Festival muhurat
Krishna Janmashtami 2026
Janmashtami 2026 is on Friday, 4 September 2026 (Smarta). The Nishita puja in New Delhi is 11:58 pm – 12:43 am, 5 Sept. See the parana time, Ashtami and Rohini times and the puja time for 15 cities.
Janmashtami · in New Delhi
Friday, 4 September 2026
Nishita puja (midnight)
11:58 pm – 12:43 am, 5 Sept
45 min
- Midnight moment
- 12:20 am, 5 Sept
- Moonrise
- 11:29 pm
- Parana (breaking the fast)
- after 6:01 am, 5 Sept
- Parana after the midnight puja (common practice)
- after 12:43 am, 5 Sept
- Ashtami begins
- 2:26 am
- Ashtami ends
- 12:14 am, 5 Sept
- Rohini nakshatra begins
- 12:29 am
- Rohini nakshatra ends
- 11:04 pm
Timings in other cities
| City | Date | Nishita puja (midnight) |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:58 pm – 12:43 am, 5 Sept |
| Mumbai | Fri, 4 Sept | 12:14 am – 1:01 am, 5 Sept |
| Kolkata | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:13 pm – 11:59 pm |
| Chennai | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:45 pm – 12:31 am, 5 Sept |
| Bengaluru | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:55 pm – 12:42 am, 5 Sept |
| Hyderabad | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:52 pm – 12:38 am, 5 Sept |
| Pune | Fri, 4 Sept | 12:10 am – 12:57 am, 5 Sept |
| Ahmedabad | Fri, 4 Sept | 12:16 am – 1:02 am, 5 Sept |
| Jaipur | Fri, 4 Sept | 12:03 am – 12:49 am, 5 Sept |
| Lucknow | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:43 pm – 12:28 am, 5 Sept |
| Chandigarh | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:59 pm – 12:45 am, 5 Sept |
| Patna | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:26 pm – 12:11 am, 5 Sept |
| Varanasi | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:34 pm – 12:20 am, 5 Sept |
| Ranchi | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:25 pm – 12:11 am, 5 Sept |
| Bhopal | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:57 pm – 12:42 am, 5 Sept |
Each city's timings come from its own sunrise, sunset, moonrise and lagna, in Indian Standard Time.
Timings outside India (local time)
| City | Date | Nishita puja (midnight) |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:33 am – 1:17 am, 4 Sept |
| Edison, New Jersey | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:35 am – 1:19 am, 4 Sept |
| Chicago | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:28 am – 1:12 am, 4 Sept |
| Houston | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:58 am – 1:43 am, 4 Sept |
| San Francisco | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:47 am – 1:31 am, 4 Sept |
| Toronto | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:55 am – 1:39 am, 4 Sept |
| London | Thu, 3 Sept | 12:39 am – 1:21 am, 4 Sept |
| Dubai | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:55 pm – 12:41 am, 5 Sept |
| Singapore | Fri, 4 Sept | 12:40 am – 1:27 am, 5 Sept |
| Sydney | Fri, 4 Sept | 11:29 pm – 12:19 am, 5 Sept |
Each city's timings use its own sunrise, sunset, moonrise and lagna, in local time with daylight saving where it applies. The tithi is judged by local sunrise and sunset, so the festival can fall on a different date abroad than in India.
Krishna Janmashtami celebrates Krishna's birth at midnight on Krishna Ashtami of Bhadrapada (Shravana in the amanta calendar), under the Rohini nakshatra. Devotees fast through the day and worship Bal Krishna at Nishita, the midnight muhurta, with abhishek, new clothes, the cradle and chhappan bhog (56 dishes). Dahi Handi follows the next day.
These are the Smarta dates, worked out by the rules of Dharmasindhu and Nirnayasindhu: the fast is on the day Ashtami prevails at Nishita, or on the next day when that day has Ashtami at sunrise and Rohini at Nishita. ISKCON and Vaishnava temples follow their own rules and often celebrate a day later.
Parana, breaking the fast, is done the next day after sunrise once both Ashtami and Rohini are over; if they last past sunset, once either is over. Many families instead break the fast after the midnight puja.
Times for Indian cities are Indian Standard Time; times abroad are local time. They match established panchangs to within a minute or two. For a city not listed, the nearest city is usually within a few minutes.
Festival and vrat calendars
Read in the puja
- Krishna Chalisa
The forty-verse prayer to Shri Krishna, read on Janmashtami, Ekadashi and Wednesdays, recalling his leelas from Gokul to Kurukshetra.
Om Jai Jagdish Hare
FAQ
Janmashtami FAQs
When is Janmashtami in 2026?
On Friday, 4 September 2026 in the Smarta tradition. The Nishita puja in New Delhi is 11:58 pm – 12:43 am, 5 Sept, and parana is after 6:01 am, 5 Sept.
What is the difference between Smarta and ISKCON Janmashtami?
Smartas give priority to Ashtami at Nishita (midnight), while Vaishnavas and ISKCON give priority to the tithi at sunrise and Rohini, and never fast on a Saptami day. So in many years the ISKCON date is a day later.
When should I break the Janmashtami fast?
By the texts, the next day after sunrise once Ashtami and Rohini are over; the exact parana time is given above. Many people break the fast after the midnight puja.
What is Nishita Kaal?
The eighth of the night's fifteen muhurtas, the Hindu midnight, lasting about 45 minutes. Krishna is believed to have been born at this time.
When is Janmashtami 2026 in the USA, UK and other countries?
New York: Thursday, 3 September 2026, Nishita puja (midnight) 12:33 am – 1:17 am, 4 Sept. London: Thursday, 3 September 2026, Nishita puja (midnight) 12:39 am – 1:21 am, 4 Sept. Times are local. The table above lists Edison, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Toronto, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney.