The short answer
In 2026 every source we read gives Tuesday 24 November. For 2027 they split: Saturday 13 November (Drik Panchang, Washington, D.C.), Sunday 14 November (Drik Panchang, New Delhi) and 14 November (a university calendar).
Drik Panchang says Guru Nanak's birth is celebrated on Kartik Purnima, and HinduTone says the date moves every year. We do not pick one date for 2027. Ask your gurdwara which day it keeps. HinduTone adds that outside India 24 November 2026 is a working day, so many gurdwaras abroad put their largest gathering on a weekend either side.
The dates, with sources
Each date below is shown with the page it came from and the day we opened that page. The weekday for each date is the one the source prints, or, where the source prints none, worked out by us.
2026, Washington, D.C.
Tuesday 24 November 2026
Full-moon lunar day (Purnima tithi) runs 1:12 PM 23 Nov to 9:53 AM 24 Nov, US Eastern time
Source: Drik Panchang, page set to Washington, D.C. Checked 16 October 2026.
2026, New Delhi
Tuesday 24 November 2026
Purnima tithi runs 11:42 PM 23 Nov to 8:23 PM 24 Nov, India time
Source: Drik Panchang, page set to New Delhi. Checked 16 October 2026.
2026, University of Southern California
Tuesday 24 November 2026
Its Sikh holy days calendar; it names no city for its dates
Source: USC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Sikh holy days calendar. Checked 16 October 2026.
2026, HinduTone
Tuesday 24 November 2026
Says its own calculation gives the same day for the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia
Source: HinduTone, guide published 9 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
2027, Washington, D.C.
Saturday 13 November 2027
Purnima tithi runs 11:25 PM 12 Nov to 10:25 PM 13 Nov, US Eastern time
Source: Drik Panchang, page set to Washington, D.C., year 2027. Checked 16 October 2026.
2027, New Delhi
Sunday 14 November 2027
Purnima tithi runs 9:55 AM 13 Nov to 8:55 AM 14 Nov, India time
Source: Drik Panchang, page set to New Delhi, year 2027. Checked 16 October 2026.
2027, University of Southern California
14 November 2027 (a Sunday)
Its Sikh holy days calendar; it names no city for its dates
Source: USC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Sikh holy days calendar. Checked 16 October 2026.
2027, HinduTone
To be confirmed
The guide we read covers 2026 only
Source: HinduTone, 2026 guide. Checked 16 October 2026.
We did not read a calendar published by the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) or another Sikh body, so none is cited here.
Why the dates can differ
Drik Panchang says Guru Nanak's birth is celebrated worldwide on Kartik Purnima, and HinduTone says Sikh tradition has long marked Prakash Purab on that day. Drik Panchang prints when the Purnima tithi starts and ends for the place its page is set to.
- 2026: the tithi is already running when 24 November begins in both Washington and New Delhi, and every source we read gives that Tuesday.
- 2027: Drik Panchang prints 11:25 PM on 12 November to 10:25 PM on 13 November for Washington, and 9:55 AM on 13 November to 8:55 AM on 14 November for New Delhi. By our arithmetic these are the same stretch of time. Drik Panchang gives 13 November for the first and 14 November for the second.
The Drik Panchang pages print these times but, on the pages we read, do not state how they turn a tithi into one calendar day. The USC page does not say how it chose 14 November. So we do not explain the 2027 split beyond the times above, and we do not guess.
There is also a separate question about the calendar itself. HinduTone describes a discussion, running for some decades, among Sikh scholars and institutions over the Nanakshahi calendar, which it says was meant to tie Sikh observances to solar dates. It says one strand concerns the date of Guru Nanak's birth, because certain early accounts put it in the spring month of Vaisakh; that Sikh bodies disagree with each other; and that the discussion has not ended. It says the Kartik full moon is still when the large majority of gurdwaras around the world keep Gurpurab. None of our sources gives a Nanakshahi date for Gurpurab, so we show none. The USC page carries a general note that its dates can vary with the Nanakshahi calendar convention and with local community practice.
The full moon, from astronomy
| Year | Full moon (UT) | Same moment in Washington | Same moment in New Delhi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 Nov, 14:53 | 24 Nov, 9:53 AM | 24 Nov, 8:23 PM |
| 2027 | 14 Nov, 03:26 | 13 Nov, 10:26 PM | 14 Nov, 8:56 AM |
This is an astronomy check on the moon, not a ruling on the festival. The Washington and New Delhi columns are our conversions of the UT time (UTC−5 and UTC+5:30 in November).
What this means for you
Follow your gurdwara. HinduTone says that if your gurdwara follows a different calendar, you should follow its announcement. This page does not rule on which date is right.
If you are in another city, look for a calendar set to your own location. We read only Washington, D.C. and New Delhi.
Sources we opened
- Drik Panchang, Washington, D.C., 2026 and 2027: drikpanchang.com/calendars/indian/sikh-festivals/jayanti/guru-nanak-jayanti-date.html?year=2027 (and
year=2026). Read 16 October 2026. - Drik Panchang, New Delhi, 2026 and 2027: the same address with
&geoname-id=1261481added. Read 16 October 2026. - USC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Sikh holy days calendar: orsl.usc.edu/life/sikh-holy-days-calendar/. It lists Guru Nanak Gurpurab for 2026 and 2027. Read 16 October 2026.
- HinduTone, Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 guide: hindutone.com/festivals/guru-nanak-jayanti-2026-gurpurab-date-significance/. Read 16 October 2026.
- US Naval Observatory moon phases, 2026 and 2027: aa.usno.navy.mil/api/moon/phases/year?year=2027 (and
year=2026). Read 16 October 2026.
The reading above is ours. Where it describes what Drik Panchang, USC or HinduTone say, it paraphrases the pages we read on 16 October 2026.