Eight nights from 25 Kislev; first candle at sundown
How many days until Hanukkah?
There are 91 days until Hanukkah 2026 (Friday, December 4, 2026).
Hanukkah 2026 falls on
- Days
- 91
- Weeks
- 13 weeks and 0 days
- Months
- 3 months and 0 days
- Hours
- 2,184 hours
- Sleeps
- 91 sleeps
- Working days
- 65 working days (MonโFri)
Counting down to midnight local time on the date.
Is it Hanukkah today? No. Hanukkah 2026 is 91 days away, on Friday, December 4, 2026. This page reads your device's date and rolls over automatically at midnight.
Upcoming dates
| Year | Date | Weekday | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday | 91 | |
| 2027 | Friday | 476 |
Counts to the evening the first candle is lit. 2026: sundown Friday December 4 through nightfall Saturday December 12. 2027: sundown Friday December 24 through Saturday January 1, 2028. Hebrew calendar dates; later years added as needed.
About Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a lunisolar calendar that adds a thirteenth month seven times every 19 years, which is why the first night can fall anywhere from November 28 to December 27. Jewish days start at sunset, so the first candle is lit the evening before the calendar date: 25 Kislev 5787 is December 5, 2026, and the first candle is lit at sundown on Friday December 4, with the eighth night on December 11 and the holiday ending at nightfall on December 12. In 2027 the Hebrew year 5787 has had its leap month, so Hanukkah slides late: first candle Friday December 24, last day January 1, 2028. Dates are computed with the standard Hebrew calendar rules used by Hebcal.
Hanukkah is not a public holiday anywhere outside Israel, where schools take a week off but businesses stay open, so in the US it is celebrated around normal work days. Candles are lit after nightfall, one more each night with the shamash helper candle, which is why a standard box holds exactly 44 candles. On Friday evenings, including the first night in 2026, the Hanukkah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles, about 18 minutes before sunset, which in New York in early December means roughly 4:10 pm; on Saturday night they wait until Shabbat ends. Latkes, sufganiyot and chocolate gelt appear in shops from mid-November, and the National Menorah on the Ellipse in Washington is lit on the first night.
Where Hanukkah lands relative to Christmas changes the whole December. In 2026 it is over by December 12, two weeks before most holiday travel begins, so school concerts and office parties rarely collide with it. In 2027 it overlaps Christmas week entirely, which makes it easier for interfaith families to gather but harder to find open shops for last-minute candles. A note on spelling for searches: Hanukkah, Chanukah and Hanukah are the same holiday; the first is the most common in US media.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does Hanukkah start on a different date each year?
- It is fixed at 25 Kislev in the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, which drifts against the Gregorian calendar and resets with a leap month every two or three years.
- Does Hanukkah start in the evening?
- Yes. The first candle is lit after sundown on the date shown, and the first full day is the next day.
- Is Hanukkah a public holiday?
- No, not even in Israel, where only schools break. Work and shops continue as normal in the US.
- How many candles do I need for Hanukkah?
- 44 for one menorah: 2 on the first night up to 9 on the eighth, counting the shamash each night.
- What day of the week is Hanukkah 2026?
- Hanukkah 2026 falls on a Friday (Friday, December 4, 2026). It is in 2027 a Friday. The table above lists each year to 2027.
Content last reviewed: 2026-09-03