9 Nov, 2:03 am | same day |
| Boston | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 12:59 am → Mon, 9 Nov, 2:03 am | same day |
| Atlanta | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sun, 8 Nov, 12:59 am → Mon, 9 Nov, 2:03 am | same day |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 9:59 pm → Sun, 8 Nov, 11:03 pm | same day |
| Los Angeles | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 9:59 pm → Sun, 8 Nov, 11:03 pm | same day |
| Seattle | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Sat, 7 Nov, 9:59 pm → Sun, 8 Nov, 11:03 pm | same day |
Rule: the day the tithi covers the evening (pradosh). Amanta Ashvina Amavasya = purnimanta Kartika Amavasya. Kept on the day the Amavasya covers pradosh (evening), when Lakshmi Puja is performed.
The new moon of Kartika (purnimanta; amanta Ashvina): Lakshmi Puja in the evening, when the lamps are lit for the goddess of prosperity. In Nepal the day begins as Gai Tihar, honouring the cow, and ends with Lakshmi Puja and the deusi-bhailo singers going house to house; in Bengal it is the night of Kali Puja. It is kept on the evening the Amavasya covers pradosh, which can differ from the udaya day.
The house cleaned and lit, rangoli at the door, the evening puja, and in Nepal the songs and the footprints of Lakshmi drawn from the gate to the shrine.
In the glossary: lakshmi · puja.
Sunday 8 November 2026. Ashvina Krishna Amavasya; the tithi runs Sun, 8 Nov, 4:59 pm to Mon, 9 Nov, 6:03 pm Sydney time.
Sunday 8 November 2026 in Kathmandu. Ashvina Krishna Amavasya; the tithi runs Sun, 8 Nov, 11:44 am to Mon, 9 Nov, 12:48 pm Nepal time.
Sunday 8 November 2026 in New York (the same day across the US cities listed). US sunrises fall ten to fifteen hours behind Kathmandu's, so when the tithi ends in that gap the US keeps the festival a day earlier than Nepal.
Because the day is decided by which civil day the tithi is current at local sunrise, and sunrises differ by up to a day's worth of hours between Sydney, Kathmandu and the US. In 2026 every calendar city keeps Diwali on the same day, Sunday 8 November 2026.
Sun and Moon positions from Meeus' algorithms with the Lahiri ayanamsa, amanta lunar months named by the solar ingress inside them, and the day on which the tithi covers the evening (pradosh). Tithi boundaries are accurate to a few minutes; a boundary within minutes of sunrise is worth checking against your temple's panchang.
Other years: Diwali 2027. Nearby: Naraka Chaturdashi · Govardhan Puja · all festivals.
See also: the full-year calendar by city · why festival dates differ between Nepal, India and Australia · Tihar, Diwali and Chhath 2027 dates.
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