Festival planning
Festival Marketing Calendar for Shops, Oct 2026 – Sep 2027
A festival is a deadline your customers already know about. The shops that do well are the ones that arrive before the festival with an offer, not on the day with a greeting.
This calendar covers October 2026 to September 2027. Dates follow Drik Panchang for New Delhi; some festivals fall a day apart in other states, and Eid depends on the moon sighting. Each festival links to free poster templates.
The three-post rule
For every festival that matters to your trade, plan three posts:
- The offer, 7 days before (10–14 days for gifting and booking trades).
- The reminder, 2 days before: “last 2 days”, “open till 10 PM”.
- The greeting, on the day. No hard sell; just your shop name and a warm wish.
October 2026
| Date | Festival | Post your offer by |
|---|---|---|
| 11–19 Oct | Navratri | 8 Oct |
| 16–21 Oct | Durga Puja | late September (Pujo shopping) |
| 20 Oct | Dussehra | 16 Oct |
| 29 Oct | Karwa Chauth | 19 Oct (salons, jewellers) |
November 2026, the biggest month
| Date | Festival | Post your offer by |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov | Dhanteras | 28 Oct |
| 8 Nov | Diwali | 25 Oct |
| 11 Nov | Bhai Dooj | 8 Nov |
| 15 Nov | Chhath Puja | 5 Nov |
| 24 Nov | Guru Nanak Jayanti | greeting only |
December 2026 – January 2027
| Date | Festival | Post your offer by |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec | Christmas | 1 Dec (cake pre-orders) |
| 1 Jan | New Year | 26 Dec |
| 14 Jan | Lohri | 8 Jan |
| 15 Jan | Makar Sankranti, Pongal | 8 Jan |
| 26 Jan | Republic Day | 23 Jan |
February – May 2027
| Date | Festival | Post your offer by |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | Basant Panchami | 8 Feb |
| 6 Mar | Maha Shivratri | 3 Mar |
| ~9–10 Mar | Eid ul-Fitr | from the start of Ramzan |
| 22 Mar | Holi | 15 Mar |
| 7 Apr | Gudi Padwa, Ugadi | 31 Mar |
| 14 Apr | Baisakhi | 7 Apr |
| 15 Apr | Ram Navami | 12 Apr |
| 9 May | Akshaya Tritiya | 25 Apr (jewellers) |
| ~17 May | Eid al-Adha | 10 May |
August – September 2027
| Date | Festival | Post your offer by |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | Independence Day | 10 Aug |
| 17 Aug | Raksha Bandhan | 3 Aug (courier rakhis) |
| 25 Aug | Janmashtami | 18 Aug |
| 4 Sep | Ganesh Chaturthi | 25 Aug |
| 12 Sep | Onam | early September (from Atham) |
Pick your festivals by trade
Not every festival matters equally to every shop. A jeweller lives on Dhanteras and Akshaya Tritiya; a gym on New Year; a parlour on Karwa Chauth and wedding season; a property dealer on Dhanteras, Gudi Padwa and Akshaya Tritiya. Each business poster page has its own festival list.
Keep it light between festivals
Between festivals, one Status post a day, new stock, a customer photo (with permission), a rate card, keeps you in people’s phones so your festival offer lands with people who already know you. See 30 WhatsApp Status ideas for business.
There is also a visual version of this calendar: festival calendar for shops.
Trade guides: property dealers · restaurants · tuition classes · New Year offers.