Hanukkah 2026
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday 4 December 2026, when the first candle is lit, and ends at nightfall on Saturday 12 December 2026. The eighth and last candle is lit on the evening of Friday 11 December 2026. In the Hebrew calendar Hanukkah begins on 25 Kislev; in 5787 that is Saturday 5 December 2026, and like every Hebrew date it starts at sundown the evening before. The box at the top tells you which night it is tonight, or how many nights are left until the first candle, from today’s date on your device. Print the 8-night chart (night, evening, candles, shamash and a box to tick) in colour or black ink, add all eight evenings to your calendar app, and see the dates of Hanukkah for every year to 2035. Every date is worked out by our own Hebrew calendar arithmetic and was checked against Hebcal for every year from 2026 to 2036.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. The dates, the chart and the files are made on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Hanukkah tonight
Candle chart
Everything runs in your browser: nothing you type is uploaded, and only your settings are remembered in this browser (not the name on the chart). Dates come from our own Hebrew calendar arithmetic (the engine of our Jewish calendar 2027), checked for every year 2026–2036 against Hebcal.com (read on 15 November 2026). “Tonight” uses today’s date on this device, in its time zone, not the clock time or sunset. No lighting times: they depend on where you are. PDF export uses jsPDF and svg2pdf.js (MIT licence).
How to use the Hanukkah 2026 dates and candle chart
- Read tonight’s night, or the number of nights to go, in the box at the top. It uses today’s date on this device.
- Pick the year for the chart (2026 to 2035), and type a name for it if you like.
- Choose colour or black ink and US Letter or A4, then download the PDF: the 8-night chart plus a page of dates for 2026–2035.
- Download the .ics file to add the eight evenings (or all 80 evenings to 2035) to your calendar app.
What you can use it for
- Knowing which night of Hanukkah it is tonight
- A candle chart for the fridge, with a box to tick each evening
- Planning family visits, parties and school events around the eight nights
- Adding the Hanukkah evenings to a shared family or work calendar
- Looking up Hanukkah dates for the next ten years
Hanukkah 2026 night by night
| Night | Evening of | Hebrew date from sundown | Candles | With the shamash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday 4 December 2026 | 25 Kislev 5787 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Saturday 5 December 2026 | 26 Kislev 5787 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Sunday 6 December 2026 | 27 Kislev 5787 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Monday 7 December 2026 | 28 Kislev 5787 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Tuesday 8 December 2026 | 29 Kislev 5787 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Wednesday 9 December 2026 | 30 Kislev 5787 | 6 | 7 |
| 7 | Thursday 10 December 2026 | 1 Tevet 5787 | 7 | 8 |
| 8 | Friday 11 December 2026 | 2 Tevet 5787 | 8 | 9 |
Hanukkah ends at nightfall on Saturday 12 December 2026, 2 Tevet 5787. Each evening begins the next Hebrew date: the first candle on Friday 4 December 2026 begins 25 Kislev 5787.
Hanukkah dates 2026–2035
| Year | First candle (evening) | Last candle (evening) | Ends at nightfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday 4 December 2026 | Friday 11 December 2026 | Saturday 12 December 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday 24 December 2027 | Friday 31 December 2027 | Saturday 1 January 2028 |
| 2028 | Tuesday 12 December 2028 | Tuesday 19 December 2028 | Wednesday 20 December 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday 1 December 2029 | Saturday 8 December 2029 | Sunday 9 December 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday 20 December 2030 | Friday 27 December 2030 | Saturday 28 December 2030 |
| 2031 | Tuesday 9 December 2031 | Tuesday 16 December 2031 | Wednesday 17 December 2031 |
| 2032 | Saturday 27 November 2032 | Saturday 4 December 2032 | Sunday 5 December 2032 |
| 2033 | Friday 16 December 2033 | Friday 23 December 2033 | Saturday 24 December 2033 |
| 2034 | Wednesday 6 December 2034 | Wednesday 13 December 2034 | Thursday 14 December 2034 |
| 2035 | Tuesday 25 December 2035 | Tuesday 1 January 2036 | Wednesday 2 January 2036 |
Hanukkah begins at sundown on the first date and lasts eight nights. Kislev has 29 or 30 days, so the eighth day is 2 or 3 Tevet depending on the year.
How the dates are worked out
The page works out each year with the arithmetic rules of the Hebrew calendar: the 19-year cycle of leap years, the molad (the mean new moon) and the four rules that move the new year. Kislev 25 of Hebrew year 5787 falls on Saturday 5 December 2026, so the first candle is lit at sundown on Friday 4 December 2026. The same engine runs our Jewish calendar for 2027, and its dates were compared with Hebcal for every year from 2026 to 2036 (read on 15 November 2026): all of them match.
More for December
Pictures of a hanukkiah, dreidels, latkes and gelt to color, one for each night: Hanukkah Coloring Pages. Counting down to 25 December: Christmas Countdown. Every holiday of next year in one list: 2027 Holidays. The month on one page: December 2026 Calendar. A card to send: Greeting Card Maker.
More free calendars and printables
Planning December?
Calendars, cards and countdowns you can print at home: free, private, no sign-up.
See all free tools →Frequently asked questions
When does Hanukkah 2026 start?
At sundown on Friday 4 December 2026: the first candle is lit that evening. The first full day of Hanukkah is Saturday 5 December 2026, 25 Kislev 5787.
When does Hanukkah 2026 end?
At nightfall on Saturday 12 December 2026, the eighth day. The eighth and last candle is lit on the evening before, Friday 11 December 2026.
When is Hanukkah 2027?
It begins at sundown on Friday 24 December 2027 and ends at nightfall on Saturday 1 January 2028, so the eighth candle is lit on New Year’s Eve, Friday 31 December 2027.
How many candles do I light each night?
One on the first night, two on the second and so on up to eight on the eighth night, each time with the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others. That is 36 candles over the eight nights, or 44 counting the shamash every night.
Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah?
Both. They are two English spellings of the same Hebrew word; Hanukkah is the most common in the US, and Chanukah is close to the Hebrew sound. You will also see Hanukah and Chanuka.
Why is Hanukkah on different dates every year?
Hanukkah is always 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, whose months follow the moon, so its Gregorian date moves. From 2026 to 2035 the first candle falls between Saturday 27 November 2032 and Tuesday 25 December 2035.
How does “tonight is night N” work?
It reads today’s date on your device, in your time zone, and counts from the first evening. It does not look at the clock time or the time of sunset, so on the evening it means after sundown where you are. On the eighth day it says the last candle was lit the night before.
Does it give candle-lighting times?
No. Lighting times depend on where you are and on the custom you follow, so this page lists the evenings only. Ask your local community for times.
How were the dates checked?
Every first candle, every one of the eight evenings and the eighth day for each year from 2026 to 2036 matches Hebcal’s holiday calendar (read on 15 November 2026). They come from the same Hebrew calendar arithmetic as our Jewish calendar for 2027, and they agree with the dates on our Hanukkah coloring pages and our 2027 holidays list.
Is my information uploaded?
No. Everything is worked out in this browser, and the files you download are made on your device.