Hanukkah 2026: Dates and Candle-Lighting Nights

Hebcal lists Hanukkah by candle night, so each date is the evening the candles are lit. Jewish days begin at sundown, and the dates are the same everywhere in the United States. Candle-lighting times depend on your location and are not on this page. The candles-to-light count is Hebcal's “Chanukah: N Candles” entry and does not include the shamash (helper candle).

Hanukkah 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027, when the first candle is lit, and the eighth candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 31, 2027. Hebcal's 2027 file stops at the eighth candle and has no "8th Day" entry, so this page does not list an end date for 2027.

No. Hanukkah is not among the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a), the federal holiday list. The statute reads:

(a) The following are legal public holidays: New Year's Day, January 1. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January. Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in February. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19. Independence Day, July 4. Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Columbus Day, the second Monday in October. Veterans Day, November 11. Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November. Christmas Day, December 25.

Source: 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays (GovInfo)

No federal holiday falls during Hanukkah 2026 (Friday, December 4, 2026 through Saturday, December 12, 2026), so federal offices follow their normal schedule.

The first night of Hanukkah 2027, Friday, December 24, 2027, falls on the observed Christmas Day federal holiday: Christmas Day is Saturday, December 25, 2027, so most federal employees observe it on Friday.

See the full list of federal holidays 2026 and federal holidays 2027.

When does Hanukkah 2026 start?

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026. The first candle is lit that evening.

When does Hanukkah 2026 end?

The eighth candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 11, 2026, and Hanukkah ends on Saturday, December 12, 2026, the 8th Day in Hebcal's calendar.

Is Hanukkah a federal holiday?

No. Hanukkah is not one of the legal public holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a). No federal holiday falls during Hanukkah 2026 (Friday, December 4, 2026 through Saturday, December 12, 2026), so federal offices follow their normal schedule.

When is Hanukkah 2027?

Hanukkah 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027, when the first candle is lit, and the eighth candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 31, 2027. Hebcal's 2027 file stops at the eighth candle and has no "8th Day" entry, so this page does not list an end date for 2027.

• Jewish holidays 2026 and 2027
• Federal holidays 2026
• How many days until Christmas?
• Is Christmas a federal holiday?

Hanukkah dates: Hebcal.com, from the Hebcal Jewish Calendar API (Diaspora, 2026 and 2027), read on November 9, 2026. The data is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0); see Hebcal's license statement. Hebcal does not endorse this page, and FedRateCalc is independent.