October 2026 to March 2027
Every festival and holiday worth a post over the next six months, with the date, the weekday and one idea for what to publish. Holiday dates are taken from the Government of India's official DoPT holiday lists for 2026 and 2027, so you are not planning Diwali content around a blog's guess.
Social media dates in October 2026| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 2 OctFri | Gandhi JayantiGazetted holiday | A quote or value from Gandhi tied to how your business works. Avoid discount-led posts on this day. |
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| 20 OctTue | Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami)Gazetted holiday | Good-over-evil framing: a problem your product fixes. Navratri runs for the nine nights before it, so a 9-post series works. |
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| 26 OctMon | Maharishi Valmiki JayantiRestricted holiday | Regional audiences in North India. A short greeting is enough. |
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| 29 OctThu | Karwa ChauthRestricted holiday | Gifting, fashion, beauty and food brands. Schedule the post for the morning; the fast ends at moonrise. |
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Social media dates in November 2026| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 8 NovSun | DiwaliGazetted holiday | Your biggest greeting of the year. Schedule the sale teaser 7-10 days out and the greeting for the morning of the day. |
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| 9 NovMon | Govardhan PujaRestricted holiday | Follow-up greeting; also a natural day to thank customers after Diwali. |
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| 11 NovWed | Bhai DoojRestricted holiday | Sibling-gifting angle for retail and D2C brands. |
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| 14 NovSat | Children's DayFixed-date observance | Education, toys, kids’ food and family brands. Throwback photos from your team work well. |
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| 15 NovSun | Chhath PujaRestricted holiday | Important in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern UP. Localise if you have audiences there. |
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| 24 NovTue | Guru Nanak JayantiGazetted holiday | A respectful greeting. Keep product promotion out of it. |
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Social media dates in December 2026| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 24 DecThu | Christmas EveRestricted holiday | Gift-guide and last-order-date posts for delivery businesses. |
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| 25 DecFri | ChristmasGazetted holiday | Greeting plus a year-end offer if you run one. |
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| 31 DecThu | New Year's EveFixed-date observance | Year-in-review carousel: numbers, launches, thank-yous. |
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Social media dates in January 2027| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 1 JanFri | New Year's DayRestricted holiday | Plans or resolutions for your customers, not for you. |
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| 12 JanTue | National Youth DayFixed-date observance | Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary. Students, education and career audiences. |
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| 14 JanThu | Makar Sankranti / Magh BihuRestricted holiday | Kites and harvest imagery; the festival has different names by state, so localise the greeting. |
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| 15 JanFri | Pongal / Guru Gobind Singh JayantiRestricted holiday | Tamil audiences for Pongal; Sikh audiences for Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti. Two separate, respectful greetings. |
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| 26 JanTue | Republic DayGazetted holiday | Made-in-India and constitution themes. Many brands run sales; decide early if you will. |
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Social media dates in February 2027| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 11 FebThu | Basant PanchamiRestricted holiday | Yellow palette, learning and new beginnings. Suits education brands. |
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| 14 FebSun | Valentine's DayFixed-date observance | Gifting, food and experiences. Schedule the week-long run-up from 7 February. |
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Social media dates in March 2027| Date | Occasion | Post idea |
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| 6 MarSat | Maha ShivratriRestricted holiday | A respectful greeting. Keep promotion light. |
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| 8 MarMon | International Women's DayFixed-date observance | Spotlight the women on your team or among your customers, with their permission. |
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| 10 MarWed | Id-ul-Fitr (subject to moon sighting)Gazetted holiday | Greeting on the day. The date can move by a day, so keep a draft ready for both. |
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| 22 MarMon | Holika DahanRestricted holiday | Teaser for Holi content the next day. |
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| 23 MarTue | HoliGazetted holiday | Colour-heavy creatives and short video. One of the most shared festival days of the year. |
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Sources: Government of India, Department of Personnel & Training, list of holidays for 2026 (O.M. F.No.12/2/2023-JCA dated 3 July 2025) and for 2027 (O.M. dated 16 July 2026), gazetted and restricted holidays for offices in Delhi/New Delhi. Restricted holidays are optional for government staff and vary by state. Id-ul-Fitr depends on the moon sighting. Checked 28 September 2026.
- Pick the dates that fit your audience. A B2B brand needs five or six of these, not all twenty-five.
- Write each post a week ahead, and the teaser for a big sale 7-10 days ahead.
- Schedule them in India time. Hookpost's calendar follows your browser's time zone, so a 9 AM slot goes out at 9 AM IST on the day, holiday or not.
The free plan covers 2 channels and 30 posts a month, enough for this calendar on two networks. Standard is ₹599 a month for 5 channels with AI captions, billed in rupees with UPI Autopay. See Hookpost for India or the best schedulers for India compared.
- When is Diwali in 2026?
- Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, per the Government of India (DoPT) holiday list. Dussehra is on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
- When is Holi in 2027?
- Holi is on Tuesday, 23 March 2027, with Holika Dahan the evening before, on Monday, 22 March 2027, per the DoPT 2027 holiday list.
- Why do some festival dates differ between sources?
- Many Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, and dates can differ by region and by a day. Islamic festivals such as Id-ul-Fitr depend on the moon sighting. This calendar uses the central government (DoPT) list for Delhi offices; check a local panchang for regional festivals.
- How far ahead should I schedule festival posts?
- Write and schedule the greeting at least a week ahead, and the sale or campaign teaser 7-10 days before a big festival such as Diwali. A scheduler lets you set the exact India-time slot so the post goes out even on the holiday itself.
- Can I download this social media calendar?
- Yes. The same dates and post ideas are available as a CSV file that opens in Google Sheets or Excel, with a column to tick off what you have scheduled.