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Festival dates · 2026

Maha Shivaratri 2026

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

Short answer.
  • Sydney and Melbourne: Sunday 15 February 2026
  • Kathmandu: Sunday 15 February 2026
  • New York: Sunday 15 February 2026

Every calendar city keeps it on the same day this year.

Date by city

CityDateTithi (local time)Kathmandu date
Australia and New Zealand
SydneySunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 10:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 11:06 pmsame day
MelbourneSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 10:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 11:06 pmsame day
BrisbaneSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 9:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 10:06 pmsame day
PerthSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 7:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 8:06 pmsame day
AdelaideSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 10:07 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 10:36 pmsame day
CanberraSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 10:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 11:06 pmsame day
HobartSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 10:37 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 11:06 pmsame day
DarwinSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 9:07 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 9:36 pmsame day
AucklandSunday 15 February 2026Mon, 16 Feb, 12:37 am → Tue, 17 Feb, 1:06 amsame day
Nepal
KathmanduSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 5:22 pm → Mon, 16 Feb, 5:51 pm—
United States
New YorkSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 6:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 7:06 amsame day
Dallas–Fort WorthSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 5:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 6:06 amsame day
HoustonSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 5:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 6:06 amsame day
ChicagoSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 5:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 6:06 amsame day
Washington DCSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 6:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 7:06 amsame day
BostonSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 6:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 7:06 amsame day
AtlantaSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 6:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 7:06 amsame day
San Francisco Bay AreaSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 3:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 4:06 amsame day
Los AngelesSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 3:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 4:06 amsame day
SeattleSunday 15 February 2026Sun, 15 Feb, 3:37 am → Mon, 16 Feb, 4:06 amsame day

Rule: the night the tithi covers midnight (nishita). Amanta Magha Krishna Chaturdashi = purnimanta Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi. Kept on the night the tithi covers midnight.

What the day observes

The great night of Shiva, on the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight before the new moon of Phalguna (purnimanta reckoning; amanta Magha). Pilgrims gather at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu in their hundreds of thousands, and at every Shiva temple a night vigil is kept with offerings of water, milk and bel leaves over the lingam through the four watches of the night.

How it is kept

A fast through the day, the vigil through the night, and the rule that gives the date: the night on which the Chaturdashi tithi covers midnight, which is why it can fall a day apart in different cities.

In the glossary: shiva.

Common questions

When is Maha Shivaratri 2026 in Sydney?

Sunday 15 February 2026. Magha Krishna Chaturdashi; the tithi runs Sun, 15 Feb, 10:37 pm to Mon, 16 Feb, 11:06 pm Sydney time.

When is Maha Shivaratri 2026 in Nepal?

Sunday 15 February 2026 in Kathmandu. Magha Krishna Chaturdashi; the tithi runs Sun, 15 Feb, 5:22 pm to Mon, 16 Feb, 5:51 pm Nepal time.

When is Maha Shivaratri 2026 in the United States?

Sunday 15 February 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 Maha Shivaratri on a different day in different countries?

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 Maha Shivaratri on the same day, Sunday 15 February 2026.

How is the Maha Shivaratri 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: Maha Shivaratri 2027. Nearby: Makar Sankranti · Holika Dahan (Holi eve) · all festivals.

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

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