When Is Hanukkah 2026? Dates, Candle Schedule and Why It Moves

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026, when the first candle is lit. It lasts eight nights, with the eighth candle on Friday, December 11, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12.

On the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev. In 2026 that date is Saturday, December 5, and because Jewish days begin in the evening, the first candle is lit the night before. This guide gives you the full eight-night schedule, explains what the festival marks and why its Gregorian date moves, and lists the dates through 2030.

When is Hanukkah 2026? All eight nights

Each night you light one more candle than the night before, plus the shamash, the “helper” candle used to light the others. Candles are lit after sundown, so the exact time depends on where you live.

Over the eight nights that is 36 candles, or 44 if you use a new shamash each night. Two of the nights in 2026 fall on Friday evenings, when Shabbat also begins, so follow your family’s or community’s custom for the order of lighting on those nights.

Follow the countdown at days until Hanukkah, or for children, sleeps until Hanukkah.

What Hanukkah celebrates

Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, means “dedication.” It marks the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees, a Jewish priestly family, led a revolt against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, who had desecrated the Temple. According to Britannica, the Temple was rededicated on Kislev 25 in 164 BCE, which is why the festival starts on that date.

Tradition adds the story of the oil: there was only enough pure oil to keep the Temple lamp burning for one day, but it lasted eight, which is why the festival is eight nights long. The nine-branched lamp used today is called a hanukkiyah, a type of menorah, with eight lights for the nights and the shamash set apart.

Hanukkah is counted as a minor festival because, unlike Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, it carries no restrictions on work. It is a joyful holiday, also called the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights.

Why the date moves every year

The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the moon, while its years are kept in line with the sun. As Britannica describes it:

• Each month has 29 or 30 days, so an ordinary year of 12 months has 353, 354 or 355 days.
• That is about 11 days shorter than a solar year, so a 30-day leap month (First Adar) is added seven times in every 19-year cycle.
• Leap years have 383, 384 or 385 days.

The result is that 25 Kislev usually lands 11 or 12 days earlier on the Gregorian calendar than the year before, then jumps about 19 or 20 days later after a leap month. You can see both moves in the table below: from 2026 to 2027 the start date jumps 20 days later, and from 2027 to 2028 it moves 12 days earlier. That’s why Hanukkah moves around within late November and December.

Because the leap months repeat on a 19-year cycle, the dates come back to nearly the same place about every 19 years. Hanukkah began at sundown on December 4 in 2007, begins on December 4 in 2026, and will begin on December 3 in 2045.

Hanukkah dates, 2026 to 2030

2027 is unusual. The first candle is lit on Christmas Eve, and the last night is New Year’s Eve, so Hanukkah covers the whole week between Christmas and New Year’s. 2029 is the early year in this stretch, starting on the first of December.

Hanukkah and the rest of December 2026

• Advent: the second Sunday of Advent, December 6, falls on the third night of Hanukkah. Our Advent 2026 guide lists the Sundays.
• The winter solstice: Monday, December 21, 2026, nine days after Hanukkah ends. In the Northern Hemisphere, Hanukkah always falls during the darkest weeks of the year. See the winter solstice guide.
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026, eight days before the first candle.
• Christmas: Friday, December 25, 2026, two weeks after the last candle. See days until Christmas.

The December 2026 calendar shows everything on one page.

Is Hanukkah a public holiday?

No. Hanukkah is not a federal holiday (the full list is on the 2026 holiday calendar), so government offices, banks, schools and the post office keep their normal hours. Because the festival allows work, most people who celebrate do so in the evenings at home. If you need time off, for example for a family gathering on a weeknight, ask your employer or school about its policy for religious observances.

Related dates: Christmas 2026, the 2026 holiday-season calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When does Hanukkah start in 2026?

At sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026, with the lighting of the first candle.

When does Hanukkah end in 2026?

The eighth and last candle is lit on Friday, December 11, and the festival ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026.

Why is Hanukkah on a different date every year?

It is always on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which follows the moon and adds a leap month seven times every 19 years. So its Gregorian date shifts each year, staying in late November or December.

How many candles do you light on the first night?

One candle plus the shamash, the helper candle used to light it. Each night adds one, up to eight candles plus the shamash on the last night.

Is Hanukkah a federal holiday?

No. It isn’t on the list of federal holidays, and the festival has no restrictions on work, so offices, schools, banks and post offices are open on all eight days.

When is Hanukkah 2027?

It begins at sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027, Christmas Eve, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028.