Festival Calendar · 2028
Festival Dates & Muhurat 2028
Dated guides — computed on the ephemeris
2026: Pitru Paksha (26 Sep–10 Oct) · Navratri · Dussehra · Sharad Purnima (25 Oct) · Karwa Chauth (29 Oct) · Dhanteras (6 Nov) · Diwali (8 Nov) · Govardhan Puja · Bhai Dooj · Chhath Puja (15–16 Nov) · Dev Uthani Ekadashi (20 Nov) · Tulsi Vivah · Kartik Purnima & Dev Deepawali (24 Nov) · Guru Nanak Jayanti
2027: Lohri (14 Jan) · Makar Sankranti (15 Jan) · Pongal (14–17 Jan) · Vasant Panchami (11 Feb) · Maha Shivratri · Holi (22 Mar) · Grahan 2027 — all five eclipses
Muhurat & vrat lists: Vivah Muhurat 2026–27 (43 dates) · Ekadashi dates 2026–27 (33 vrat days) · Today's horoscope · Panchang for any city
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.
January 2028
- 12 Jan (Wed) — Partial lunar eclipse
- 14 Jan (Fri) — Lohri
- 15 Jan (Sat) — Makar Sankranti · Pongal begins — the Sun enters Makara at 3:29 AM IST
- 26 Jan (Wed) — Annular solar eclipse
- 31 Jan (Mon) — Vasant Panchami — some calendars place it on 1 February, when Panchami holds sunrise
February 2028
- 23 Feb (Wed) — Maha Shivratri — Chaturdashi holds the midnight (nishita) of the 23rd
March 2028
- 10 Mar (Fri) — Holika Dahan
- 11 Mar (Sat) — Holi
- 27 Mar (Mon) — Chaitra Navratri begins · Gudi Padwa · Ugadi
April 2028
- 3 Apr (Mon) — Ram Navami
- 9 Apr (Sun) — Hanuman Jayanti (Chaitra Purnima)
- 27 Apr (Thu) — Akshaya Tritiya
May 2028
- 8 May (Mon) — Buddha Purnima (Vaishakha Purnima)
July 2028
- 6 Jul (Thu) — Guru Purnima · partial lunar eclipse the same night
- 22 Jul (Sat) — Total 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
- 3 Sep (Sun) — Purnima shraddha
- 4 Sep (Mon) — Pitru Paksha begins — ends 18 September
- 16 Sep (Sat) — Vishwakarma Puja — the Sun enters Kanya at 8:29 PM IST, so many calendars keep it on 17 September
- 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) — 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
- 18 Oct (Wed) — Govardhan Puja
- 19 Oct (Thu) — Bhai Dooj — closes the five-day Diwali festival
- 21–24 Oct — Chhath Puja — Nahay Khay 21 Oct, Kharna 22 Oct, Sandhya Arghya Mon 23 Oct, Usha Arghya Tue 24 Oct
- 28 Oct (Sat) — Dev Uthani Ekadashi — the wedding season reopens
November 2028
- 2 Nov (Thu) — Kartik Purnima · Dev Deepawali is kept on the evening of 1 November, when the Purnima begins
- 27 Nov (Mon) — Gita Jayanti (Mokshada Ekadashi)
December 2028
- 31 Dec (Sun) — Total lunar eclipse
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 Holi in 2028?
Holika Dahan is on Friday, 10 March 2028, when the Phalguna Purnima holds the evening, and Holi with colours is on Saturday, 11 March 2028.
When is Makar Sankranti in 2028?
The Sun enters sidereal Makara at 3:29 AM IST on Saturday, 15 January 2028, so Makar Sankranti and the start of Pongal fall on 15 January, with Lohri on the evening of Friday, 14 January.
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 — five: a partial lunar eclipse on 12 January, an annular solar eclipse on 26 January, a partial lunar eclipse on 6 July (Guru Purnima night), a total solar eclipse on 22 July and a total lunar eclipse on 31 December 2028. 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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