Friday, December 4, 2026
Starts at 4:40 PM in Jerusalem (UTC+2)
70 days to go until Hanukkah 2026
Hanukkah 2026 is on Friday, December 4, 2026 (Jerusalem time). That is 70 days from today.
Hanukkah begins at sundown. The countdown targets the approximate December sunset in Jerusalem (about 4:40 PM); local sunset where you are may differ.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 4 | Friday |
| 2027 | December 24 | Friday |
| 2028 | December 12 | Tuesday |
| 2029 | December 1 | Saturday |
| 2030 | December 20 | Friday |
Eight nights of candles, starting at sundown.
Also known as: Chanukah, Hanukah, Festival of Lights
Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It begins at sundown on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight nights, so it usually falls between late November and late December.
The festival commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Each night one more candle is lit on the menorah, and families enjoy foods fried in oil such as latkes and sufganiyot.
These examples cover major regional and diaspora traditions. They are representative, not an exhaustive list of every country or community that observes Hanukkah; customs can also vary within a country.
Schools close for the Hanukkah break, and bakeries fill up with sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts fried in oil.
Jewish communities hold home and public hanukkiah lightings, eat latkes and sufganiyot, play dreidel and organize community events.
Large Jewish communities mark the eight nights at home, in synagogues and at public lightings, including central-city ceremonies.
Jewish communities light hanukkiot, sing and share oil-fried foods; contemporary observance also reflects the region's long and diverse Jewish histories.
Jewish communities across the Southern Hemisphere observe the same eight nights through family candle-lighting, synagogue and community celebrations.
There are 70 days until Hanukkah 2026, which is on Friday, December 4, 2026. The live countdown on this page updates every second.
Hanukkah 2027 is on Friday, December 24, 2027.
Eight nights and eight days. The first candle is lit on the evening Hanukkah begins, and one more is added each night.
Days in the Hebrew calendar begin at sundown, so the first night of Hanukkah starts at sunset on the eve of 25 Kislev.
