Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29, 2026 and runs through Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. Most Advent calendars, the kind with 24 doors, start a little later, on Tuesday, December 1.
Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas in Western Christian churches, and it always includes four Sundays. Because Christmas falls on a different weekday each year, the first Sunday of Advent moves between November 27 and December 3, and the season’s length changes with it. This guide lists the 2026 Sundays, explains the rule, shows the dates through 2030, and clears up the difference between the church season and the calendar you open each morning.
The four Sundays of Advent 2026
| Sunday | Date | Wreath candle |
|---|---|---|
| First Sunday of Advent | Sunday, November 29, 2026 | First purple candle |
| Second Sunday of Advent | Sunday, December 6, 2026 | Second purple candle |
| Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) | Sunday, December 13, 2026 | Rose candle |
| Fourth Sunday of Advent | Sunday, December 20, 2026 | Third purple candle |
Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, so Advent 2026 lasts 26 days, from November 29 through December 24. The wreath colors follow the US Catholic bishops’ description: an evergreen circle with four candles, ideally three purple and one rose, the rose candle lit on the third Sunday.
See the season on a single page with the December 2026 calendar, or follow the countdown at days until Advent.
Advent 2026 week by week
Each week of Advent runs from Sunday to Saturday, except the last, which stops at Christmas Eve. That last week is short in most years; in 2026 it has five days.
| Week | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sunday, November 29 – Saturday, December 5 | 7 |
| Week 2 | Sunday, December 6 – Saturday, December 12 | 7 |
| Week 3 | Sunday, December 13 – Saturday, December 19 | 7 |
| Week 4 | Sunday, December 20 – Thursday, December 24 | 5 |
If you light a wreath at home each evening, this is the schedule: one candle in week 1, two in week 2, three (including the rose candle) in week 3 and all four in week 4.
When does Advent start? How the date is set
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops puts the same rule another way: Advent begins on the Sunday that falls on or closest to November 30, and it ends before the evening prayer of Christmas.
That rule gives a seven-day window, from November 27 to December 3, and it ties the length of the season to the weekday of Christmas:
- Longest Advent (28 days): Christmas on a Sunday, so Advent starts on November 27. The next time is 2033.
- Shortest Advent (22 days): Christmas on a Monday, so Advent starts on December 3 and the fourth Sunday is Christmas Eve. The next time is 2028.
In Western churches, the first Sunday of Advent also marks the start of the new church year.
Advent dates, 2026 to 2030
| Year | First Sunday of Advent | Fourth Sunday | Christmas Day | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, November 29 | December 20 | Friday | 26 days |
| 2027 | Sunday, November 28 | December 19 | Saturday | 27 days |
| 2028 | Sunday, December 3 | December 24 | Monday | 22 days |
| 2029 | Sunday, December 2 | December 23 | Tuesday | 23 days |
| 2030 | Sunday, December 1 | December 22 | Wednesday | 24 days |
Each length counts the days from the first Sunday of Advent through December 24.
Advent calendars vs. the season of Advent
The two don’t always line up. The typical Advent calendar has 24 windows, numbered December 1 to December 24, so they start on the same date every year no matter when the church season begins. In 2026:
- The church season begins on Sunday, November 29.
- A 24-door calendar starts on Tuesday, December 1.
- Both end on Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve.
Some calendars, especially ones produced by churches, follow the liturgical season and start on the first Sunday of Advent, so they have a different number of windows each year. If you are buying or making one, check which kind it is. In a year like 2028, when Advent starts on December 3, a church-season calendar would have only 22 days.
For children, a “sleeps” countdown is often easier to follow than a calendar date; try sleeps until Christmas.
What Advent is about
Advent comes from the Latin adventus, “coming.” The bishops’ conference describes it as having a double focus: preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and looking ahead to his second coming. The liturgical color is purple, as in Lent, because both are seasons of preparation; the third Sunday, called Gaudete (“rejoice”), may use rose instead.
The final stretch of Advent, December 17 through December 24, is focused more directly on Christmas itself. In 2026 those last eight days run from Thursday, December 17 to Thursday, December 24.
Churches that follow other traditions or calendars, including Eastern churches, may keep a different pre-Christmas season on different dates, so check with your own parish or congregation.
Other dates during Advent 2026
- St. Nicholas Day: Sunday, December 6, 2026, the same day as the second Sunday of Advent. Count down with days until St. Nicholas Day.
- Hanukkah: begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026. See the Hanukkah 2026 guide.
- Winter solstice: Monday, December 21, 2026, the day after the fourth Sunday of Advent. See the winter solstice 2026 guide.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25, 2026. Count down with days until Christmas.
Frequently asked questions
When does Advent start in 2026?
Sunday, November 29, 2026. That’s the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which falls on a Friday this year.
When does Advent end?
Advent ends on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, 2026, before the evening services that begin the celebration of Christmas.
Why does the first Sunday of Advent change every year?
Advent always has four Sundays before Christmas, and Christmas falls on a different weekday each year. So the first Sunday moves between November 27 and December 3.
When do Advent calendars start?
Most start on December 1 and end on December 24, whatever the church calendar says. Calendars that follow the church season start on the first Sunday of Advent, which is November 29 in 2026.
What is Gaudete Sunday?
The third Sunday of Advent, on December 13 in 2026. Its name means “rejoice,” and churches may use rose instead of purple that day, which is why one wreath candle is pink or rose.