Dates, pinned down
The Braj festival calendar, 2026–27.
Lunar festivals move against the Western calendar every year. Here is where they actually land this cycle — verified dates for Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Kartik, and the Holi week, each with a day-by-day plan.
| Date | What happens | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 4 Sep | Janmashtami — Smarta observance Ashtami tithi begins 10:48 am; most household fasts and many North Indian temples keep this day, midnight puja around 11:57 pm–12:43 am | Janmashtami 2026 → |
| Sat 5 Sep | Janmashtami — Vaishnava observance, and Nandotsav in temples that kept the 4th ISKCON and many Gaudiya temples hold their midnight celebration tonight; ashtami tithi ends 11:23 am | |
| Sun 6 Sep | Nandotsav for the temples that celebrated on the 5th Gift-throwing mornings, liveliest in Nandgaon | |
| Fri 18 Sep | Ashtami tithi begins 1:00 pm; evening programs build in Barsana and the Vrindavan Radha temples | Radhashtami 2026 → |
| Sat 19 Sep | Radhashtami — dawn abhisheka and chhappan bhog at the Shriji temple, Barsana Tithi ends 3:26 pm; the morning is the heart of the day | |
| Sun 25 Oct | Sharad Purnima — the rasa-dance full moon opens the season Moonlight darshans, white decorations, kheer under the open sky | Kartik 2026 → |
| Tue 27 Oct | Kartik month proper begins (North Indian purnimanta reckoning) Nightly Damodara lamp offerings start in every temple | |
| Sun 8 Nov | Diwali in Braj — lamps at full scale on the Yamuna ghats | |
| Tue 10 Nov | Govardhan Puja / Annakut — food mountains in every temple, parikrama crowds at Govardhan In 2026 the tithis leave a gap day, so Annakut falls two days after Diwali rather than the usual next morning | |
| Tue 24 Nov | Kartik Purnima — deepdan at the ghats at full scale, the month's finale | |
| Sun 8 Nov | Diwali — lamps at full scale in every temple and along the Yamuna ghats A Sunday this year, so expect the heaviest possible weekend wave from Delhi and Agra | Diwali 2026 → |
| Mon 9 Nov | The gap day — the calmest of the three, and the one to use for the Govardhan parikrama Most years Annakut follows Diwali the next morning; in 2026 this day falls free | |
| Tue 10 Nov | Govardhan Puja / Annakut — food mountains in every temple, the parikrama path at its year's fullest | |
| Mon 15 Mar | Laddu Holi, Barsana Expected — Braj day-by-day dates are confirmed by the temple committees nearer the festival | Holi 2027 → |
| Tue 16 Mar | Lathmar Holi, Barsana Expected | |
| Wed 17 Mar | Lathmar Holi, Nandgaon — the return match Expected | |
| Thu 18 Mar | Phoolwali Holi at Banke Bihari, Vrindavan; Widows' Holi falls in these days Expected | |
| Sun 21 Mar | Holika Dahan — bonfires at dusk all over Braj Confirmed by the lunar calendar | |
| Mon 22 Mar | Holi / Dhulandi — the main color day; Mathura's processions are the epicenter Confirmed by the lunar calendar | |
| Tue 23 Mar | Huranga at Dauji temple, Baldeo Expected |
How to read this. Dates marked expected follow the traditional sequence but await formal announcement by the temple committees; everything else is fixed by the lunar calendar (how Braj dates work). We correct this page as announcements land — the letters carry the updates.
Friday 4 & Saturday 5 September 2026
Janmashtami 2026
Krishna's birthday falls on 4–5 September this year — two dates, one midnight, and all of Braj awake for it.
Dates & day-by-day plan →Saturday 19 September 2026
Radhashtami 2026
Radha Rani's appearance day falls on Saturday 19 September this year — Barsana's biggest morning, on a weekend.
Dates & day-by-day plan →25 October – 24 November 2026
Kartik 2026
The lamp-lit month runs 25 October to 24 November this year — with Diwali on the 8th and Annakut on the 10th of November.
Dates & day-by-day plan →Sunday 8 November 2026 (Annakut Tuesday 10 November)
Diwali 2026
Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November this year — and in 2026 the tithis leave a gap day, so Annakut lands on Tuesday the 10th rather than the next morning.
Dates & day-by-day plan →15 – 23 March 2027 (main day Monday 22 March)
Holi 2027
The color week runs mid-to-late March 2027 — Holika Dahan on the 21st, the main day on the 22nd, and Barsana's Lathmar days the week before.
Dates & day-by-day plan →Festival trip?
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