countdown · Jewish calendar

When is Hanukkah 2026?

51days
– hours– minutes

Starts at sunset onFriday, December 4, 2026and lasts 8 days

Hanukkah begins at sunset before 25 Kislev and lasts eight nights. The first candle is lit the evening of 4 December 2026, 24 December 2027 and 12 December 2028.

Hanukkah is eight nights on the Hebrew calendar, so its Gregorian dates swing from late November to late December. In 2027 it starts on Christmas Eve, which catches many families out.

The first candle is lit after sunset on the evening shown. What runs out is the same every year: candles by night five, and the gift for night one bought on night one.

The next few years

  • 2026Friday, December 4, 2026
  • 2027Friday, December 24, 2027
  • 2028Tuesday, December 12, 2028

Get a nudge before it

Each button opens WhatsApp with one message already typed for Poko, dated for this year. Press Send and it arrives when it's due.

  • Tuesday, December 1, 2026buy Hanukkah candles Remind me
  • Thursday, December 3, 2026buy the doughnuts and the kids' Hanukkah gifts Remind me
  • Friday, December 4, 2026light the first Hanukkah candle Remind me

Questions, answered

When is the first candle lit?
After sunset on the evening shown on this page, the night before 25 Kislev.
Why does the date change?
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so fixed Hebrew dates move against the Gregorian calendar by up to a month.
Is Hanukkah a day off?
Not a work holiday. In Israel schools close for most of the eight days.
How do the reminders work?
Each Remind me button opens WhatsApp with one message already typed for Poko, dated for this year's occurrence. You press Send, Poko confirms the date, and the message arrives on WhatsApp when it is due. Nothing is sent by this page.

All countdowns

Or just tell Poko the date.

Once Poko is in your chat, say “remind me a week before Thanksgiving to order the turkey”.

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