Sukkot 2026 Dates: When Was Sukkot 2026?

The answer

Sukkot 2026 began at sundown on Friday, September 25, 2026. Simchat Torah, the last day of the season, was Sunday, October 4, 2026 outside Israel and Saturday, October 3, 2026 in Israel.

Begins: Fri, Sep 25, at sundown
First day: Sat, Sep 26
Hoshana Rabbah: Fri, Oct 2
Shemini Atzeret: Sat, Oct 3
Simchat Torah: Sun, Oct 4 outside Israel · Sat, Oct 3 Israel

Looking ahead? Sukkot 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, October 15, 2027.

It is 5787 in the Hebrew calendar, the 15th of Tishrei. The festival lasts seven days, followed at once by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Outside Israel the first two days are Yom Tov; in Israel only the first. The days between are Chol Hamoed. The first day fell on Shabbat that year, so there is no lulav and etrog on that day.

The 2026 program

Where to spend Sukkot 2026

Kosher Travelers' 2026 program was at David's Harp, above the Kinneret: the whole hotel, a sukkah on site, scholars in residence and a person who answers the phone.

Sukkot at David's Harp, Kinneret
Kinneret, Israel · the chag itself, with the hotel, the scholars and the days.

The full line-up is on the Sukkot programs page.

Day by day

The Sukkot 2026 calendar

Dates begin at sundown the evening before. Yom Tov and Chol Hamoed as kept outside Israel; in Israel the second day is Chol Hamoed and Simchat Torah is kept with Shemini Atzeret.
Date	Day	Note
Friday, September 25, 2026	Erev Sukkot	Yom Tov begins at sundown
Saturday, September 26, 2026	Sukkot I (Yom Tov)	Lulav and etrog taken, except on Shabbat
Sunday, September 27, 2026	Sukkot II (Yom Tov outside Israel; Chol Hamoed in Israel)
Monday, September 28, 2026	Chol Hamoed (Sukkot III)
Tuesday, September 29, 2026	Chol Hamoed (Sukkot IV)
Wednesday, September 30, 2026	Chol Hamoed (Sukkot V)
Thursday, October 1, 2026	Chol Hamoed (Sukkot VI)
Friday, October 2, 2026	Hoshana Rabbah (Sukkot VII)	The long Hoshanot service
Saturday, October 3, 2026	Shemini Atzeret (Yom Tov)	In Israel, Simchat Torah is kept on this day too
Sunday, October 4, 2026	Simchat Torah (Yom Tov outside Israel)	Outside Israel only; in Israel this is an ordinary day

Shabbat falls inside the festival on Sat, Sep 26 and Sat, Oct 3. Candle-lighting times depend on where you are.

The days that matter

What each part of Sukkot is

The first two days: Yom Tov. The festival meals are eaten in the sukkah, and the lulav and etrog are taken each day except Shabbat.
Chol Hamoed: the days between. Work is limited, the sukkah and lulav continue, and travel and day trips are allowed.
Hoshana Rabbah: the seventh day of the festival, with the long Hoshanot service and seven circuits of the synagogue.
Shemini Atzeret: the eighth day, a festival in its own right.
Simchat Torah: the completion of the yearly Torah reading and its restart. Outside Israel it is the day after Shemini Atzeret; in Israel the two are one day.

Questions

The questions families ask

When did Sukkot 2026 start?

It began at sundown on Friday, September 25, 2026. The first day of Yom Tov is Saturday, September 26, 2026.

When did Sukkot 2026 end?

The festival itself ended with Hoshana Rabbah on Friday, October 2, 2026. The festival then closed with Shemini Atzeret on Saturday, October 3, 2026, and outside Israel Simchat Torah follows on Sunday, October 4, 2026. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are one day.

How many days is Sukkot?

Seven days, with Shemini Atzeret on the eighth. Outside Israel the first two days and the eighth and ninth days (Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah) are Yom Tov; in Israel the first and eighth days are. The days between are Chol Hamoed, when travel and day trips are allowed.

When was Simchat Torah 2026?

Sunday, October 4, 2026 outside Israel, beginning the evening before. In Israel Simchat Torah is kept together with Shemini Atzeret on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Where did Kosher Travelers spend Sukkot 2026?

The 2026 Sukkot program was at David's Harp on the Kinneret. The hotel, the scholars and the days are on the Sukkot at David's Harp page, and the Sukkot programs page has the line-up.

Does Sukkot 2026 fall on Shabbat?

Yes. Erev Sukkot is Friday, Fri, Sep 25, and the first day is Shabbat, Saturday, September 26, 2026, so the lulav and etrog are not taken that day; the first day's mitzvah is kept on the next.