How Many Days Until Hanukkah 2026?
There are 50 days until Hanukkah on Saturday, December 5, 2026.
50 days
until Saturday, December 5, 2026
When is Hanukkah 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 is on Saturday, December 5, 2026. It is 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, so it always lands between November 28 and December 27. Next year's is on Saturday, December 25, 2027. Other names for it: Chanukah. Like every Jewish holiday it starts the evening before, so in 2026 the first candle is lit at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 5, 2026 | Saturday |
| 2027 | December 25, 2027 | Saturday |
| 2028 | December 13, 2028 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | December 2, 2029 | Sunday |
| 2030 | December 21, 2030 | Saturday |
| 2031 | December 10, 2031 | Wednesday |
Date rule: Hebrew calendar arithmetic (Reingold & Dershowitz).
About Hanukkah
Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights. It goes back to around 164 BCE, when the Maccabees won back the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it. According to the Talmud, oil meant for one day burned for eight. It starts on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, somewhere between late November and late December.
Families light the menorah each night, one more candle than the night before, using a helper candle called the shamash. Fried foods are the tradition, mainly potato latkes and jelly doughnuts, and kids play dreidel for chocolate coins. It is a minor festival, so work is allowed and school goes on. Banks, offices and stores in the US stay open.
How many business days until Hanukkah?
Without weekends, Hanukkah is 35 weekdays away, Monday to Friday from tomorrow through Saturday, December 5. Take out Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day and the US count is 33 business days. Each country drops its own public holidays, so the UK gets 35, Canada 34 and Australia 35.
| Holidays used | Business days | Holidays skipped |
|---|---|---|
| United States (federal holidays) | 33 | Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day |
| UK (England and Wales bank holidays) | 35 | none |
| Canada (federal statutory holidays) | 34 | Remembrance Day |
| Australia (national public holidays) | 35 | none |
Regional holidays (US states, Scotland, Canadian provinces, Australian states) are not included. Count with your own holidays.
Hanukkah countdown questions
How many days until Hanukkah including today?
51. Today, Friday, October 16, is the first of them; the 50 at the top starts from tomorrow. In weeks that's 7 weeks and 1 day, and from midnight tonight it's 1,200 hours. Children counting sleeps get 50; the last one is the night of Friday, December 4.
What day is Hanukkah 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026. In 2027 it's Saturday, December 25.
Is Hanukkah 2026 a holiday?
No, it isn't a US federal holiday, and it's a Saturday this year anyway.
How many days is Hanukkah?
Eight nights and eight days. The first candle goes on the evening before day one, and the eighth night has all eight lit. Hanukkah then ends at nightfall on the eighth day.
How many candles do you need for Hanukkah?
A full box has 44 candles. You light 1 on the first night and 8 on the last, which adds up to 36, plus a shamash each night for 8 more.
Countdown milestones to Hanukkah
The Hanukkah countdown reaches 30 days on Thursday, November 5, 2026 and gets down to 1 day on Friday, December 4, 2026.
| Countdown | Date |
|---|---|
| 30 days to go | Thursday, November 5, 2026 |
| 14 days to go | Saturday, November 21, 2026 |
| 7 days to go | Saturday, November 28, 2026 |
| 1 day to go | Friday, December 4, 2026 |
Days until Hanukkah from other dates
Start the count later and the number shrinks. A week from today, on Fri, Oct 23, there will be 43 days to go until Hanukkah (Dec 5).
| Counting from | Days until Hanukkah | Weeks and days |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 49 days | 7 weeks |
| Friday, October 23, 2026 | 43 days | 6 weeks, 1 day |
| Friday, October 30, 2026 | 36 days | 5 weeks, 1 day |
| Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 34 days | 4 weeks, 6 days |
| Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | 4 days | 0 weeks, 4 days |
December 2026
Hanukkah 2026 facts
| Date | Saturday, December 5, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Day of the week | Saturday |
| Day of the year | Day 339 of 365 |
| ISO week | Week 49 |
| Leap year | 2026 is not a leap year |
| Quarter | Q4 2026 |
| Written as | 12/05/2026 (US), 05/12/2026 (UK), 2026-12-05 (ISO) |
| Moon phase | Waning crescent (UTC) |
| The one after | Saturday, December 25, 2027 |
| Last time | Monday, December 15, 2025, 305 days ago |
How this is calculated
Each midnight takes one off the number. Today is left out and the day itself is counted, so tomorrow shows as 1 day away. Clock changes for daylight saving make no difference.
In Excel or Google Sheets, type =DATE(2026,12,5)-TODAY() into a cell to get the same count; add 1 to include today.
Counted from Friday, October 16, 2026 (US Eastern time). When you open the page, it counts again from the date on your device, so it matches your own day.
Related countdowns
Cite this page
APA: ClockTotals. (2026, October 15). How Many Days Until Hanukkah 2026? https://clocktotals.com/days-until/hanukkah/
MLA: “How Many Days Until Hanukkah 2026?” ClockTotals, 15 Oct. 2026, clocktotals.com/days-until/hanukkah/.
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