When Is Krishna Janmashtami 2026?

Live Countdown to the Festival

Krishna Janmashtami falls on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 20:26 UTC — 4 days from now.

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Happy Festival!

Krishna Janmashtami 2026 falls on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 20:26 UTC. Live countdown, dates through 2028, and how the date is determined.

Krishna Janmashtami (Sanskrit: कृष्णजन्माष्टमी, romanized: Kṛṣṇajanmāṣṭamī), also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In the prominent Hindu scriptures, such as the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Gita Govinda, etc. Krishna has been identified as the supreme God and the source of all avatars. Krishna's birth is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in Shravana Masa (according to the amanta tradition) or Bhadrapada Masa (according to the purnimanta tradition). Janmashtami falls on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada (or Shravana by some reckonings).

Krishna Janmashtami falls on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 20:26 UTC. The countdown above updates live, so you always see exactly how many days, hours, and minutes are left.

Krishna Janmashtami dates by year

Year	Date
2026	Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 20:26 UTC	in 4 days
2027	Wednesday, August 25, 2027 at 20:27 UTC	in 360 days
2028	Saturday, August 12, 2028 at 20:28 UTC	in 713 days

Dates can vary by a day between regions and traditions.

Why does the date move?

Hindu festivals follow the panchang, a lunisolar calendar in which most festivals are tied to a particular lunar day (tithi) of a particular month. Because lunar months drift against the solar year and a leap month is periodically inserted, the Gregorian date of each festival moves within a few weeks from year to year — and regional traditions can observe the same festival a day apart.