Festival Calendar · 2028
Festival Dates & Muhurat 2028
The short answer
The major Hindu festivals of 2028 are Raksha Bandhan (5 August), Janmashtami (13 August), Ganesh Chaturthi (23 August), Sharad Navratri from 19 September, Dussehra (27 September), Karwa Chauth (7 October) and Diwali (17 October). Two eclipses fall in July — a lunar grahan on 6 July and a solar grahan on 22 July. Note that in 2028 Diwali and Narak Chaturdashi share the same day, 17 October.
The 2028 calendar, month by month
Dates follow the New Delhi panchang. Tithi-based festivals can shift by a day for other Indian cities and for readers abroad, so check your own city’s panchang where a precise muhurat matters. Where sources genuinely disagree, both readings are named rather than one being picked silently.
July 2028
- 6 Jul (Thu) — Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse)
- 22 Jul (Sat) — Surya Grahan (Solar Eclipse)
August 2028
- 5 Aug (Sat) — Raksha Bandhan — one calendar lists 4 August; the majority give 5 August
- 13 Aug (Sun) — Krishna Janmashtami
- 22 Aug (Tue) — Hartalika Teej
- 23 Aug (Wed) — Ganesh Chaturthi
September 2028
- 2 Sep (Sat) — Anant Chaturdashi · Ganesh Visarjan
- 4 Sep (Mon) — Pitru Paksha begins — ends 18 September
- 16 Sep (Sat) — Vishwakarma Puja
- 18 Sep (Mon) — Sarva Pitru Amavasya
- 19 Sep (Tue) — Sharad Navratri begins — Ghatasthapana
- 26 Sep (Tue) — Durga Ashtami · Maha Navami
- 27 Sep (Wed) — Dussehra / Vijayadashami
October 2028
- 2 Oct (Mon) — Gandhi Jayanti · Kojagara Puja
- 3 Oct (Tue) — Sharad Purnima — some calendars place this on 2 October with Kojagara
- 7 Oct (Sat) — Karwa Chauth
- 11 Oct (Wed) — Ahoi Ashtami
- 15 Oct (Sun) — Dhanteras — Diwali festival begins
- 17 Oct (Tue) — Diwali · Lakshmi Puja — Narak Chaturdashi falls the same day this year
- 19 Oct (Thu) — Bhai Dooj — closes the five-day Diwali festival
Frequently asked questions
When is Diwali in 2028?
Diwali 2028 falls on Tuesday, 17 October 2028, on Kartik Amavasya. Unusually, Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) falls on the same day this year rather than the day before. Dhanteras is on Sunday, 15 October and Bhai Dooj on Thursday, 19 October.
When is Raksha Bandhan in 2028?
Raksha Bandhan 2028 falls on Saturday, 5 August 2028, on Shravana Shukla Purnima. Most calendars agree on this date; one lists 4 August, so check your family's panchang if the distinction matters to you.
When does Navratri begin in 2028?
Sharad Navratri 2028 begins on Tuesday, 19 September 2028 with Ghatasthapana, and runs to Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami on Tuesday, 26 September, with Dussehra on Wednesday, 27 September.
Are there eclipses in 2028?
Yes — two fall in July: a lunar eclipse on Thursday, 6 July 2028 and a solar eclipse on Saturday, 22 July 2028. Whether sutak applies depends on visibility from your location, since sutak is observed only where an eclipse is actually visible.
Why do festival dates move each year?
Hindu festivals follow the tithi — a lunar day measured by the angle between Sun and Moon — rather than the Gregorian calendar. A tithi can also span parts of two English days, so the observance day depends on which day it is active at sunrise, or during the specific window a festival requires.
A festival date is the same for everyone. A muhurat chosen for your chart — a wedding, a griha pravesh, a business opening — is not. Dr. R.P. Sharma reads every chart personally, practising since 1979.
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