when is pongal 2026

Pongal in 2026 falls in mid-January, with the main Thai Pongal day on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.

Quick Scoop: Exact Dates

Here’s the 4-day Pongal 2026 schedule followed in most Tamil calendars and major media:

• Bhogi Pongal: Tuesday, 13 January 2026.

• Thai (Surya) Pongal – main Pongal day : Wednesday, 14 January 2026.

• Mattu Pongal: Thursday, 15 January 2026.

• Kaanum Pongal: Friday, 16 January 2026.

Most festival listings and news outlets identify 14 January 2026 as the primary answer to “when is Pongal 2026,” since Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti both fall on that date.

Why These Dates?

• The festival is set by the Tamil solar calendar and usually coincides with the Sun’s transition into Capricorn (Makar Sankranti), marking the start of the Tamil month of Thai.

• In 2026, this solar transition and the Thai Pongal Sankranti moment occur on 14 January, which is why that day is treated as the central festival day.

So if the question is “when is Pongal 2026?” in a practical sense, most people will mean 14 January 2026, with celebrations running from 13–16 January.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.