Hanukkah starts 2026 is on Friday, December 4, 2026

The exact date of Hanukkah starts 2026

Hanukkah starts 2026 falls on Friday, December 4, 2026. That is a Friday, a regular working weekday in most countries. It is the 338th day of 2026 and sits in ISO week 49. If you are planning around it, the day of the week matters as much as the date itself, because it decides whether the observance creates a long weekend, a midweek pause, or a day that has to be moved under local substitute-holiday rules.

A Friday date means Hanukkah starts runs straight into the weekend, giving a built-in three-day stretch without taking any extra leave.

Hanukkah starts around 2026

How the date moves in the years either side of 2026. Each year links to its own page with a countdown and the full day-of-week detail.

About Hanukkah starts

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish celebration beginning on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple and the traditional account of oil lasting eight days. Each night, an additional candle is lit on the hanukkiah, and customs may include songs, blessings, fried foods, dreidel games, and gifts. Hanukkah usually falls in late November or December on the Gregorian calendar, though the exact date changes because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar. timekit uses its shipped religious holidays data for the first day; observance begins at sundown the evening before.

Calendar note: Computed with the local Hebrew calendar engine; shown as an 8-day span.

Hanukkah starts 2026, common questions

When is Hanukkah starts 2026?

Hanukkah starts 2026 falls on Friday, December 4, 2026, running through Friday, December 11, 2026.

What day of the week is Hanukkah starts 2026?

In 2026, Hanukkah starts falls on a Friday, a weekday.

When is Hanukkah starts the year after 2026?

In 2027, Hanukkah starts falls on Wednesday, December 22.

Why does the date of Hanukkah starts change each year?

Hanukkah usually falls in late November or December on the Gregorian calendar, though the exact date changes because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar. timekit uses its shipped religious holidays data for the first day; observance begins at sundown the evening before.