As Holi is just around the corner, a rare celestial event has sparked widespread confusion over the festival’s official dates across India. With Holika Dahan on March 2 and a rare ‘Blood Moon’ lunar eclipse occurring on the evening of March 3, everyone asking the same question: Is Holi on March 3 or March 4?
In India people will celebrate this festival of colors on two different days this year. Whether you’re in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, or any other city, you need to know your local Holi date to plan properly.
When will Holi be celebrated March 3 or March 4?
Holi is always celebrated on Phalguna Purnima, which means the full moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna. In 2026, this Purnima falls on March 3.Under normal circumstances, everyone would celebrate Holi on the same day across India. However, on the evening of March 3, a lunar eclipse will occur.
In Hindu tradition, an eclipse brings a “Sutak” period, a time considered unlucky for religious rituals.
Because different cities see the eclipse at slightly different times, local priests and experts have decided on different dates for the festival.
Indian cities to celebrated Holi on March 3
In several parts of Western and Southern India, the local timing of the moonrise and the eclipse means that Holi will be celebrated a day earlier. If you are in these cities, you will celebrate Holi on March 3:
Maharashtra: Mumbai, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad
Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot
Rajasthan: Jaisalmer
Karnataka: Mangaluru
Holi date for Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Lucknow, Kolkata, Patna and more
In North and East India, religious scholars have decided that because of the eclipse’s shadow on March 3, the “purity” of the festival is better maintained by celebrating on Wednesday, March 4.
Delhi
Noida
Gurugram (Gurgaon)
Ghaziabad
Faridabad
Lucknow
Varanasi
Kanpur
Agra
Prayagraj (Allahabad)
Mathura-Vrindavan
Patna
Gaya
Muzaffarpur
Kolkata
Howrah
Siliguri
Bhubaneswar
Cuttack
Puri
Jaipur
Kota
Jodhpur
Udaipur
Nagpur
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Mysuru (Mysore)
Hyderabad
Warangal
Visakhapatnam
Vijayawada
Tirupati
Chennai
Coimbatore
Madurai
