Short answer: Kali Puja 2027 falls on the night of Thursday 28 October. The amavasya begins at about 8:48 pm IST that evening and ends at about 7:06 pm on 29 October, so the midnight puja belongs to the 28th. Nishita kaal in Kolkata runs from about 10:55 pm to 11:45 pm. Diwali Lakshmi Puja follows on Friday 29 October.
Updated 8 November 2026
Kali Puja 2027 date and timings
| Event | Date | Time (IST, about) |
|---|---|---|
| Amavasya begins | Thu 28 Oct 2027 | 8:48 pm |
| Kali Puja nishita kaal, Kolkata | Night of Thu 28 Oct | 10:55 pm to 11:45 pm |
| Kali Puja nishita kaal, New Delhi | Night of Thu 28 Oct | 11:39 pm to 12:30 am |
| Amavasya ends | Fri 29 Oct 2027 | 7:06 pm |
| Diwali Lakshmi Puja | Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Evening, while the amavasya still runs |
Kali Puja, also called Shyama Puja or Dipanwita Kali Puja, is a night worship. The rule for choosing its date is simple: it is held on the night when the Kartik amavasya is present at nishita kaal, the muhurta around local midnight. In 2027 only one night meets that rule, the night of 28 October.
Why Kali Puja and Diwali fall on different nights in 2027
In most years Kali Puja and Diwali share the same amavasya night, and Bengali families light their lamps for both together. In 2027 they come apart by a day, and it is worth knowing why before someone in the family argues about it.
The two festivals use different parts of the night. Lakshmi Puja for Diwali needs the amavasya during pradosh kaal, the first part of the evening after sunset. Kali Puja needs it at midnight. This year the amavasya starts at about 8:48 pm on Thursday, after Thursday’s pradosh is already over, so Thursday cannot host Lakshmi Puja. But by midnight on Thursday the amavasya is well under way, so Kali Puja takes that night. On Friday the amavasya is still running at sunset and through the early evening, until about 7:06 pm, so Lakshmi Puja goes to Friday, while Friday’s midnight has no amavasya left at all.
So Kolkata will do Kali Puja on Thursday night, and much of North and West India will celebrate Diwali on Friday evening. Neither is a mistake.
Kali Puja 2027 in Kolkata
In Kolkata the night of Kali Puja is the city’s second great festival after Durga Puja. Kalighat and Dakshineswar draw huge crowds, and the large community pujas in places such as Barasat and Naihati run through the night. Tarapith in Birbhum is busier on this amavasya than on any other night of the year.
Most para pujas fix the actual puja time from the Bengali panjika rather than from an app. The figures I have given are worked out for Kolkata from the standard method, and a printed almanac may move them by a few minutes. If you are attending a particular puja, the committee’s notice is the time to follow.
Kali Puja 2027 outside Bengal and abroad
Assam, Tripura and Odisha keep Kali Puja on the same rule, so the night of 28 October applies there too. For Bengali associations abroad, the amavasya starts on the morning or afternoon of 28 October local time in the UK and North America, and is still running at local midnight that night. By my working, then, 28 October is the Kali Puja night in London, New York and the Bay Area as well. Diwali is where the overseas dates can differ from India’s, since the early evening of 28 October already falls inside the amavasya on the American west coast. Follow your temple or association’s notice for the exact hour.
Bhoot Chaturdashi and Bhai Phonta in 2027
The days around Kali Puja are packed in 2027.
- Dhanteras: Wednesday 27 October.
- Bhoot Chaturdashi: the Chaturdashi tithi runs until about 8:48 pm on Thursday 28 October, so the fourteen lamps and the fourteen leafy greens fall on the same Thursday as Kali Puja night in most reckonings. Check your panjika for the evening it names.
- Kali Puja: the night of Thursday 28 October.
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja: Friday 29 October.
- Bhai Phonta: Sunday 31 October, on the Dwitiya morning.
A little earlier in the month, Durga Puja runs from 5 to 9 October and Kojagari Lakshmi Puja falls on 14 October; my Durga Puja 2027 dates page has the tithi times. For every festival of the year in one place, see the Hindu festivals 2027 calendar.
What the Kartik amavasya means in a chart
Amavasya is the night the Moon and Sun sit together and the Moon gives no light. In Jyotish the Moon stands for the mind, so new Moon nights have always been kept for inner work: prayer, quiet, remembering ancestors, and in the Shakta tradition, the worship of Kali, who is honoured as the power that cuts through fear.
In October 2027 the Sun and Moon meet in Libra, the Sun’s sign of debilitation, which is part of why this amavasya has long been treated as the darkest of the year. Saturn will have moved back into Pisces on 20 October, eight days earlier, and Mercury’s retrograde spell ends the same day as Kali Puja. None of that is a reason for worry. For most people this is simply a good night for a lamp, a prayer and an early bedtime after the festivities. My full list of new and full Moons, with start and end times, is on the Purnima and Amavasya 2027 page.
Lamps at home on Kali Puja night
On this one night many Bengali homes light rows of diyas and candles along the balcony, the parapet and the steps. A few practical points from the Vastu side:
- Keep the main entrance well lit and clear of clutter, with a lamp on each side if you can.
- The north-east corner is best kept clean and lightly lit, never heavy.
- If you keep a small altar for the night, a spot facing east or north works well in most homes.
- Never leave lamps burning unattended near curtains or on a crowded balcony.
My Diwali Vastu tips page covers lamps, cleaning and the entrance in more detail, and the same advice applies to Kali Puja night.
A reading in Bengali around Kali Puja
For many Kolkata families, the days between Kali Puja and Bhai Phonta are when relatives are together and the bigger questions come up: a child’s college, a marriage, a business plan for the new year. I do readings in Bengali, Hindi and English, 45 minutes by video or phone, with written notes within 48 hours. My astrologer in Kolkata page explains how a session runs for Bengali families. To fix a time, book here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kali Puja 2027 on 28 or 29 October?
On the night of Thursday 28 October 2027. The amavasya is present at midnight only on that night. Diwali Lakshmi Puja falls on the evening of Friday 29 October.
What is the Kali Puja 2027 nishita kaal time in Kolkata?
About 10:55 pm to 11:45 pm IST on the night of 28 October 2027. Puja committees may follow their panjika’s figure, which can differ by a few minutes.
Why are Kali Puja and Diwali on different days in 2027?
Lakshmi Puja needs the amavasya in the early evening and Kali Puja needs it at midnight. In 2027 the amavasya begins after Thursday’s early evening and ends before Friday’s midnight, so each festival gets a different night.
When does the Kali Puja 2027 amavasya end?
At about 7:06 pm IST on Friday 29 October 2027. It began at about 8:48 pm on Thursday 28 October.
When is Bhai Phonta after Kali Puja in 2027?
Sunday 31 October 2027, on the Dwitiya tithi. Bhoot Chaturdashi falls on Thursday 28 October, the same day as Kali Puja night, by most calendars.
