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Dates checked 29 October 2026. The biggest 2027 dates for ecommerce ads are Diwali on Friday 29 October (India), Black Friday on 26 November and Cyber Monday on 29 November, Ramadan from about 8 February (Gulf), Valentine's Day on Sunday 14 February, and Navratri from 30 September. What makes 2027 unusual is how many of them collide: the Super Bowl falls on Valentine's Day, the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup runs through the whole Navratri to Diwali season, and Diwali lands two days before Halloween.
This calendar covers India, the US and UK, the Gulf and South-East Asia in one place, because that is where most D2C brands we work with sell. Every date has a source, and anything that depends on a moon sighting or a retailer announcement is marked as an estimate. Hindu festival dates follow Drik Panchang for New Delhi and can move by a day in other cities.
Six 2027 collisions to plan around
Most calendars list dates. The planning problem is the overlaps, because two moments in one week means two creative sets, two offers and one budget.
- Super Bowl LXI and Valentine's Day are both Sunday 14 February. The game is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. If you sell in the US, decide early which moment your brand belongs to; gifting brands should finish their Valentine's push by Friday the 12th, before the game takes over feeds and CPMs.
- Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Valentine's land within nine days. The Year of the Fire Goat starts Saturday 6 February, Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February in the Gulf (9 February in India and Indonesia), and Valentine's follows on the 14th. A brand selling in the UAE and Singapore needs Ramadan, Lunar New Year and Valentine's creative live in the same fortnight.
- Eid al-Fitr, Holi and Easter fall inside 19 days. Eid is expected around Wednesday 10 March, Holi is Monday 22 March and Easter Sunday is 28 March.
- Akshaya Tritiya and US Mother's Day are both Sunday 9 May. For jewellery and gold brands selling in India and the US, that is one of the biggest gold-buying days of the Indian year and the biggest gifting Sunday of the American spring on the same date.
- The Cricket World Cup covers the entire Indian festive season. It runs from 2 October to the final on 21 November in Johannesburg. India play Australia on 7 October and Pakistan on Sunday 10 October, the day after Dussehra. Navratri, Karwa Chauth, Dhanteras, Diwali and Chhath all happen during the tournament, and the final is five days before Black Friday.
- Diwali is Friday 29 October and Halloween is Sunday 31 October. Brands with Indian diaspora customers in the US, UK and Gulf will run Diwali and Halloween creative in the same week, and Bhai Dooj falls on Halloween itself. Then Hanukkah starts at sundown on Christmas Eve.
How early to have creative ready
The dates are fixed; the work that slips is creative. This is the rule of thumb we give brands, counting back from the day itself:
| When | What should be done |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Offer decided, audiences picked, creative brief written |
| 4 to 6 weeks before | First creative set live as a small test, so you learn which angle wins at normal prices |
| 2 weeks before | Winners scaled, losers cut, a second round of variants made from the winning angle |
| 1 week before | Structure frozen. Only swap creatives, never rebuild campaigns in peak week |
| The day itself | Urgency versions live: "ends tonight", "last day for delivery" |
For Diwali 2027 that means a brief by early September, a test running from mid-September, and everything scaled before Navratri starts on 30 September. Peak-season auctions are the most expensive place to learn which creative works.
Q1 2027: January to March
| Date | Moment | Markets | Creative angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year | All | Resolutions, fresh start, health and organisation |
| 7 Jan to 5 Feb | AFC Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia | Gulf | Football watch parties, snacks, home |
| Fri 15 Jan | Makar Sankranti, Pongal | India | Winter harvest, kites, sweets (some calendars list 14 Jan) |
| Tue 26 Jan | Republic Day | India | Republic Day sale offers, made-in-India pride |
| Sat 6 Feb | Lunar New Year, Year of the Fire Goat | SEA, US | Red and gold gifting, family reunions |
| About 8 Feb | Ramadan begins (estimate) | Gulf, SEA, India | Iftar, giving, evening shopping; 9 Feb in India and Indonesia |
| Sun 14 Feb | Valentine's Day and Super Bowl LXI | All, US | Gifting for couples; game-day food and drink |
| Mon 22 Feb | Saudi Founding Day | Saudi Arabia | Heritage, national pride |
| Sat 6 Mar | Maha Shivratri | India | Fasting foods, devotion |
| Sun 7 Mar | Mothering Sunday | UK | Mum gifting, three weeks before the US one |
| About Wed 10 Mar | Eid al-Fitr (estimate) | Gulf, SEA, India | New clothes, gifting, family feasts |
| Wed 17 Mar | St Patrick's Day | US, UK, Ireland | Green, parties, drinks |
| Mon 22 Mar | Holi | India | Colour, skin and hair protection, sweets |
| Sun 28 Mar | Easter | US, UK | Chocolate, spring, family |
January and February in one pair: a winter product sold on the cold (mid-January is peak winter in North India) and a clutch shot as a clean studio still, which is the version you can reuse for Valentine's, Eid and anniversaries with only the copy changed.
Q2 2027: April to June
| Date | Moment | Markets | Creative angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7 Apr | Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Chaitra Navratri begins | India | New year in the south and west, new purchases |
| Thu 15 Apr | Ram Navami | India | Devotion, fasting foods |
| Sun 9 May | US Mother's Day and Akshaya Tritiya | US, India | Mum gifting; gold and jewellery |
| About 16 to 17 May | Eid al-Adha (estimate) | Gulf, SEA, India | Saudi expected 16 May; UAE, India and Singapore 17 May |
| 15 May to 15 Aug | Expo 2027, Belgrade | Europe | Only if you sell in the Balkans |
| Late May to mid June | Myntra End of Reason Sale (estimate, 2026 ran 29 May to 14 June) | India | Fashion discounts |
| Mon 31 May | Memorial Day | US | Start of summer, outdoor, sales |
| Sun 20 Jun | Father's Day | US, UK, India | Dad gifting |
| 21 to 25 Jun | Cannes Lions | Global | Where the year's ad formats get announced |
| From Thu 24 Jun | FIFA Women's World Cup, Brazil | Global | 32 teams, final 25 July at the Maracanã |
| Late June (estimate) | Amazon Prime Day | US | In 2026 Amazon moved it to 23 to 26 June; 2027 not announced |
Summer creative that is not a discount: a barbecue moment for Father's Day and July 4, and a school-holiday problem every parent recognises.
Q3 2027: July to September
| Date | Moment | Markets | Creative angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early July (estimate) | Amazon Prime Day India | India | 2026 ran 4 to 6 July |
| Sun 4 Jul | Independence Day (US) | US | Barbecue, outdoors, red, white and blue (observed Mon 5 Jul) |
| July to August | Back to school | US, India | US shoppers start early: NRF found 62% had begun by early July 2026 |
| Sun 15 Aug | Independence Day (India) | India | Freedom sales, made in India |
| Tue 17 Aug | Raksha Bandhan | India | Sibling gifting, ship-by deadlines |
| Wed 25 Aug | Janmashtami | India | Devotion, kids dressed as Krishna |
| Sat 4 Sep | Ganesh Chaturthi | India | Biggest in Maharashtra; home decor, sweets |
| Mon 6 Sep | Labor Day | US | End of summer sales |
| Sun 12 Sep | Onam | India (Kerala) | Sadhya feast, new clothes |
| Thu 23 Sep | Saudi National Day | Saudi Arabia | Green, national pride, big retail promotions |
| Late September (estimate) | Flipkart Big Billion Days, Amazon Great Indian Festival | India | 2026 opened 8 to 9 October; expect earlier because Navratri starts 30 Sep |
| Thu 30 Sep | Sharad Navratri begins | India | Nine nights: fasting foods, garba, ethnic wear |
Navratri creative for a vrat-friendly snack brand. Same pouch, two audiences: shoppers who fast (purity, sattvik ingredients) and the shop owners who stock for them. Both were made from the product page in LocalAds.
Q4 2027: October to December
| Date | Moment | Markets | Creative angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct to 13 Nov | Rugby World Cup, Australia | Australia, UK, South Africa | Watch parties |
| 2 Oct to 21 Nov | ICC Men's Cricket World Cup | India, UK, Gulf, Australia | India v Pakistan Sun 10 Oct |
| Sat 9 Oct | Dussehra | India | Good over evil, vehicle and gadget purchases |
| Mon 18 Oct | Karwa Chauth | India (north) | Jewellery, ethnic wear, gifting for wives |
| Wed 27 Oct | Dhanteras | India | Gold, silver, utensils, electronics |
| Fri 29 Oct | Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) | India, diaspora | Gifting, home, lights, sweets. US calendars may show 28 Oct |
| Sun 31 Oct | Halloween and Bhai Dooj | US, UK; India | Costumes and candy; sibling gifting |
| Thu 4 Nov | Chhath Puja | India (Bihar, UP) | Devotion, homecoming |
| Thu 11 Nov | Singles Day 11.11 | SEA, China | Marketplace mega-sales (Shopee, Lazada) |
| Thu 25 Nov | Thanksgiving | US | Gratitude, hosting |
| Fri 26 Nov | Black Friday (and White Friday in the Gulf) | All | Your biggest offer of the year |
| Sat 27 Nov | Small Business Saturday | US | Founder-led, independent brand stories |
| Mon 29 Nov | Cyber Monday | All | Online-only offers, last call |
| Tue 30 Nov | GivingTuesday | US, global | Donations, cause tie-ins |
| Thu 2 Dec | UAE National Day | UAE | National pride, long weekend sales |
| Sun 12 Dec | 12.12 sales | SEA | The last marketplace sale before Christmas |
| Fri 24 Dec | Hanukkah begins at sundown | US | Eight nights of gifting, to 1 January 2028 |
| Sat 25 Dec | Christmas | All | Last shipping dates matter more than the day |
| Sun 26 Dec | Boxing Day | UK | Clearance (bank holidays Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec) |
Two Diwali jobs for one product. The gift box is for people buying for someone else; the offer creative is for people refreshing their own home before guests arrive. Diwali shoppers are both.
The Indian wedding season runs through the same months and keeps going after Diwali, so jewellery and ethnic wear brands need a bridal set ready alongside the festive one.
Sport and culture in 2027
Big tournaments change two things for advertisers: what people watch, and how much an impression costs during the matches.
| Event | Dates | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Asian Cup | 7 Jan to 5 Feb | Saudi Arabia | First major Gulf sports event of the year |
| Super Bowl LXI | Sun 14 Feb | Inglewood, US | The most expensive US ad day, on Valentine's |
| IPL 2027 | Reported 10 Mar to 15 May (not final) | India | Two months of evening cricket audiences |
| FIFA Women's World Cup | 24 Jun to 25 Jul | Brazil | 32 teams, 64 matches, eight host cities |
| Rugby World Cup | 1 Oct to 13 Nov | Australia | Final at Stadium Australia, Sydney |
| ICC Men's Cricket World Cup | 2 Oct to 21 Nov | South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia | Runs across India's whole festive season |
Dates that are still estimates
Plan with these, but do not print them on a creative until they are confirmed:
- Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha depend on moon sightings, and the Gulf, India and South-East Asia often differ by a day.
- Amazon Prime Day moved earlier in the US in 2026, so do not assume July.
- Flipkart Big Billion Days and the Amazon Great Indian Festival have not announced 2027 dates. They usually open just before Navratri.
- IPL 2027 has a reported window but no final schedule.
- White Friday in the Gulf follows Black Friday but each retailer sets its own dates.
How many creatives each moment needs
A calendar this crowded is a volume problem. If you sell in two markets and pick ten moments, that is twenty creative sets, and each set needs a few angles because you will not know in advance which one wins.
A practical minimum per moment: three angles (the gift, the self-purchase, the offer), two or three static variants of each, and one short video if video works in your category. The pairs in this post show how far one product page can stretch: a Navratri snack sold to fasters and to shopkeepers, a bedsheet sold as a gift and as a home refresh.
That is what LocalAds is built for. You paste a product URL, pick an audience, and it makes the ad set from your own product photos, with no prompt writing. Video ads come in 20 preset formats and 42 languages, so the Hindi Diwali version and the English Black Friday version come from the same page.
For the platform side of next year, see ChatGPT Ads in 2027 and video ad trends for 2027.
Sources
Dates were checked on 29 October 2026 against: timeanddate US holidays, timeanddate India holidays, timeanddate Saudi Arabia and UAE, Drik Panchang Diwali calendar, Hebcal for Hanukkah, the ICC fixture announcement (1 October 2026), FIFA's Women's World Cup schedule, Cannes Lions and 9to5Mac on Prime Day 2026.
FAQ
When is Diwali in 2027? Lakshmi Puja is on Friday 29 October 2027 in India. Dhanteras is Wednesday 27 October and Bhai Dooj is Sunday 31 October. Some US calendars list 28 October because the new moon falls on a different local date there.
When is Black Friday 2027? Friday 26 November 2027, the day after US Thanksgiving on 25 November. Cyber Monday is 29 November and Small Business Saturday is 27 November.
When does Ramadan start in 2027? It is expected to begin around Monday 8 February 2027 in the Gulf and Tuesday 9 February in India and Indonesia, with Eid al-Fitr around Wednesday 10 March. Both depend on the moon sighting, so treat them as estimates.
When is the 2027 Cricket World Cup? The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup runs from 2 October to 21 November 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. India play Pakistan on Sunday 10 October in Johannesburg.
When is Navratri in 2027? Sharad Navratri begins on Thursday 30 September 2027 and Dussehra is Saturday 9 October. Chaitra Navratri begins on Wednesday 7 April.
How early should I prepare festive ad creative? Write the brief about eight weeks before, run a small test of the first creatives four to six weeks before, and scale the winners two weeks out. For Diwali 2027, that means testing from mid-September so everything is scaled before Navratri.