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Indian Festival Calendar

Plan ahead — see what is coming and when

How this works: Festival dates shown in IST (India Standard Time). Days-until is calculated based on your device's current date. For lunar festivals, dates may shift by a day depending on regional almanacs (panchang).

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Common Questions

Most Indian festivals follow the Hindu lunar calendar (panchang) or Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri), which don’t align with the Gregorian calendar. Diwali, Holi, Eid, and most religious festivals shift by 10-12 days each year relative to the Gregorian calendar. National holidays like Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26) have fixed Gregorian dates.
Festival dates often vary slightly by region based on local panchangs (almanacs). For example, Diwali is observed in two-day windows in some states, and Pongal/Makar Sankranti can fall on different days. This calendar uses the most widely accepted national date — check your local community calendar for regional differences.
Festival dates are shown for India Standard Time (IST). For most festivals, only the date matters — celebrations happen throughout the day. For festivals with specific muhurta (auspicious times), like Karva Chauth moonrise or Lakshmi Puja, check a local panchang as those times will be different in your country. Use our IST Time Converter to convert specific puja times.
Many NRIs do — and so do airlines. Flights to India typically peak 8-12 weeks before Diwali, Christmas, and summer holidays. Book at least 12-16 weeks ahead for these peak periods. See our travel guide for booking tips and seasonal pricing.
National holidays (Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti) are confirmed and gazetted. Religious festival dates are based on widely accepted Hindu/Muslim/Sikh/Christian calendars but the Indian government’s official gazetted holiday list is the authoritative source — published annually by the Ministry of Personnel. Some festivals are “restricted holidays” varying by state.

Why a Festival Calendar Matters for NRIs

When you live abroad, festivals stop being on autopilot. There’s no announcement on TV, no neighbour decorating, no work holiday reminding you. It’s easy to realise Diwali is this Sunday when your mother calls — and by then the diyas, the dhaniya patti, the sweets order are all too late.

This calendar exists for exactly that — to give you enough notice to:

  • Book India trips with enough lead time to avoid peak fares
  • Schedule family calls around the festival, not days late
  • Order ingredients from the local Indian store or Amazon before they run out
  • Decorate, dress up, plan a meal — the small things that keep tradition alive across borders
  • Take a day off work if the festival matters to you and falls mid-week

Major Festivals to Plan Around

If you’re a UK or US NRI watching this calendar, three festivals tend to drive the biggest travel and celebration decisions:

Diwali (October-November)

The biggest. Five days in total — Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj. Flights to India spike 12-16 weeks before. Most NRI temples and community groups organise Diwali functions in the preceding weekend.

Holi (March)

The festival of colours. Easier to skip from abroad, but increasingly observed by NRI communities with outdoor gatherings (where the weather allows — UK NRIs often improvise).

Eid (varies)

For Muslim NRIs, both Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (commemorating Ibrahim’s sacrifice) are major family days. Date shifts ~11 days earlier each Gregorian year.

Regional Festivals Worth Knowing

If your family is from a specific region of India, these matter beyond the pan-Indian list:

  • Onam (Kerala) — September-ish, ten-day flower carpets, the famous Onam Sadhya feast
  • Pongal (Tamil Nadu) — January, four-day harvest festival
  • Durga Puja (West Bengal) — September-October, the biggest week in Bengali calendar
  • Chhath (Bihar, UP, Jharkhand) — November, four days of strict fasting and sun worship
  • Bihu (Assam) — three Bihus across the year marking agricultural cycles
  • Ugadi / Gudi Padwa (Karnataka/Andhra/Telangana/Maharashtra) — March-April, regional new year

A Note on Dates

Lunar calendar festivals can shift by a day depending on which panchang your community follows. This calendar uses the most widely accepted national date for India — your local community or temple may observe slightly differently. If a date matters for booking or rituals, double-check with your local source.

All dates shown in IST. For festival times that require muhurta calculation (e.g., Lakshmi Puja, Karva Chauth moonrise), consult a local panchang as those times are timezone-dependent.

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