In short
- Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and shift yearly: Diwali is 8 November 2026 and 29 October 2027, Holi 22 March 2027, Raksha Bandhan 17 August 2027.
- Brief creators three to four weeks before a moment and book them six to eight weeks before, and earlier for Diwali. Regional, wedding and cricket specialists fill their calendars first.
- Choose four to six moments a year that fit your buyer and cash flow instead of covering every festival. Each major moment below links to its own playbook.
- 2027 has pile-ups: Eid, cricket and Holi share March, and the men's cricket World Cup starts on 2 October, inside Navratri.
An Indian festival marketing calendar for influencers works backwards from the day a shopper buys: the day the creator must post, the day you must brief, and the day you must book. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move every year. Only a few, such as Republic Day and Valentine's Day, are fixed.
This calendar covers November 2026 to October 2027, the window most brands are planning right now. It sits under our guide to influencer marketing in India, and each major moment links to its own playbook. Use it to choose, not to fill. Festival dates are for New Delhi from Drik Panchang unless stated, and regional calendars can differ by a day.
What is still open from 31 October 2026
Some of the year's biggest moments are close, and not all of them can still be won.
| Moment | Date | What is still possible |
|---|---|---|
| Diwali | Dhanteras 6 Nov, Diwali 8 Nov | Too late for a fresh programme. Run creator ads on content already live; see Diwali influencer marketing ideas |
| Wedding season | Opens 20 to 21 Nov, pauses 16 Dec | A micro-creator campaign can still go live in two to three weeks; see wedding season influencer marketing |
| Late-November sales | Black Friday, 27 Nov | Deal guides and codes from creators; see sale season influencer marketing |
| Year-end | 25 and 31 Dec | Travel, party and gifting content; brief by mid-November |
Three kinds of moment
Festival moments (Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Eid, Navratri) are about ritual and gifting. The date is fixed, the window is short, and your product needs a role in the ritual, or the creator's post feels bolted on.
Commerce moments (sale festivals, Black Friday, Republic Day offers) are about price. The creator is a deal guide, links and codes carry the weight, and attribution is the point.
Attention moments (cricket season, the World Cup, board and entrance exams) are about borrowed attention rather than ritual. They need the most tact and, for cricket, legal care.
Month by month, November 2026 to October 2027
November 2026 to January 2027
| Date | Moment | What audiences do and what sells |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 11 Nov | Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhai Dooj | Gifting, décor, sweets, gold and utensils, travel home |
| 14 Nov | Children's Day | Parent creators, books, toys, kids' clothing |
| 15 Nov | Chhath Puja | Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, plus migrants in Delhi and Mumbai |
| 20 Nov to 16 Dec | Wedding season, first window | Opens at Dev Uthani Ekadashi; pauses at Dhanu Sankranti |
| 24 Nov | Guru Nanak Jayanti | Punjabi creators, family and community content |
| 27 Nov | Black Friday | Deal hunting, early gifting, electronics and fashion |
| 25 to 31 Dec | Christmas, New Year's Eve | Parties, trips, gifts, year-end offers |
| 13 to 15 Jan | Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Uttarayan | Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat's kite season; wedding season resumes after |
| 20 to 28 Jan | JEE Main session 1 (tentative) | Student stress, study tools, parent anxiety |
| 26 Jan | Republic Day (Tuesday) | Patriotic content, offers, long-weekend trips |
February to April 2027
| Date | Moment | What audiences do and what sells |
|---|---|---|
| About 1 Feb | Union Budget (usual date) | Finance explainers; creators here face ASCI and SEBI rules |
| 11 Feb | Vasant Panchami | Saraswati Puja in Bengal, students, books, yellow outfits |
| 14 Feb | Valentine's Day (Sunday) | Couples, gifts, dinners, jewellery |
| About 9 Feb to 10 Mar | Ramadan (expected) | Late-night viewing, iftar and sehri; see Eid and Ramadan campaigns |
| Mid-Feb to Mar | Board exams (usual window) | Teens offline, parents online; stationery and edtech |
| 6 Mar | Maha Shivratri | Devotional content, fasting food |
| 8 Mar | Women's Day | Brand purpose content; tokenism is punished |
| About 9 to 11 Mar | Eid al-Fitr | Outfits, sweets, gifting, mehendi |
| About 10 Mar to 15 May | IPL (tentative) | Match-night food, screens, summer drinks; see IPL season influencer marketing |
| 21 to 22 Mar | Holika Dahan, Holi | Colours, skincare, sweets; see Holi influencer campaign ideas |
| 7 Apr | Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Chaitra Navratri begins | New-year purchases in Telugu, Kannada and Marathi homes |
| 14 to 15 Apr | Baisakhi, Tamil New Year, Poila Boishakh, Bohag Bihu, Vishu, Ram Navami | Regional new years, each with its own language |
| 15 Apr to mid-Jul | Wedding season, second window | Resumes after Mesha Sankranti on 14 Apr |
May to August 2027
| Date | Moment | What audiences do and what sells |
|---|---|---|
| 9 May | Akshaya Tritiya and Mother's Day | Gold and jewellery buying and gifting on the same Sunday |
| Early May | NEET UG (date not announced) | Aspirants, parents, results anxiety |
| About 17 May | Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) | Outfits, food, family gatherings |
| May to June | Summer holidays | Travel, cooling, sun care, cold drinks |
| 20 Jun | Father's Day | Grooming, gadgets, apparel |
| 5 Jul | Rath Yatra | Puri and Ahmedabad; regional audiences |
| 13 to 14 Jul | Devshayani Ekadashi | Traditional wedding pause until 10 Nov |
| July | Mid-year and end-of-season sales (usual window) | Fashion and electronics deal content |
| 1 Aug | Friendship Day | Gifts, squads, cafés |
| 15 Aug | Independence Day (Sunday) | Patriotic content, local-brand pride |
| 17 Aug | Raksha Bandhan (Tuesday) | Gifting; see Raksha Bandhan campaign ideas |
| 25 Aug | Janmashtami | Devotional and family content |
September to October 2027
| Date | Moment | What audiences do and what sells |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep | Ganesh Chaturthi | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana; eco and community content |
| 5 Sep | Teachers' Day | Gifts, tutors, edtech |
| 11 to 14 Sep | Onam (Thiruvonam 12 Sep) | Kerala; sarees, sadya, travel home |
| Mid-Sep to Oct | Festive sale season | In 2026 the biggest sales opened on 7 to 9 October |
| 30 Sep to 9 Oct | Navratri, Dussehra on 9 Oct | Garba, fasting food, vehicle and appliance buying |
| About 5 to 10 Oct | Durga Puja (Kolkata) | Pandals, outfits, food; see Navratri and Durga Puja campaigns |
| 2 Oct to 21 Nov | Men's cricket World Cup | Shared attention across the festive run |
| 18 Oct | Karwa Chauth | Jewellery, mehendi, sarees |
| 27 to 31 Oct | Dhanteras, Diwali (29 Oct), Bhai Dooj | The year's biggest gifting window |
Lead times that hold up
These are our working rules for micro-led campaigns. Diwali, wedding season and cricket need ten to twelve weeks for booking, and macro creators and big shoots need more.
| Step | Typical lead before posting |
|---|---|
| Strategy and budget agreed | 10 to 12 weeks |
| Creators shortlisted and booked | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Brief and contracts signed | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Products shipped and received | 10 to 14 days |
| Drafts approved | 3 to 5 days |
Rush work costs more: published rate cards list +25 to 40 percent for turnarounds under 48 hours. Our campaign brief template covers what to send.
Pile-ups to plan around in 2027
- March: Ramadan, Eid, the cricket opener, Maha Shivratri, Women's Day, Holi and board exams share six weeks. Pick one anchor.
- 9 May: Akshaya Tritiya and Mother's Day fall on one Sunday. Jewellery and gifting brands compete for the same creators.
- Early October: Navratri, Dussehra and Durga Puja overlap the World Cup start on 2 October. Check match times before locking posting slots.
- Late October: Diwali on 29 October falls ten days earlier than in 2026, and the wedding season reopens on 10 November. Festive and wedding budgets collide.
Which moments fit which category
| Category | Anchors worth owning |
|---|---|
| Beauty and skincare | Holi, wedding season, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan |
| Fashion and apparel | Wedding season, Eid, Navratri, Diwali |
| FMCG, food and beverage | Holi, Navratri, Eid, Diwali, cricket |
| Tech and gadgets | Sale season, Diwali, cricket |
| Travel and hospitality | Long weekends, summer, wedding season, year-end |
| Edtech | Exam windows, Teachers' Day |
Budget notes
Use the ranges on our influencer rates guide: a nano Reel about ₹2,000 to ₹10,000, a micro Reel ₹8,000 to ₹80,000 and a mid-tier Reel ₹50,000 to ₹3.5 lakh. Add about 35 percent for usage rights and 40 percent for exclusivity, which is how we plan; published guides quote +30 to 50 percent for 30 days of exclusivity. Management fees run about 15 to 25 percent of creator spend in published benchmarks. Our influencer cost calculator turns a plan into a number.
Disclosure reminders for every moment
ASCI treats money, free products, gifts, trips and barter as a material connection, and the label must be upfront and prominent. A Story needs the label on the visual; a video of 15 seconds or less needs it on screen for at least 3 seconds; live streams announce it at the start and end. Permitted labels include Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration, Partnership, Free gift and Affiliate. The creator and the brand share responsibility. Read the ASCI guidelines explained for the full checklist. Kept gifts above ₹20,000 per creator in a year can trigger 10 percent TDS under section 194R, with exemptions for some small individual creators; see TDS and GST on influencer payments. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Where to go next
Pick the moment, then open its playbook: Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan, cricket season, wedding season, Navratri and Durga Puja, Eid and Ramadan and sale season. For Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala calendars see our Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Kochi pages. If you send us the moment and the product, we send back a creator plan, content ideas and a cost estimate within 48 hours; start on our contact page or read how we work.
Sources
- Hindu festival calendar 2027, New Delhi, Drik Panchang (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Hindu festival calendar 2026, New Delhi, Drik Panchang (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Diwali puja calendar 2026, New Delhi, Drik Panchang (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Diwali 2027 dates for New Delhi, AstroSage (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- India public and regional holidays 2027, Office Holidays (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Sankranti dates 2026 and 2027, New Delhi, Drik Panchang (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Devutthana Ekadashi dates, 2026 and 2027, Dekho Panchang (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Ramadan 2027 calendar for India (planning dates, subject to moon sighting), Wego (updated 11 Aug 2026)
- IPL 2027 may start earlier: tentative dates from the BCCI secretary, Wisden (18 Jun 2026)
- Fixture schedule announced for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, ICC (1 Oct 2026)
- NTA revises exam calendar: JEE Main 2027 session 1 dates, Careers360 (26 Oct 2026)
- Festive sale 2026: sale dates across major marketplaces and fashion platforms, Indian Retailer (7 Oct 2026)
- India's creator economy powers a 3,500 crore influencer marketing industry (Kofluence 2025 report, paid press release), The Tribune (ANI feed) (8 Jul 2025)
- Influencer marketing pricing in India 2026: usage rights, exclusivity and whitelisting premiums, Indian digital agency guide (low confidence) (20 Apr 2026, updated 16 Sep 2026)
- Influencer fees in India: complete pricing guide (rush and revision fees), StarClinch (booking platform, low confidence) (20 Mar 2026)
- ASCI Guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media, ASCI (accessed 31 Oct 2026 (Addendum 1 dated 15 Jul 2021))
- Section 194R FAQs summary (CBDT Circular 12 of 2022), TaxGuru (30 Jun 2022)
Frequently asked questions
Which festivals matter most for influencer marketing in India?
Diwali is the biggest gifting and shopping moment; a 2025 vendor report called it the peak season. Navratri and Durga Puja, wedding season, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Eid, sale festivals and cricket season follow. Which ones matter to you depends on category: sweets, fashion, beauty, electronics and travel each have different anchors. Our influencer marketing guide explains how to pick.
When is Diwali in 2026 and 2027?
For New Delhi, Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November 2026 and Lakshmi Puja (Diwali) is on Sunday 8 November 2026. In 2027 Dhanteras is on Wednesday 27 October and Diwali on Friday 29 October. Bhai Dooj is on 31 October 2027. Some calendars differ by a day, so check local dates. See our Diwali ideas post.
How early should brands plan festival influencer campaigns?
Book creators six to eight weeks ahead, brief three to four weeks ahead, and ship products at least ten days before posting. One 2025 vendor report said most brands plan only two weeks to a month ahead, which is late for creators with festive availability. Our working rule is shorter for nano and micro campaigns and longer for macro creators and regional shoots.
Do festival dates change every year?
Hindu, Muslim and many regional festivals follow lunar or lunisolar calendars, so the Gregorian date moves by days or weeks each year. Holi was on 4 March in 2026 and is on 22 March in 2027. Eid depends on moon sighting, so it can differ by a day between regions. Fixed-date moments include Republic Day, Independence Day and Valentine's Day.
Should a small brand run a campaign for every festival?
No. Pick the moments where your product has a clear role in the ritual or the shopping list, and do those well. A first-time brand can test one moment with nano and micro creators and measure with codes. Our micro and nano influencer service is built for that kind of test.
How do regional festivals like Onam, Pongal and Bihu fit in?
They are real campaign moments for regional audiences and are often cheaper to win than national ones, because fewer brands show up. Use creators who speak the language and live the festival, rather than translating a national script. Our regional influencer marketing service covers casting by language.
What is the cheapest way to test a festival campaign?
Seed products to 20 to 40 nano and micro creators, ask for one Reel or Story set each, and track with codes. A nano Reel typically costs ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 and a micro Reel ₹8,000 to ₹80,000. Gifts need a disclosure label and can create TDS duties above ₹20,000 a year per creator. See influencer rates.