Free planning guide for Indian small businesses

Festival calendar 2026 for businesses in India

All 24 major 2026 festivals with the date, the day and a plain marketing idea your shop can act on — so you plan offers and posts weeks ahead, not on the day.

Fixed-date days (Republic Day, Christmas, Valentine's) are exact. Lunar festivals like Diwali, Holi, Eid and Navratri can shift by a day and vary by region and moon sighting — treat those as a close guide and confirm the exact date locally with a panchang before you print or schedule anything.

January 2026

13Tuesday

Lohri

Harvest & new year

For your shop: Winter/harvest offers, sweets and dry-fruit hampers, North-India store promos.

14Wednesday · date may vary

Makar Sankranti / Pongal

Harvest & new year

For your shop: Kite and sweet sales, harvest hampers, regional greetings on WhatsApp Status.

26Monday

Republic Day

National day

For your shop: Republic Day sale, tricolour theme, thank-you offers for local customers.

February 2026

14Saturday

Valentine's Day

Gifting

For your shop: Couple gifting, salons and boutiques, cafes and gift bundles.

15Sunday · date may vary

Maha Shivaratri

Puja

For your shop: Puja items, fasting-food menus, temple-town footfall.

March 2026

4Wednesday · date may vary

Holi

Colour & spring

For your shop: Colours, sweets, water-safe products, spring collection launch, playful reels.

19Thursday · date may vary

Ugadi / Gudi Padwa

Regional new year

For your shop: New-year offers in Maharashtra and the South, auspicious first purchases.

20Friday · date may vary

Eid al-Fitr

Eid

For your shop: Eid collection, new clothes, sweets and gifting; date subject to moon sighting.

26Thursday · date may vary

Ram Navami

Puja

For your shop: Puja and prasad items, community event tie-ins.

April 2026

14Tuesday

Baisakhi

Harvest & new year

For your shop: Harvest offers, Punjab store promos, spring gifting.

21Tuesday · date may vary

Akshaya Tritiya

Auspicious buying

For your shop: Biggest gold/jewellery buying day — pre-book offers, jewellers and boutiques.

August 2026

26Wednesday · date may vary

Onam

Harvest & new year

For your shop: Kerala festival sale, sadya menus, apparel and home offers.

28Friday · date may vary

Raksha Bandhan

Family & gifting

For your shop: Rakhi and gift bundles, sweets, sibling-gifting combos, courier/delivery push.

September 2026

14Monday · date may vary

Ganesh Chaturthi

Puja season

For your shop: Modak and sweets, decor, pandal tie-ins, 10-day campaign in Maharashtra.

October 2026

11Sunday · date may vary

Navratri (begins)

Puja season

For your shop: 9 days of offers — ethnic wear, garba/dandiya, fasting foods, daily reels.

20Tuesday · date may vary

Dussehra

Puja season

For your shop: Big-purchase day (vehicles, electronics, gold), festive apparel.

29Thursday · date may vary

Karva Chauth

Gifting

For your shop: Jewellery, salons, sarees, gift hampers for married women.

November 2026

6Friday · date may vary

Dhanteras

Diwali & lights

For your shop: Peak buying day — utensils, gold, appliances, electronics; run pre-orders.

8Sunday · date may vary

Diwali (Lakshmi Puja)

Diwali & lights

For your shop: The biggest shopping week of the year — gifting, sweets, decor, lights, apparel.

9Monday · date may vary

Govardhan Puja

Diwali & lights

For your shop: Post-Diwali offers, annakut sweets, clearance of festive stock.

10Tuesday · date may vary

Bhai Dooj

Family & gifting

For your shop: Sibling gifting, sweets, last leg of the Diwali gifting rush.

15Sunday · date may vary

Chhath Puja

Puja

For your shop: Puja essentials, fruits and thekua ingredients, Bihar/UP/Jharkhand footfall.

24Tuesday · date may vary

Guru Nanak Jayanti

Puja

For your shop: Langar and community tie-ins, gifting, respectful greetings.

December 2026

25Friday

Christmas

Gifting

For your shop: Year-end sale, gifting, cakes and bakery, decor and party supplies.

Festival offers, set up for your kind of business

Knowing the dates is step one. See how Jhalmuri.ai sets up AI that drafts the offer, poster and WhatsApp message for your kind of shop.

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Frequently asked questions

क्या ये 2026 के त्योहार की तारीखें सही हैं?

गणतंत्र दिवस, क्रिसमस और वैलेंटाइन डे जैसी तय-तारीख वाली तारीखें एकदम सही हैं। दिवाली, होली, ईद और नवरात्रि जैसे चंद्र त्योहार एक दिन आगे-पीछे हो सकते हैं और क्षेत्र व चाँद दिखने के हिसाब से बदलते हैं, इसलिए इन्हें एक करीबी गाइड मानें और कुछ छपवाने से पहले पंचांग से स्थानीय रूप से सही तारीख पक्की कर लें।

एक छोटा व्यवसाय त्योहार कैलेंडर का इस्तेमाल कैसे करे?

पहले से प्लान करें। जो त्योहार आपके ग्राहक मनाते हैं उन्हें चुनें, फिर हर एक से दो-तीन हफ़्ते पहले अपना ऑफर, पोस्टर और WhatsApp मैसेज तैयार रखें। त्योहार साल के सबसे बड़े खरीदारी के मौके होते हैं — जो दुकान पहले मैसेज करती है वह उस दिन की भागदौड़ के बजाय माँग पकड़ लेती है।

भारत में दुकानों के लिए 2026 के कौन-से त्योहार सबसे ज़रूरी हैं?

नवंबर का दिवाली समूह (धनतेरस, दिवाली, भाई दूज) लगभग हर तरह की दुकान के लिए साल की सबसे बड़ी खरीदारी की खिड़की है। रक्षाबंधन, ईद, अक्षय तृतीया, नवरात्रि और क्षेत्रीय नए साल (उगादी, बैसाखी, पोंगल, ओणम) भी मज़बूत हैं, यह इस पर निर्भर करता है कि आपके ग्राहक कौन हैं।

क्या Jhalmuri.ai मेरी दुकान के लिए त्योहार के ऑफर तैयार कर सकता है?

हाँ। Jhalmuri.ai ऐसा AI सेट कर सकता है जो पूरे साल आपके त्योहार के पोस्टर, ऑफर मैसेज और WhatsApp ब्रॉडकास्ट का मसौदा बनाए, आपकी दुकान और ग्राहकों के हिसाब से। यह कैसे काम करता है देखने के लिए WhatsApp पर राकेश को मैसेज करें।

Never miss a festival rush again

Jhalmuri.ai can set up AI that drafts your festival posters, offer messages and WhatsApp broadcasts for the whole year — tuned to your shop and your customers, ready weeks ahead.