When Is Hanukkah 2026? Free Hanukkah Countdown & Days Left

When is Hanukkah 2026?

Starts at sundown on 24 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar (late November to late December). Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, marked by lighting one more candle on the menorah each night. Families play dreidel, eat foods fried in oil such as latkes and doughnuts, and exchange gifts.

In 2026, Hanukkah falls on a Friday. In 2025 it was on a Sunday, December 14. In 2027 it will be on a Friday, December 24.

How the Hanukkah date is worked out

The Hebrew calendar follows the Moon for its months and adds a leap month 7 times every 19 years to stay in step with the seasons, so the date moves on the everyday calendar but stays within the same few weeks. Jewish days begin at sundown, so we show the evening it starts. From 2026 to 2055 it falls between November 27 and December 26. How we calculate every date.

How many days until Hanukkah in weeks, weekdays and sleeps

The countdown counts calendar days from today to Hanukkah, so on the day before it shows 1. The weeks box splits that into whole weeks and days, the weekdays box counts Monday to Friday (useful for work and school planning, though public holidays are not taken out), and sleeps are the nights left. The timer counts down to midnight at the start of Hanukkah in your own time zone.

Hanukkah dates for the next 7 years

Year	Date	Day of the week
2026	December 4, 2026	Friday
2027	December 24, 2027	Friday
2028	December 12, 2028	Tuesday
2029	December 1, 2029	Saturday
2030	December 20, 2030	Friday
2031	December 9, 2031	Tuesday
2032	November 27, 2032	Saturday

Dates for lunar-calendar festivals are taken from published calendars and can differ by a day between regions and communities. Years without a date are added once they are published.

Is Hanukkah a public holiday?

No. Hanukkah is not a federal holiday, and it is a minor festival on which work is allowed, so schools and businesses stay open. The candles are lit each evening for eight nights.

Planning tip

The date shown here is the first evening, because every Jewish day begins at sundown. The festival then runs for eight nights.

Frequently asked questions

When is Hanukkah 2026?

Hanukkah 2026 is on Friday, December 4, 2026. The rule: Starts at sundown on 24 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar (late November to late December).

How many days until Hanukkah?

The countdown at the top of this page shows the exact number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until Hanukkah 2026 (Friday, December 4, 2026), worked out live in your own time zone.

How many weeks until Hanukkah?

Divide the days in the countdown by seven: the "Weeks" box above shows the whole weeks and the days left over, so you can plan week by week.

Is Hanukkah a public holiday?

No. Hanukkah is not a federal holiday, and it is a minor festival on which work is allowed, so schools and businesses stay open. The candles are lit each evening for eight nights.

Why does Hanukkah change every year?

It follows the Hebrew calendar, so its start falls on a different Gregorian date each year, anywhere from late November to late December.

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