Holi 2027

What this countdown tracks

Holi 2027 – the Hindu festival of colors and the arrival of spring – with Holika Dahan (the bonfire) on the evening of Monday March 22 and the main color-throwing day, Rangwali Holi (also called Dhulandi), on Tuesday March 23, 2027. Observed across India, Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, Suriname, and the Indian diaspora.

About Holi

Holi marks the end of winter and the start of the long Indian spring, and its mythology is layered. The most widely told story is that of Holika and Prahlada – the demon king Hiranyakashipu's young son Prahlada, a devotee of Vishnu, was placed in a fire by his fire-immune aunt Holika at his father's command, only for divine intervention to save Prahlada and burn Holika instead. The Holika Dahan bonfire on the evening before the color-throwing day reenacts that moment, with effigies of Holika thrown into community bonfires lit at sunset.

A second story, especially central in the Braj region around Mathura and Vrindavan, ties Holi to Krishna and Radha. The young Krishna, self-conscious about his dark complexion, asked his mother Yashoda why Radha was so fair – Yashoda playfully suggested he color Radha's face whatever shade he wanted. The result was the first Holi: Krishna and his friends colouring Radha and the gopis with handfuls of pigment. Vrindavan, Barsana, and Mathura still observe a sequence of Holi events that runs nearly a fortnight, including the famous Lathmar Holi in Barsana, in which women playfully strike men with sticks.

Holi is also the festival of agricultural renewal – it falls at the close of the wheat-flowering season in north India and historically marked the start of the spring sowing cycle.

How it's observed

On the evening of Holika Dahan, communities gather around large public bonfires lit at sunset, walk around them clockwise (parikrama), and offer coconut, grains, and harvest produce to the fire. The next morning – Rangwali Holi – is the day of colours. Streets fill with people throwing dry powders (gulal) and squirting coloured water (pichkari) at one another; long-standing rivalries dissolve in a single afternoon; everyone, regardless of age, becomes equal under the colour. Public Holi parties run all day in cities; in Vrindavan and Barsana, professional bands play and the famous flower Holi (Phoolon ki Holi) is observed at Banke Bihari temple on Ekadashi.

Foods are dense and seasonal: gujiya (a sweet semolina-and-mawa dumpling), thandai (a milk-based drink with almonds, fennel, and cardamom – sometimes laced with bhang), malpua, dahi vada, and chaat. Bhang, a cannabis preparation traditional to Holi in many parts of north India, is drunk through the day. By evening, people bathe and visit family in clean clothes.

Why this date specifically

Holi falls on the full moon (Purnima) of the Hindu lunisolar month of Phalguna – the last full moon before the spring equinox. In 2027, Phalguna Purnima occurs on March 22 in Indian Standard Time, with Holika Dahan performed at the muhurat that evening. Rangwali Holi follows the next day, March 23, 2027. Because the Hindu lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, Holi shifts within a roughly 30-day window between late February and late March – it fell on March 14 in 2025, March 4 in 2026, and now March 22–23 in 2027.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2027

• March 22 – Holika Dahan bonfires across north India in the evening
• March 23 – Rangwali Holi / Dhulandi, the main colour-throwing day, on a Tuesday
• Lathmar Holi in Barsana the week before, with women striking men with sticks
• Phoolon ki Holi (flower Holi) at Banke Bihari temple, Vrindavan, on Ekadashi
• Holi Mela on the Yamuna ghats in Mathura
• Public holiday in India, Nepal, Mauritius, Suriname (as Phagwah), Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago
• Major street parties in London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Berlin, and Singapore

Related festivals to track

Holi is the spring counterpart to autumn's Dussehra 2027, and it overlaps thematically with the Sikh observance of Hola Mohalla the day after. For other Hindu festivals in the same year, see Maha Shivratri earlier in March. The full family overview lives at the Hindu festival hub.

FAQ

When is Holi in 2027? Holika Dahan is on the evening of Monday March 22, 2027; Rangwali Holi (the main colour-throwing day) is on Tuesday March 23, 2027.

How is Holi observed? With public bonfires the previous evening, day-long colour-throwing in the streets, sweets like gujiya, thandai (often with bhang), and music and dancing.

Is Holi a public holiday? Yes, in India (a nationwide gazetted holiday), Nepal, Mauritius, Suriname, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

What is the typical greeting? "Holi Hai!" (It's Holi!), "Happy Holi," or in Bhojpuri-speaking regions and the Caribbean, "Shubh Phagwah."