Diwali 2026 — the main day of Lakshmi Puja — falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026. This free countdown will tell you exactly how many days, hours, and minutes are left until the festival of lights begins. Pick a background, customize the title, and you have your own Diwali countdown to bookmark, share with family, or embed on a blog, school page, or community event listing. No signup, no email — just count down to the most beautiful festival of the year.
Want to count down to something other than Diwali? Use our free countdown timer builder to create a custom countdown for any event.
When is Diwali 2026?
The main day of Diwali — Lakshmi Puja — falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
Diwali follows the Hindu lunar calendar, so the date shifts slightly each year. The festival always falls on the new moon (Amavasya) of the Kartik month, usually in October or November.
Diwali is a five-day festival, and each day has its own significance. In 2026 the five days fall on:
Dhanteras — Friday, November 6, 2026
Choti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi) — Saturday, November 7, 2026
Main Diwali & Lakshmi Puja — Sunday, November 8, 2026
Govardhan Puja — Monday, November 9, 2026
Bhai Dooj — Tuesday, November 10, 2026
The countdown above is set to Diwali Day itself (November 8), but you can change the date to count down to any of the five days, or to a specific moment that matters to you — the start of Lakshmi Puja, a family dinner, or the lighting of the first diya.
How to Use the Diwali Countdown Timer
Customizing your countdown takes about thirty seconds.
Start by choosing a background. Pick from Diwali Saffron, Rangoli Pattern, Diya Lamps Night, or Marigold Garland — each captures a different mood of the festival. There are also solid colors and universal backgrounds if you prefer something simpler.
Next, edit the title and subtitle. The default is “Diwali” — change it to “Lakshmi Puja”, “Diwali at the Sharma’s”, “Our First Diwali in America”, or whatever fits your celebration.
Pick your display style: show all four units (days, hours, minutes, seconds), simplify to just days, or use weeks-and-days for longer countdowns. Then set the date and time. The default is Diwali Day at sunset (when Lakshmi Puja typically begins), but you can pick any specific moment.
Your customizations save automatically in your browser, so the countdown will load right back up next time you visit.
Share Your Diwali Countdown or Embed It on Your Blog
Once your countdown looks the way you want it, click “Share & Embed →” to copy a share link, get embed code, post to social media, or save the date to your calendar.
The share link can be texted, emailed, or posted on WhatsApp family groups. Anyone who opens it sees your countdown ticking down in real time. The embed code is an iframe snippet you can paste into any blog, website, or community event page — perfect for temples, cultural organizations, school Diwali celebrations, or personal blogs. You can also share directly to Facebook, X / Twitter, WhatsApp, or Pinterest, and add Diwali to your calendar with one click for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook.
The countdown URL contains all your settings, so you don’t need an account or login — your countdown lives in the link itself.
Ideas for Counting Down to Diwali
A countdown is more meaningful when there’s something to do during the wait. A few favorites that pair nicely with the timer:
A home preparation timeline — Diwali traditionally calls for a deep clean of the home before Lakshmi Puja. Use the countdown as a planning timeline: declutter three weeks out, deep clean two weeks out, decorate one week out.
A daily diya tradition — light one extra diya each evening as the countdown approaches, building anticipation.
Sweets and snacks planning — homemade Diwali sweets like laddu, barfi, and gujiya take time to prepare. Plan your batch days against the countdown.
A rangoli design schedule — draw a different rangoli pattern at your entrance each day of the five-day festival.
A kids’ Diwali activity calendar — each day until Diwali, kids unwrap or check off a small Diwali-related activity: drawing a diya, learning the story of Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya, helping make sweets, picking out new clothes.
Use the Countdown for Any Diwali-Season Event
The same countdown works for any Diwali-season moment you’re looking forward to: a community Diwali mela, a temple celebration, an office Diwali party, your child’s school Diwali presentation, a family video call with relatives abroad, or simply the moment you light the first diya of the season. Just change the title and date above and the countdown updates instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Countdowns
Counting down to something else this fall? Try one of our other free countdown timers:
Day of the Dead Countdown — November 1–2
Thanksgiving Countdown — November 26
Halloween Countdown — October 31
Christmas Countdown — December 25
Or browse all countdown timers for more events.
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