When is Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2027 is on Saturday
Saturday, September 4, 2027
The fourth day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, in August or September (the date shown is India's). That's in 335 days.
until Ganesh Chaturthi begins, in your time zone
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings and remover of obstacles, with clay idols welcomed into homes and street pavilions for up to ten days before being immersed in water.
About Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi falls on the fourth day of the waxing moon in Bhadrapada, the sixth month of the Hindu calendar, which lands in August or September. Families bring home a clay image of Ganesha and install it with prayers, then offer flowers, durva grass and sweets, especially modak, the steamed dumpling said to be his favorite. Neighborhood groups build far larger idols in decorated pavilions, called pandals, which draw crowds of visitors day and night.
The festival ends with visarjan, when the idol is carried in procession and immersed in a river, lake or the sea, seeing the god off until the next year. Some households immerse their idol after a day and a half, three, five or seven days. The public celebrations usually last ten days and close on Anant Chaturdashi, the 11th day, with drums, dancing and huge crowds.
Ganesha has been worshiped for many centuries, but the big public form of the festival is relatively recent. In the 1890s the nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak promoted community Ganesha celebrations in Pune, partly to build a shared identity under British rule, and the practice spread across Maharashtra and beyond. The festival is celebrated most exuberantly in Maharashtra and is also widely observed in Goa, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and by Hindu communities abroad. Mauritius makes it a public holiday on a date it sets separately (September 15 in 2026). The date shown is India's, as listed by the central government.
Sources: Britannica: When does Ganesh Chaturthi begin, and how long does it last?, Government of India, Department of Personnel and Training: holidays for central government offices in 2027 (O.M. 12/2/2023-JCA, 16 July 2026), Prime Minister's Office, Mauritius: Public Holidays 2026 (amended), General Notice No. 611 of 2026. How we check dates.
How to mark Ganesh Chaturthi
- Choose an unbaked clay or other eco-friendly idol, since plaster-of-Paris idols and chemical paints pollute lakes and the sea.
- Immerse a small idol at home in a bucket or tub and use the water for plants afterward.
- Learn to make modak, the sweet dumplings traditionally offered to Ganesha.
- Visit a few neighborhood pandals and compare how each one is decorated.
- Use the day to start a new project, since Ganesha is invoked at the start of new undertakings.
Ganesh Chaturthi dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Wednesday, August 27, 2025 |
| 2026 | Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| 2027 | Saturday, September 4, 2027 |
| 2028 | Wednesday, August 23, 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, September 11, 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday, September 1, 2030 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is Ganesh Chaturthi 2027?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2027 is on Saturday, September 4, 2027. It falls on the fourth day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, in August or September (the date shown is India's). In 2028, it is on Wednesday, August 23, 2028.
How long does Ganesh Chaturthi last?
Home celebrations can last one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days. The public festival usually runs ten days and ends with immersions on Anant Chaturdashi.
Why is the Ganesha idol immersed in water?
Immersion, called visarjan, bids farewell to Ganesha after his visit and reflects the idea that all forms are temporary. The clay returns to the water and earth it came from.
Is Ganesh Chaturthi a public holiday?
No. Ganesh Chaturthi is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.