Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat by city: India, USA, UK, Canada and UAE

When is Diwali 2026, and what time should you do Lakshmi Puja? Diwali Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. That date holds in New Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, London, New York, Toronto and San Francisco. The clock time does not travel, though. Each city gets its own evening window, worked out from its own sunset, so a family in London lights the puja lamp more than an hour before a family in Delhi does by their local clocks. The table below gives the window for each city.

The days around Diwali don't all line up the same way. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj fall a day earlier in London and New York than in New Delhi this year, and Drik Panchang's dates differ even between Indian cities. Both are covered further down.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat on Sunday 8 November 2026

These are Drik Panchang's Lakshmi Puja windows for each city, in local time. The muhurat is the stretch where Vrishabha Kaal overlaps Pradosh Kaal (both explained below). We rechecked every time in this table against Drik Panchang's own city pages on 21 October 2026. ProperPandit's own calendar engine agrees with Drik on the date, and to within a minute on sunset and on when Amavasya begins.

City	Lakshmi Puja muhurat	Pradosh Kaal	Time zone
New Delhi	5:54 PM to 7:50 PM	5:31 PM to 8:09 PM	IST
Mumbai	6:27 PM to 8:27 PM	6:02 PM to 8:34 PM	IST
Dubai	5:58 PM to 7:56 PM	5:35 PM to 8:10 PM	GST (UTC+4)
London	4:35 PM to 6:12 PM	4:22 PM to 7:19 PM	GMT
New York	5:04 PM to 6:52 PM	4:44 PM to 7:31 PM	EST
Toronto	5:17 PM to 7:03 PM	4:59 PM to 7:48 PM	EST
San Francisco	5:24 PM to 7:15 PM	5:04 PM to 7:48 PM	PST

A few practical notes:

• These timings are for the named city only. A family in Birmingham, New Jersey or Abu Dhabi will have slightly different minutes. Look up your own city on our panchang page.
• Clocks in the USA and Canada go back to standard time on 1 November 2026, a week before Diwali. The UK is already on GMT. Use the standard-time figures above, not summer ones.
• Your temple or family tradition may set a different time. If your priest or elders give you a window, follow theirs.

Why the date is the same everywhere this year

Lakshmi Puja is done on Amavasya, the new-moon tithi of Kartik. Drik Panchang's rule is that the puja window should fall while Amavasya is running, during Pradosh Kaal in the evening.

A tithi starts and ends at one instant for the whole planet. Only the local clock reading changes. In 2026, Amavasya begins at 11:27 AM IST on 8 November and ends at 12:31 PM IST on 9 November. Converted to local time, that is:

• Dubai: 9:57 AM on 8 November to 11:01 AM on 9 November
• London: 5:57 AM on 8 November to 7:01 AM on 9 November
• New York: 12:57 AM on 8 November to 2:01 AM on 9 November
• San Francisco: 9:57 PM on 7 November to 11:01 PM on 8 November

In every one of these cities, Amavasya is running at sunset on Sunday 8 November. So the evening of the 8th is Lakshmi Puja everywhere on the list. San Francisco is the tightest case, because Amavasya there began on the night of the 7th, but on the evening of the 7th Chaturdashi was still running, so the 8th is still the day.

That is not always the case. In some years the tithi boundary falls near sunset in one region and the festival splits by a day between India and the West. Check your own city on the panchang page each year rather than assuming.

Pradosh Kaal and Vrishabha Kaal in plain words

Pradosh Kaal is the period that starts at sunset and lasts about 2 hours 24 minutes. Drik Panchang recommends it as the time for Lakshmi Puja for ordinary households.

Vrishabha Kaal is the stretch of the evening when the rising sign (lagna) is Vrishabha, or Taurus. Vrishabha is one of the "sthir" or fixed signs. It is traditionally believed that a puja done in a fixed lagna helps Lakshmi stay in the home. At Diwali, Vrishabha usually rises during Pradosh, and the overlap of the two is the muhurat shown in the table.

Two other windows come up in searches:

• Mahanishita Kaal, around midnight. Drik describes this as best suited to tantric practice and experienced pandits, and points general devotees to Pradosh instead.
• Choghadiya. Drik advises against choosing a Choghadiya slot for Lakshmi Puja and treats Choghadiya as suited to travel.

The other Diwali days in 2026

Here is how the festival week runs for New Delhi, according to Drik Panchang's Diwali calendar:

Date	Observance
Thu 5 November	Govatsa Dwadashi
Fri 6 November	Dhanteras, Yama Deepam
Sat 7 November	Kali Chaudas
Sun 8 November	Narak Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Diwali, Chopda Puja, Sharda Puja, Kali Puja
Mon 9 November	Diwali Snan, Diwali Devpuja (Amavasya)
Tue 10 November	Govardhan Puja, Annakut, Bali Pratipada, Gujarati New Year
Wed 11 November	Bhai Dooj, Yama Dwitiya, Chitragupta Puja

Dhanteras falls on Friday 6 November in all the cities in our table. Drik's Dhanteras puja windows are 6:02 PM to 7:57 PM in New Delhi, 6:06 PM to 8:04 PM in Dubai, 4:43 PM to 6:20 PM in London, 5:12 PM to 7:00 PM in New York and 5:25 PM to 7:11 PM in Toronto. More on that day in our sibling article on Dhanteras 2026.

Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj: the dates differ by city

These two days are set by morning or afternoon windows, not the evening, so the tithi change lands differently in each city. In 2026 Pratipada begins at 12:31 PM IST on 9 November, and Dwitiya begins at 2:00 PM IST on 10 November. Drik Panchang's city pages give these dates and windows (local time):

City	Govardhan Puja	Bhai Dooj (aparahna)
New Delhi	Tue 10 November, Pratahkala 6:40 AM to 8:50 AM	Wed 11 November, 1:10 PM to 3:20 PM
Mumbai	Mon 9 November, Sayankala 3:46 PM to 6:02 PM	Wed 11 November, 1:30 PM to 3:46 PM
Dubai	Mon 9 November, Sayankala 3:22 PM to 5:34 PM	Tue 10 November, 1:09 PM to 3:21 PM
London	Mon 9 November, Pratahkala 7:08 AM to 8:58 AM, Sayankala 2:30 PM to 4:20 PM	Tue 10 November, 12:39 PM to 2:29 PM
New York	Mon 9 November, Pratahkala 6:36 AM to 8:37 AM, Sayankala 2:42 PM to 4:43 PM	Tue 10 November, 12:40 PM to 2:41 PM

So a brother in Delhi and a sister in London may each keep Bhai Dooj on a different calendar date. Drik itself notes that Govardhan Puja can fall on the day after Diwali, a day later, or even a day earlier, depending on when Pratipada begins. If your temple or family calendar gives a different day, follow it.

Lighting diyas safely in a flat

Many families abroad live in flats with sensitive smoke alarms. Our guide to diyas, incense and smoke alarms covers what to do before you light the first lamp.

Questions people ask

Is Diwali 2026 on 8 or 9 November? Lakshmi Puja, the main Diwali evening, is Sunday 8 November 2026 in all the cities listed here. Drik's calendar lists 9 November as the Amavasya day for Diwali Snan and Devpuja in New Delhi.

Is Diwali on a different day in the USA in 2026? No, not for Lakshmi Puja. New York, Toronto and San Francisco all observe it on Sunday 8 November. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj fall a day earlier in New York than in New Delhi.

Can I do Lakshmi Puja after the muhurat ends? Pradosh Kaal runs a little longer than the muhurat window in every city, as the table shows. Many families do the puja whenever the household can gather that evening. Ask your priest or elders if you want a firm answer for your tradition.

Should I use the India time if my family in India is doing the puja then? Converting the Indian window to your clock gives India's muhurat, not yours. Some families join a video call with relatives anyway, which is a family choice, not a calendar rule.

Does ProperPandit have a Diwali muhurat tool? Our panchang page shows the tithi, sunrise and sunset for your city. The muhurta page currently covers marriage dates only.