Feast of Tabernacles 2026 Dates: Why Calendars Differ
If you have looked up the Feast of Tabernacles 2026 dates, you may have found two or three different answers. That is not a mistake on anyone's part. Scripture fixes Sukkot on "the fifteenth day of this seventh month" (Leviticus 23:34), but believers use different calendars to decide when the seventh month begins. This guide lays out the main dates for 2026, explains why they differ, and offers a calm way to choose.
Scripture quotes are from the King James Version, with the Name and titles restored as Yahuah and Elohim.
When Is the Feast of Tabernacles in 2026?
Here are the dates on the two calendars we can state with confidence, followed by a note on observational calendars.
| Calendar | Sukkot (7 days) | Eighth Day |
|---|---|---|
| Widely used Jewish (calculated) calendar | Begins at sundown Friday, Sept 25; Sat Sept 26 through Fri Oct 2 | Sat Oct 3 (Simchat Torah Oct 4 outside Israel) |
| Our calendar (364 day priestly calendar) | Wed Oct 7 through Tue Oct 13 | Wed Oct 14 |
| Observational (sighted moon) calendars | Varies by sighting and by group | Varies |
On the same calendars, Yom Kippur fell on Monday, September 21 on the Jewish calendar, and falls on Friday, October 2 on ours.
Why Do Groups Keep Sukkot on Different Dates?
Leviticus 23 gives the day of the month, not the Gregorian date. Everything depends on two questions:
- When does a month begin? At a calculated new moon, at the first visible crescent, or on a fixed count of days?
- When does the year begin? The month of Abib must be set first, and the seventh month follows from it.
Genesis 1:14 says the lights in the heavens were given "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." Sincere believers read that verse, and the rest of Scripture, in different ways. The result is a few calendars that usually land within days of each other, and sometimes weeks apart.
The Main Biblical Calendars, Explained Fairly
The Hebrew (Rabbinic) calculated calendar
This is the calendar most Jewish communities use today, and the one most date websites show. It is lunisolar: months follow the moon, and a leap month is added seven times in every nineteen years to keep the feasts in their seasons. Jewish tradition credits Hillel II, in the fourth century, with making the calculation public so that communities everywhere could keep the same days. Its great strength is unity: millions of people keep Sukkot on the same days. Some believers question whether a fixed calculation matches how months were set in Scripture.
Observational calendars (sighted moon and barley)
Many Karaite and Hebrew Roots households begin each month when the first thin crescent of the new moon is seen, often from Israel. Many also watch for barley to reach the stage Scripture calls "abib" before declaring the first month. These households value keeping the calendar by direct observation, as they understand the Torah to describe. Because sightings and barley reports vary, their dates can differ from the calculated calendar by a day or two, and in some years by a month. Other groups begin the month at the conjunction (the dark moon) instead of the crescent.
The Zadokite calendar (a 364 day priestly calendar)
Our household keeps a 364 day calendar, often called the Zadokite calendar because scholars associate it with priestly circles connected to the line of Zadok. A year of 364 days appears in the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 72:32) and in the Book of Jubilees (Jubilees 6:32), and several calendar texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls are built on it.
Because 364 days is exactly 52 weeks, every appointed time falls on the same weekday every year. The year begins on the fourth day of the week, the day the lights were made (Genesis 1:14 to 19). That is why, on our calendar, Sukkot always begins on a Wednesday and Yom Kippur always falls on a Friday. Supporters value its fixed pattern and its priestly roots. Others note that it does not follow the moon, and that the books it draws on are outside the Hebrew canon most people read. We hold our practice with conviction and hold others with respect.
Our 2026 Dates: Oct 7 to 13, Plus the Eighth Day on Oct 14
On our calendar, the fall appointed times for 2026 are:
- Yom Teruah: Wednesday, September 23
- Yom Kippur: Friday, October 2
- Sukkot: Wednesday, October 7 through Tuesday, October 13
- Sukkot Shabbat: Saturday, October 10
- Eighth Day: Wednesday, October 14
Our Biblical Feast Year Planner 2026 lays out every appointed time for the year on this calendar, and next year's planner is on the way. For the week itself, see How to Celebrate Sukkot at Home: A Family Guide and The Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret): Meaning & How to Keep It.
When Is Sukkot 2027?
On the widely used Jewish calendar, Sukkot 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, October 15, with Shemini Atzeret on Saturday, October 23. On our calendar, the pattern repeats on the same weekdays, so Sukkot is expected to begin on Wednesday, October 6, 2027, with the Eighth Day on Wednesday, October 13. We will confirm those dates when next year's planner is released.
How Do I Pick a Calendar?
Choosing a calendar is a matter of study and conscience. A few gentle suggestions:
- Start with Scripture. Read Genesis 1:14 to 19, Leviticus 23, and Numbers 28 and 29, and write down what the text itself requires.
- Learn each view from its own teachers. Represent others the way you would want to be represented.
- Consider your household. Many families keep the calendar of their fellowship so they can gather, since the feasts are holy convocations.
- Hold it with grace. Families keep the appointed times by their own reckoning. A different date is not a sign of less love for the Word.
Whatever calendar you keep, the command is the same: "ye shall rejoice before Yahuah your Elohim seven days" (Leviticus 23:40).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Feast of Tabernacles 2026 dates?
It depends on the calendar. The widely used Jewish calendar keeps Sukkot from sundown September 25 through October 2, 2026, with Shemini Atzeret on October 3. On our 364 day calendar, Sukkot is October 7 to 13, with the Eighth Day on October 14. Observational calendars vary by sighting.
Why is our Sukkot later than the Jewish calendar this year?
The two calendars begin their months differently. The Jewish calendar follows a calculated lunar month with leap months, while our calendar uses a fixed 364 day year that begins on a Wednesday. In 2026 that places our seventh month about eleven days later. In other years the gap is different.
Is one calendar clearly right?
Sincere, careful believers disagree, and we will not pretend otherwise. We explain why our household keeps the calendar we do, and we encourage every family to study Scripture, pray, and keep the appointed times faithfully by their own reckoning.
Where can I get a printable feast calendar?
Our Biblical Feast Year Planner 2026 is a printable planner with every appointed time on our calendar. New to the fall feasts? Start with our free Fall Feasts guide.