If you’ve ever tried to pin down a date for a Bar Mitzvah or a family dinner months in advance, you’ve probably run into the classic headache. You check your phone’s digital calendar, then a paper one, and suddenly realize that everything seems to be moving. It’s not your imagination. The dates shift every single year because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar. It’s a complex dance between the moon's cycles and the sun’s seasons. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle anyone stays on schedule.
So, when are the upcoming jewish holidays for the rest of 2026?
Because we are currently in January 2026, the "holiday season" most people think of—the big ones like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—is still quite a ways off. But the calendar is packed before then. You’ve got Tu BiShvat coming up in just a few weeks, followed by the high-energy chaos of Purim and the heavy lifting of Passover prep. If you’re trying to book travel or just want to know when to buy your matzah, you need the specific dates for this year.
The Immediate Horizon: Winter and Spring 2026
The first major milestone on the horizon is Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees. In 2026, this falls on February 2. It’s a minor holiday in terms of work restrictions, but it’s a big deal for environmental awareness and eating far too many dried apricots.
Then things get loud.
Purim lands on March 3, 2026. This is the day of costumes, Megillah readings, and those triangular cookies called Hamantaschen. If you live in a Jewish neighborhood, expect traffic. Lots of it. People are delivering gift baskets (Mishloach Manot) and generally celebrating the survival of the Jewish people in ancient Persia. It’s the closest thing the calendar has to a carnival.
But the one everyone asks about is Passover (Pesach).
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Mark your calendars for the evening of April 1, 2026. That is when the first Seder happens. The holiday continues through April 9. Because it’s an eight-day festival (in the Diaspora), it usually eats up a full week of the school or work schedule. This is the big one. The "no bread" week. It requires a massive amount of cleaning and preparation, so if you're planning a vacation or a large event, keep in mind that the Jewish world basically grinds to a halt during the first and last two days of this period.
The Mid-Year Stretch: Shavuot and the Summer Fast
After the intensity of Passover, there’s a count. The Omer. It lasts 49 days and leads directly into Shavuot.
In 2026, Shavuot begins on the evening of May 21 and ends on the evening of May 23. This holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Most people celebrate by staying up all night studying and eating cheesecake. It’s a dairy-heavy holiday, which is a nice break from the brisket-heavy nature of the rest of the year.
The summer is relatively quiet until we hit the "Three Weeks," a period of mourning that culminates in Tisha B'Av.
Tisha B'Av falls on July 23, 2026. It’s a full 25-hour fast day. No food, no water. It marks the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. It’s a somber, difficult day, and certainly not the time to schedule a celebratory lunch or a demanding business meeting with Jewish colleagues.
The 2026 High Holidays: When the Real Rush Begins
This is what most people mean when they ask when are the upcoming jewish holidays. The "Big Three" in the fall define the Jewish year.
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- Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year begins at sundown on September 11, 2026, and continues through September 13. It’s a time of reflection, apples dipped in honey, and the sounding of the Shofar.
- Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year. It begins the evening of September 20, 2026, and ends the following night. It's another 25-hour fast. Total shutdown.
- Sukkot: Just five days after the fast, the "Festival of Booths" starts on September 25, 2026, lasting until October 2. Families build temporary outdoor huts and eat meals under the stars.
The cycle finally wraps up with Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah on October 3 and 4. By the time you hit the second week of October, the marathon is finally over. People are exhausted. Their bank accounts are usually a bit lighter from all the festive meals.
Understanding the "Erev" Problem
One thing that trips up almost everyone—Jews and non-Jews alike—is that Jewish holidays don't start at midnight. They start at sunset the night before the date listed on most secular calendars.
If your calendar says Rosh Hashanah is September 12, the holiday actually begins on the evening of September 11. This is "Erev" (Eve). If you’re a manager scheduling a shift or a friend planning a party, the "Erev" is when the celebrations actually kick off. Missing this detail is how people accidentally schedule meetings during a Seder. Don't be that person.
Why Do the Dates Bounce Around?
It's tempting to think the holidays are just "late" or "early" every year. But they aren't. They are exactly on time according to the Hebrew calendar.
The Hebrew calendar uses a lunar month (about 29.5 days). If you just followed the moon, the holidays would drift through the seasons, like Ramadan does in the Islamic calendar. But the Torah insists that Passover must be in the spring. To fix this, the Jewish calendar adds a whole "leap month" (Adar II) seven times every 19 years.
2026 isn't a leap year in the Hebrew calendar, which is why the fall holidays feel like they’re hitting relatively "early" in September compared to years where they drift into October.
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Practical Steps for Staying Organized
Knowing the dates is only half the battle. If you want to actually navigate this year without a logistical meltdown, there are a few things you should do right now.
Sync your digital calendars. Most Google or Outlook calendars have an "Add Calendar" feature where you can toggle "Jewish Holidays" on. Do it. It will save you from a dozen "Oh no" moments later this year.
Check the "Work Forbidden" status. Not all holidays are created equal. On days like Purim or Hanukkah (which starts December 4, 2026), most people still go to work. On Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the first/last days of Passover and Sukkot, observant Jews will not work, drive, or use electronics. If you are a business owner or a project manager, those are the dates to black out for deadlines.
Plan your travel now. Because Passover and the High Holidays involve so much travel, flights to places like New York, Florida, and Israel spike in price months in advance. For the 2026 season, you want to have your April and September travel booked by late January or early February.
Stock up early. Don't wait until March 30 to look for brisket or matzah. The "kosher for Passover" aisle in the grocery store is a battlefield 48 hours before the Seder. Buy your non-perishables three weeks out.
The rhythm of the Jewish year is beautiful, but it's relentless. By marking these 2026 dates down today, you're not just being organized; you're giving yourself the breathing room to actually enjoy the traditions rather than just surviving the logistics.