Install One Source Sangha for a better experience

Festival dates · 2026

Krishna Janmashtami 2026

Shravana Krishna Ashtami. The date in 21 cities, computed for local sunrise, with the tithi times.

Short answer.
  • Sydney and Melbourne: Friday 4 September 2026
  • Kathmandu: Friday 4 September 2026
  • New York: Thursday 3 September 2026

The cities split across Thu, 3 Sept and Fri, 4 Sept this year: the tithi boundary falls between their sunrises. The table shows every city.

Date by city

CityDateTithi (local time)Kathmandu date
Australia and New Zealand
SydneyFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 amsame day
MelbourneFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 amsame day
BrisbaneFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 amsame day
PerthFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 4:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 2:45 amsame day
AdelaideFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:27 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:15 amsame day
CanberraFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 amsame day
HobartFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 amsame day
DarwinFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 6:27 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 4:15 amsame day
AucklandFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 8:57 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 6:45 amsame day
Nepal
KathmanduFriday 4 September 2026Fri, 4 Sept, 2:42 am → Sat, 5 Sept, 12:30 am—
United States
New YorkThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 4:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 2:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
Dallas–Fort WorthThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 3:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 1:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
HoustonThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 3:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 1:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
ChicagoThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 3:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 1:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
Washington DCThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 4:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 2:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
BostonThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 4:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 2:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
AtlantaThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 4:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 2:45 pmFri, 4 Sept
San Francisco Bay AreaThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 1:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 11:45 amFri, 4 Sept
Los AngelesThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 1:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 11:45 amFri, 4 Sept
SeattleThursday 3 September 2026Thu, 3 Sept, 1:57 pm → Fri, 4 Sept, 11:45 amFri, 4 Sept

Rule: the night the tithi covers midnight (nishita). Amanta Shravana Krishna Ashtami = purnimanta Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami. Kept on the night the tithi covers midnight (Rohini-nakshatra rules vary by tradition).

What the day observes

The birth of Krishna at midnight on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada (purnimanta; amanta Shravana). Temples re-enact the birth at midnight; in Kathmandu the crowds gather at the Krishna Mandir in Patan. The next day Maharashtra breaks the dahi handi, the pot of curd hung out of reach.

How it is kept

A fast until midnight, bhajans through the evening, and the rule that gives the date: the night on which the Ashtami tithi covers midnight.

In the glossary: krishna.

Common questions

When is Krishna Janmashtami 2026 in Sydney?

Friday 4 September 2026. Shravana Krishna Ashtami; the tithi runs Fri, 4 Sept, 6:57 am to Sat, 5 Sept, 4:45 am Sydney time.

When is Krishna Janmashtami 2026 in Nepal?

Friday 4 September 2026 in Kathmandu. Shravana Krishna Ashtami; the tithi runs Fri, 4 Sept, 2:42 am to Sat, 5 Sept, 12:30 am Nepal time.

When is Krishna Janmashtami 2026 in the United States?

Thursday 3 September 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.

Why is Krishna Janmashtami on a different day in different countries?

Because the day is decided by which civil day the tithi (lunar day) is current at local sunrise, or for this festival covers midnight. Sydney's sunrise is four to six hours ahead of Kathmandu's and New York's ten hours behind, so a tithi that ends between two sunrises gives a different day. In 2026 the cities split across Thu, 3 Sept and Fri, 4 Sept.

How is the Krishna Janmashtami date calculated?

Sun and Moon positions from Meeus' algorithms with the Lahiri ayanamsa, amanta lunar months named by the solar ingress inside them, and the night on which the tithi covers local midnight (nishita). Tithi boundaries are accurate to a few minutes; a boundary within minutes of sunrise is worth checking against your temple's panchang.

Other years: Krishna Janmashtami 2027. Nearby: Janai Purnima · Haritalika Teej · all festivals.

See also: the full-year calendar by city · why festival dates differ between Nepal, India and Australia.

Walk with us

One passage, one question, every Sunday. Nothing else, ever.

🌐 English  ·  हिन्दी