Dates
Sukkot 2026
Begins at sundown on September 25, 2026 and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2026.
Starts
September 25, 2026
at sundown
Ends
October 2, 2026
at nightfall
Length
7 days
work restricted on the first two days
Candles, Jerusalem
17:53
on September 25, 2026
…
Israel or the diaspora?
In Israel the festival opens with one yom tov day, then six intermediate days. In the diaspora the opening is two yom tov days, then five intermediate days.
Sukkot is a seven-day harvest festival spent in a sukkah, a temporary booth with a roof of cut branches. The opening days are full festival days, two in the diaspora and one in Israel; the rest are chol hamoed, intermediate days when most work is permitted.
Candle lighting for Sukkot 2026
Times for the evening it begins, September 25, 2026. Calculated from sunset: 18 minutes before in most communities, 20 in Israel, 40 in Jerusalem and 30 in Haifa.
Your city not here? All 106 cities.
On the ground
What happens in Israel
Sukkot is the big domestic holiday week. Schools are shut, sukkot appear on every balcony and outside restaurants, and the whole country travels.
Work is restricted on the first day in Israel and the first two days in the diaspora. The days in between are chol hamoed, when most work is permitted.
Practice
How it is observed
- Eating (and for many, sleeping) in the sukkah, a temporary roofed booth, for a week
- Waving the four species: lulav, etrog, myrtle and willow
- Hoshana Rabbah processions on the seventh day
- Inviting guests (ushpizin) into the sukkah each night
"Chag sameach" (happy holiday) or the Sukkot-specific "Moadim l'simcha"
Stuffed foods symbolizing abundance (stuffed cabbage, peppers), seasonal harvest dishes, all eaten in the sukkah.
Every year on file
Sukkot in other years
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so the Gregorian date moves by up to a month from year to year but stays in the same season.
The rest of 2026
Other Jewish holidays in 2026
8 of the 14 other dates on the 2026 calendar, in the order they fall. Each has its own page for 2026.
February 2, 2026
Tu BiShvat 2026
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 3, 2026
Purim 2026
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
April 2, 2026
Passover (Pesach) 2026
The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).
April 14, 2026
Yom HaShoah 2026
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
April 21, 2026
Yom HaZikaron 2026
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
April 22, 2026
Yom HaAtzmaut 2026
Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.
May 5, 2026
Lag BaOmer 2026
The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.
May 22, 2026
Shavuot 2026
The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.
Frequently asked questions
When is Sukkot 2026?+
Sukkot 2026 begins at sundown on September 25, 2026 and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2026. Jewish days start in the evening, so the first full day is September 26, 2026.
How long is Sukkot?+
7 days. In Israel the festival opens with one yom tov day, then six intermediate days. In the diaspora the opening is two yom tov days, then five intermediate days.
Is Sukkot different in Israel?+
In Israel the festival opens with one yom tov day, then six intermediate days. In the diaspora the opening is two yom tov days, then five intermediate days.
What happens in Israel on Sukkot?+
Sukkot is the big domestic holiday week. Schools are shut, sukkot appear on every balcony and outside restaurants, and the whole country travels.
What do you say on Sukkot?+
The standard greeting is "Chag sameach" (happy holiday) or the Sukkot-specific "Moadim l'simcha".