The short answer
In 2026 the sources agree that Diwali night is Sunday 8 November, but for three of the five days they give two dates each: one for Washington, D.C. and one for New Delhi.
The sources we read do not say why the two places differ on three of the days, so we do not guess and we do not pick one. Ask your family, your mandir or your community which days they keep, and check a calendar set to your own city.
The dates, with sources
Diwali is kept over five days. Each date below is shown with the page it came from and the day we opened that page. Where two places give different dates, both are shown.
2026, Diwali night (Lakshmi Puja)
Sunday 8 November 2026
Washington, D.C. and New Delhi both give this date
Source: Drik Panchang Diwali puja calendar, set to Washington, D.C. and to New Delhi. Checked 16 October 2026. Dekho Panchang also gives 8 November (its reference city is Delhi); checked 16 October 2026.
2026, the other three days
Sources differ
Narak Chaturdashi: Sat 7 Nov (D.C.) or Sun 8 Nov (New Delhi). Govardhan Puja: Mon 9 Nov (D.C.) or Tue 10 Nov (New Delhi). Bhai Dooj: Tue 10 Nov (D.C.) or Wed 11 Nov (New Delhi).
Source: Drik Panchang Diwali puja calendar, one page per place. Checked 16 October 2026. Dhanteras is the same in both: Friday 6 November.
2027, Diwali night (Lakshmi Puja)
Sources differ
Thursday 28 October 2027 (Washington, D.C.) or Friday 29 October 2027 (New Delhi)
Source: Drik Panchang Diwali puja calendar, year 2027, one page per place. Checked 16 October 2026. Dekho Panchang gives Friday 29 October 2027 for its Delhi reference; checked 16 October 2026.
2027, the other four days
Sources differ on four
Dhanteras: Tue 26 Oct (D.C.) or Wed 27 Oct (New Delhi). Govardhan Puja: Fri 29 Oct or Sat 30 Oct. Bhai Dooj: Sat 30 Oct or Sun 31 Oct. Narak Chaturdashi: Thu 28 Oct in both.
Source: Drik Panchang Diwali puja calendar, year 2027, one page per place. Checked 16 October 2026.
We read Washington, D.C. and New Delhi only. We did not read any other city, so we cannot say what a calendar set to yours shows.
All five days, side by side
| Day | Washington, D.C. | New Delhi | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras | Fri 6 Nov | Fri 6 Nov | Same |
| Narak Chaturdashi | Sat 7 Nov | Sun 8 Nov | Differ |
| Lakshmi Puja (Diwali) | Sun 8 Nov | Sun 8 Nov | Same |
| Govardhan Puja | Mon 9 Nov | Tue 10 Nov | Differ |
| Bhai Dooj | Tue 10 Nov | Wed 11 Nov | Differ |
| Day | Washington, D.C. | New Delhi | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras | Tue 26 Oct | Wed 27 Oct | Differ |
| Narak Chaturdashi | Thu 28 Oct | Thu 28 Oct | Same |
| Lakshmi Puja (Diwali) | Thu 28 Oct | Fri 29 Oct | Differ |
| Govardhan Puja | Fri 29 Oct | Sat 30 Oct | Differ |
| Bhai Dooj | Sat 30 Oct | Sun 31 Oct | Differ |
What the sources say about the days
Drik Panchang's tables print a lunar day (tithi) beside each day, and the label for the same festival is not the same on every page. Beside Lakshmi Puja, the Washington, D.C. page for 2026 prints Amavasya, the New Delhi page for 2026 prints Chaturdashi, the Washington, D.C. page for 2027 prints Chaturdashi and the New Delhi page for 2027 prints Amavasya. The Washington, D.C. page for 2026 calls Amavasya the new moon day.
Drik Panchang also says the day for Lakshmi Puja is the one on which Amavasya is in force during Pradosh, which it describes as the period after sunset. That is the only rule for choosing a day that it prints on the page we read, and it prints no start or end times for any lunar day.
- What the pages print: none of the pages we read prints the lunar-day start and end times for these days. So we can show you what each page says, but not the working behind it.
- Where the source gives no reason: in 2026 the pages give no reason for the splits on Narak Chaturdashi, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. We leave them as differences.
- What the Observatory prints: the US Naval Observatory gives the new moon as one moment in universal time. The table below shows it, with local clock times that are our conversion.
| Time | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Universal time | 9 Nov, 07:02 | 29 Oct, 13:36 |
| Washington, D.C. | 9 Nov, 2:02 AM | 29 Oct, 9:36 AM |
| New Delhi | 9 Nov, 12:32 PM | 29 Oct, 7:06 PM |
What this means for you
Check your own city. We read only Washington, D.C. and New Delhi. A calendar set to the place where you live will show its own dates for each of the five days.
Follow your mandir, family or community. This page does not rule on which date is right.
Sources we opened
- Drik Panchang, Diwali puja calendar, Washington, D.C., 2026 and 2027: drikpanchang.com/diwali/diwali-puja-calendar.html?year=2026, and the same address with
year=2027. Read 16 October 2026. - Drik Panchang, New Delhi, 2026 and 2027: same address with
geoname-id=1261481andyear=2026oryear=2027. Read 16 October 2026. - Dekho Panchang, Diwali 2026: dekhopanchang.com/en/festivals/diwali/2026. It gives 8 November 2026 and, in its text, Friday 29 October 2027, with timings for Delhi. It does not print dates for the other four days. Read 16 October 2026.
- Dekho Panchang, Diwali 2027: dekhopanchang.com/en/festivals/diwali/2027. It gives Friday 29 October 2027. Read 16 October 2026.
- US Naval Observatory moon phases, 2026 and 2027: aa.usno.navy.mil/api/moon/phases/year?year=2026, and the same address with
year=2027. Read 16 October 2026.
The reading above is ours. Where it describes what Drik Panchang says, it paraphrases the 2026 Drik Panchang page we read on 16 October 2026.