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Festival dates · 2026

Vasant Panchami 2026

Also Saraswati Puja (Shree Panchami)

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

Short answer.
  • Sydney and Melbourne: Saturday 24 January 2026
  • Kathmandu: Friday 23 January 2026
  • New York: Friday 23 January 2026

The cities split across Fri, 23 Jan and Sat, 24 Jan 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
SydneySaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 8:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 7:18 amFri, 23 Jan
MelbourneSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 8:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 7:18 amFri, 23 Jan
BrisbaneSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 7:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 6:18 amFri, 23 Jan
PerthFriday 23 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 5:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 4:18 amsame day
AdelaideSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 7:30 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 6:48 amFri, 23 Jan
CanberraSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 8:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 7:18 amFri, 23 Jan
HobartSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 8:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 7:18 amFri, 23 Jan
DarwinFriday 23 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 6:30 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 5:48 amsame day
AucklandSaturday 24 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 10:00 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 9:18 amFri, 23 Jan
Nepal
KathmanduFriday 23 January 2026Fri, 23 Jan, 2:45 am → Sat, 24 Jan, 2:03 am—
United States
New YorkFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 4:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 3:18 pmsame day
Dallas–Fort WorthFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 3:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 2:18 pmsame day
HoustonFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 3:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 2:18 pmsame day
ChicagoFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 3:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 2:18 pmsame day
Washington DCFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 4:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 3:18 pmsame day
BostonFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 4:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 3:18 pmsame day
AtlantaFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 4:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 3:18 pmsame day
San Francisco Bay AreaFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 1:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 12:18 pmsame day
Los AngelesFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 1:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 12:18 pmsame day
SeattleFriday 23 January 2026Thu, 22 Jan, 1:00 pm → Fri, 23 Jan, 12:18 pmsame day

Rule: the day the tithi is current at local sunrise (udaya tithi).

What the day observes

The fifth day of the bright fortnight of Magha: Saraswati Puja, the day of the goddess of learning, music and speech, and the first day of spring. In Nepal it is Shree Panchami, when children are brought to the Saraswati shrine at Swayambhu to write their first letters; across North India yellow is worn and books and instruments are placed before the goddess.

How it is kept

Yellow clothes and food, the worship of books, pens and instruments, and the first letters of the youngest.

In the glossary: saraswati.

Common questions

When is Vasant Panchami 2026 in Sydney?

Saturday 24 January 2026. Magha Shukla Panchami; the tithi runs Fri, 23 Jan, 8:00 am to Sat, 24 Jan, 7:18 am Sydney time. Kathmandu keeps it on Friday 23 January 2026.

When is Vasant Panchami 2026 in Nepal?

Friday 23 January 2026 in Kathmandu. Magha Shukla Panchami; the tithi runs Fri, 23 Jan, 2:45 am to Sat, 24 Jan, 2:03 am Nepal time.

When is Vasant Panchami 2026 in the United States?

Friday 23 January 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 Vasant Panchami 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. 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 Fri, 23 Jan and Sat, 24 Jan.

How is the Vasant Panchami 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 day on which the tithi is current at local sunrise (udaya tithi). Tithi boundaries are accurate to a few minutes; a boundary within minutes of sunrise is worth checking against your temple's panchang.

Other years: Vasant Panchami 2027. Nearby: Kartika Purnima · Makar Sankranti · all festivals.

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

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