Hanukkah 2026 starts at nightfall on December 4, 2026, and ends with nightfall on December 12, 2026, according to Chabad.org. The Union for Reform Judaism lists December 4 to December 12 for 2026 and says the holiday starts on Friday, December 4.
Hanukkah dates for the next five years
These are the dates published by Chabad.org. The Union for Reform Judaism lists the same dates for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
| Year | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 4 | December 12 |
| 2027 | December 24 | January 1, 2028 |
| 2028 | December 12 | December 20 |
| 2029 | December 1 | December 9 |
| 2030 | December 20 | December 28 |
In 2027 the holiday begins on December 24, the day before Christmas Day. In 2026 the holiday starts eight days after Thanksgiving.
Why the date changes every year
Hanukkah lasts for eight days and begins on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and that date lands on a different day of the civil calendar from one year to the next, as the table above shows.
What Hanukkah marks
The Union for Reform Judaism describes Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, as an eight-day festival often called the Festival of Lights. The name means "dedication" in Hebrew, and the holiday commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian army in 165 B.C.E. Celebrations today center on lighting the Hanukkah menorah.
This page will be updated at this address each year with the new dates.