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Marketing calendarfor India, 2027

The fixed dates of 2027, which ones can shift, and how to plan campaigns around them. Who this is for: Marketers and owners planning next year's campaigns.

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By , Data research (secondary data), email marketing with Saurav AgarwalPublished 9 Oct 20268 min read

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/ 01 The short answer

Which dates should you planyour 2027 campaigns around?

A marketing calendar is only as good as its dates, and 17 of the 2027 dates are fixed by the central government. PromotEdge plans campaigns for businesses across India around these dates, and checks each one against its source.

This page lists all 17, says which can move by a day, and shows how to build a year around them.

Dates for regional festivals, such as Durga Puja, Pongal, Onam or Bihu, come from state governments. We have not printed them here, because they are not published yet. We will add them to this page as each one is.

The marketing notes next to each date are our own view. Treat them as prompts for your own plan.

Key takeaways
  • The Department of Personnel and Training lists 17 gazetted holidays for 2027.
  • Six of the 17 fall on a Saturday or Sunday, and no substitute holiday is given.
  • Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad can move with the moon. Plan these with a spare day.
  • Diwali is on Friday, 29 October 2027, a few weeks after Dussehra on 9 October. Plan one festive season, not four campaigns.
  • Regional festival dates will be added when states publish them.

Our beliefWe're professionals. We'd rather be blunt than pleasing.

/ 02 The 2027 dates

Central government gazetted holidays, 2027with planning notes

From the DoPT Office Memorandum dated 16 July 2026, for Central Government offices in Delhi and New Delhi. Planning notes are our own.

DateOccasionCan it move?Planning note
Tue 26 JanRepublic DayNoPatriotic and sale themes; plan creative in December
Wed 10 MarId-ul-FitrYes, with the moonGifting and shopping before; keep a spare day
Tue 23 MarHoliNoColour, food and apparel themes; plan two weeks ahead
Fri 26 MarGood FridayNoLong weekend for travel and hospitality offers
Thu 15 AprRam NavamiNoRespectful greetings; check your audience first
Mon 19 AprMahavir JayantiNoGreetings only unless your audience asks for more
Mon 17 MayId-ul-Zuha (Bakrid)Yes, with the moonGifting and food themes; keep a spare day
Thu 20 MayBudha PurnimaNoGreetings; calm, low-sell tone
Wed 16 JunMuharramYes, with the moonKeep the tone sober and avoid sales pushes; keep a spare day
Sun 15 AugIndependence Day and Id-e-MiladId-e-Milad can moveFalls on a Sunday; two occasions on one day
Wed 25 AugJanmashtamiNoGreetings; family and sweets themes
Sat 2 OctMahatma Gandhi's BirthdayNoFalls on a Saturday; the start of the festive run
Sat 9 OctDussehra (Vijaya Dashmi)NoFalls on a Saturday; festive run in full swing
Fri 29 OctDiwali (Deepavali)No, but some states mark the day beforePeak gifting; book media early
Sun 14 NovGuru Nanak's BirthdayNoFalls on a Sunday; end of the festive run
Sat 25 DecChristmas DayNoFalls on a Saturday; year-end offers and travel

Figures as of 16 Jul 2026.

Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad dates may change; the Ministry announces any change, sometimes at short notice. In some states the Diwali holiday is observed on Naraka Chaturdasi, the day before.

How to read this list

This is the list for Central Government offices in Delhi. Offices outside Delhi observe 14 compulsory holidays and choose three more from a list of 12 optional ones. States and banks follow their own lists, so your customers' days off may differ from this table.

Use it as the fixed spine of your calendar. Then add the dates that matter to your own customers: your busy season, local festivals and your product launches.

Six dates fall on a weekend

Independence Day, Id-e-Milad, Gandhi Jayanti, Dussehra, Guru Nanak's Birthday and Christmas all fall on a Saturday or Sunday in 2027. The memorandum gives no substitute holiday when a festival lands on a weekly off day.

For marketers this means fewer long weekends than a weekday calendar suggests. A travel, restaurant or retail offer that counts on a day off may need to run on the weekend itself.

Dates that can move

Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad depend on the moon. The memorandum says the Ministry will announce any change in Delhi, and State Capital committees will decide outside Delhi. Changes may be announced at short notice through PIB, TV, All India Radio or newspapers.

So write your plan with a spare day. Schedule posts and ads with a hold-back option, and keep festival greetings ready to swap in at short notice.

Plan one festive season, not four campaigns

Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October, Dussehra on 9 October, Diwali on 29 October and Guru Nanak's Birthday on 14 November fall within about six weeks. Customers see them as one stretch of gifting, buying and travel.

Our view: set one budget and one story for the whole run, then give each date its own offer or message. This is cheaper than four separate campaigns, and customers see one brand, not four. Think creative. Act on numbers.

For the budget side, see our marketing plan with a template and our guide to digital marketing strategy.

What this list does not cover

  • Regional festivals such as Durga Puja, Pongal, Onam, Bihu, Navratri and Rath Yatra. Each state publishes its own list.
  • Restricted holidays, which Central Government employees may pick from a separate list.
  • Cricket seasons, school terms, exam dates and wedding seasons. These matter to many brands.
  • Business days for banks and courts, which follow their own rules.

We will add regional dates to this page when states publish them, and show the date we added each one.

A made-up example

Say a regional jewellery brand plans 2027. It marks Diwali on 29 October as the peak. It sets Dussehra on 9 October as the start of its offer, and prepares a gifting message for Guru Nanak's Birthday on 14 November. It also plans a smaller Eid campaign with a spare day for the moon. The brand's own sales record then tells it how big each push should be. The example is made up.

/ 03 Before you plan

Your 2027 calendarchecklist

  1. 01

    Mark the fixed dates

    The 17 central holidays, plus any your customers observe.

  2. 02

    Add a spare day

    For the moon-based festivals.

  3. 03

    Add your own season

    Busy months, launches and local festivals.

  4. 04

    Set one budget per season

    Not one per date.

  5. 05

    Review after each push

    Keep what sold, drop what did not.

/ 04 Where we fit

How we plan a year

Then we mark the fixed dates, add your own season and set a budget for each push.

The smallest first step is a free 30-minute call with a strategist and a one-page plan, for projects we think we can help. We take on a limited number and tell you honestly if yours is a fit. We send the quote within 2 working days.

See our media planning service, or ask for a growth plan.

Dates and footnotes are from the Department of Personnel and Training Office Memorandum F.No. 12/2/2023-JCA dated 16 July 2026, "List of Holidays for the year 2027 to be observed in Central Government Offices". We read them from a published copy of the memorandum on 9 October 2026 and checked the weekdays against the calendar. If a date matters to a large spend, confirm it against the memorandum itself.

  • Gazetted holidays, footnotes and the Diwali note: DoPT memorandum, as reproduced by StaffNews and a second site.
  • Planning notes, the festive-season view and the example: our own thinking and a made-up case.
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Straight answers.

  • The central government lists 17 gazetted holidays for 2027, from Republic Day on 26 January to Christmas on 25 December. Diwali is on Friday, 29 October 2027, and Dussehra on Saturday, 9 October. Use these dates as the base of your plan, then add regional festivals from your own state's list.

  • Diwali in 2027 falls on Friday, 29 October, according to the central government's list. In some states the holiday is observed a day earlier, on Naraka Chaturdasi. Check your state's list before you fix delivery or offer dates, and plan around the run of festivals, not only the single day.

  • Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad depend on the moon. The Ministry announces any change, sometimes at short notice. Plan these with a spare day, and keep your creative and offers flexible, so a shift of one day does not force you to remake the whole campaign or cancel booked media.

  • No. States publish their own lists. We have not printed regional dates because they are not yet published, and we will add them to this page when they are. Until then, check your state government's list for festivals such as Durga Puja or Pongal before you lock your plan.

  • Plan creative and budget early, because customers see several festivals as one stretch. Set one budget and one story for the run, then give each date its own offer. Starting early also leaves time for approvals, printing and delivery, which are the steps that usually slip when festival weeks get busy.

  • No. The memorandum gives no substitute holiday when a festival falls on a weekly off day. Six of the 2027 gazetted holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday. So if your business sells around a festival, check which weekday it falls on, since footfall and office buying change on a weekend.