Hanukkah Dates Table
| Year | First night | Last night |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
| 2027 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 |
| 2028 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 |
| 2029 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 |
| 2030 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 |
| 2031 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 |
| 2032 | Nov 27 | Dec 4 |
| 2033 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 |
| 2034 | Dec 6 | Dec 13 |
| 2035 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 |
| 2036 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 |
Hanukkah is the December holiday that refuses to sit still: eight nights from the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which lands anywhere from late November to late December on the Gregorian one. 2026 is an early year - the first night is the evening of December 4 - and the table runs every first and last night through 2036, sourced from Hebcal's standard holiday tables.
Bottom line: the decade contains two Christmukkah years - 2027 (first night Christmas Eve) and 2035 (first night Christmas Day) - and one super-early November start (2032: November 27). The drift is not random: the Hebrew calendar adds a leap month on a 19-year cycle, which is why Hanukkah can slide three weeks in consecutive years and why 2028 gets two Hanukkahs in one Gregorian year.
The honest part: the first-night date is the evening the first candle is lit (sundown, not midnight), and observant households start at sundown - so "December 4" really means December 4 at dark. The table dates the nights; the candles supply the timing.
How to use
- Read your year's row: the first night (first candle, at sundown) and the last night eight days later.
- Use the counter for a live countdown to the upcoming first night - it tracks the table, so it already knows the Hebrew calendar's drift.
- Watch the extremes: November 27 (2032) is the decade's earliest start; December 25 (2035) the latest first night - and 2029 opens December 1.
Frequently asked questions
When is Hanukkah 2026?
The first night is the evening of Friday, December 4, 2026, and the festival runs eight nights to December 12. It is an early Hanukkah - most years start later in December - and since the first night falls on a Friday, the first candle is lit before the Shabbat candles that evening.
Why does Hanukkah move every year?
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar: months follow the moon, but a leap month is added roughly every three years to keep the seasons aligned with the sun. Hanukkah starts on 25 Kislev, so its Gregorian date drifts across a five-week band (late November to late December) - and the leap-month cycle is why 2028 contains two Hanukkahs (January 1 and December 12) while other years share none.
What is Christmukkah?
The pop-culture name for years when Hanukkah's nights overlap Christmas: 2027's first night lands on Christmas Eve and 2035's on Christmas Day. The overlap happens because the Hebrew calendar's drift occasionally syncs Kislev 25 with December 24-25 - roughly twice a decade in this window. Interfaith families get one combined season; retailers get a merged shopping peak.
Why are there two Hanukkahs in 2028?
A Gregorian-year quirk: 2028 opens with the tail of the 2027 Hanukkah (its eighth night falls January 1, 2028) and closes with a fresh one starting December 12. The Hebrew calendar's months drift about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year until a leap month resets them - so over a 19-year cycle, Hanukkah visits both ends of the Gregorian year.
What do the eight nights commemorate?
The rededication of the Second Temple in 165 BCE after the Maccabean revolt, and the Talmud's later story: one day's consecrated oil lasting eight. The nightly ritual is one additional candle per night (the hanukkiah holds eight plus the helper shamash), which is why the table's last night is always seven days after the first - eight nights, nine branches.