Diwali 2026 runs from Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, November 10, with the main day Lakshmi Puja on Sunday, November 8. That's 119 days away. The festival is a five-day celebration of light, wealth and new beginnings.
Diwali is a five-day festival, not a single day. The main day, Lakshmi Puja, falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026, but the celebration begins on Friday, November 6 with Dhanteras and closes on Tuesday, November 10 with Bhai Dooj. Here's the full stretch, with a live counter you can send to any screen.
How many days until Diwali 2026?
The counter above tracks Lakshmi Puja, the main day of Diwali. It updates every second in your own timezone. Most families use this as their reference date, but any of the five days works if you want to set your countdown to a specific ritual.
Because Diwali follows the Hindu lunar calendar, the Gregorian date shifts by about 11 days each year. In 2026 the whole festival lands in early November. In 2027 it will fall in late October.
All five days of Diwali
- Day 1: Dhanteras: the festival opens with cleaning, buying gold or metal utensils, and prayers to Lakshmi and Kubera for prosperity in the year ahead.
- Day 2: Choti Diwali: also called Naraka Chaturdashi. Homes are lit with the first diyas and rangoli patterns are laid at the entrance.
- Day 3: Lakshmi Puja: the main day. Families perform the evening prayer to Lakshmi, exchange sweets and gifts, and light every lamp in the house. This is the day most people mean by "Diwali".
- Day 4: Govardhan Puja: honours the story of Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill. Some communities mark it as the start of the new business year.
- Day 5: Bhai Dooj: sisters honour brothers with prayers for their long life, the closing celebration of the festival.
How Diwali is celebrated
Homes are cleaned top to bottom in the days before the festival. On the main day, rows of diyas or oil lamps line every doorway and window, rangoli patterns are drawn in coloured rice or petals at the entrance, and families gather for the evening prayer.
Sweets and savouries are exchanged with neighbours, friends and colleagues. Fireworks are traditional though many cities have moved to lighting shows or quieter celebrations in recent years for air-quality reasons. The whole festival is a five-day celebration of light over darkness, the story picked up in different regional traditions in different ways.
Community event or home?
A big Diwali counter running from Dhanteras through Bhai Dooj gives the whole family or congregation one place to look.
The five days at a glance
Here's the full stretch of Diwali 2026 with a live count for each day:
| Occasion | Date | Days away |
|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras (Day 1) | Fri, Nov 6, 2026 | 117days |
| Choti Diwali (Day 2) | Sat, Nov 7, 2026 | 118days |
| Lakshmi Puja / Diwali (Day 3) | Sun, Nov 8, 2026 | 119days |
| Govardhan Puja (Day 4) | Mon, Nov 9, 2026 | 120days |
| Bhai Dooj (Day 5) | Tue, Nov 10, 2026 | 121days |
Display your Diwali countdown anywhere
A live counter belongs on whatever screen the family or community is already looking at.
- Home shelf or living room TV: a warm gold-toned counter running for the whole month before Diwali.
- Temple or community hall: a big display for the whole congregation, switching between the five days as they arrive.
- Restaurant or catering: a "days until Diwali sweets are back" counter that draws people in for the sweet-making season.
One shareable link, no app to install. When Bhai Dooj closes the festival, point the same board at the next date the family cares about.