Hajj 2026 Dates: When Is Hajj This Year?
Hajj 2026 took place from May 25 to May 30, corresponding to 8-13 Dhul Hijjah 1447 AH, after Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court confirmed the Dhul Hijjah crescent on May 17 and set 1 Dhul Hijjah as Monday, May 18. If you’re planning ahead, checking on a pilgrim’s behalf, or just curious how the dates are worked out, here’s what actually determines them and what each day of the pilgrimage involves.
Why Hajj doesn’t fall on the same Gregorian date twice
Hajj is fixed to specific days of the Islamic lunar calendar — the 8th through the 13th of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Hijri year — not to any date on the Gregorian calendar. Because the lunar year runs about 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year, those same Hijri dates land roughly two weeks earlier each Gregorian year. That’s the entire reason Hajj seems to “move” annually; nothing about the pilgrimage itself changes, only where it falls on the calendar most of the world uses day to day.
How the exact dates get confirmed
Saudi Arabia relies on the physical sighting of the new crescent moon, announced by the Supreme Court, to mark the start of Dhul Hijjah. Astronomical predictions can estimate the date closely in advance, but the kingdom doesn’t finalize it until sighting is confirmed after sunset on the 29th night of the preceding month, Dhul Qa’dah. Once Dhul Hijjah begins, every subsequent date — including the Hajj days themselves — follows automatically.
Hajj 2026: day-by-day dates
- 8 Dhul Hijjah (Yawm al-Tarwiyah) — Monday, May 25, 2026: pilgrims move to Mina
- 9 Dhul Hijjah (Day of Arafah) — Tuesday, May 26, 2026: the central rite of Hajj, standing in prayer at Mount Arafat
- 10 Dhul Hijjah (Eid al-Adha) — Wednesday, May 27, 2026: stoning the Jamarat, animal sacrifice, and the start of Tawaf al-Ifadah
- 11-13 Dhul Hijjah (Tashreeq days) — May 28-30, 2026: continued stoning of the Jamarat at Mina before departure
What each stage actually involves
Pilgrims enter the state of ihram before reaching Mecca and perform an initial Tawaf (circling the Kaaba) and Sa’i (walking between Safa and Marwah) soon after arrival. From there, the schedule above takes over: a night in Mina, the day-long stand at Arafah that Hajj is often said to hinge on entirely, the return to Muzdalifah to collect pebbles, and then the stoning of the Jamarat back in Mina, paired with the sacrifice that Muslims worldwide also observe as Eid al-Adha. The final Tawaf al-Wida (farewell circling) closes out the pilgrimage before pilgrims head home.
Frequently asked questions
What were the exact Hajj 2026 dates?
Hajj 2026 ran from May 25 to May 30, covering 8-13 Dhul Hijjah 1447 AH, with the Day of Arafah on May 26 and Eid al-Adha on May 27.
Why does the Hajj date change every year?
Because it’s tied to the Hijri lunar calendar, which is shorter than the Gregorian solar year by about 10-11 days, so the same Islamic dates shift earlier each year when viewed on a Gregorian calendar.
Who decides the official Hajj dates?
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court, based on the sighting of the Dhul Hijjah crescent moon, which the rest of the world’s Hajj-bound pilgrims and most Muslim-majority countries then follow.
Is the Day of Arafah a public holiday?
It isn’t a separate official holiday in most countries, but it’s widely observed with fasting by Muslims who aren’t performing Hajj, and it directly precedes the multi-day Eid al-Adha holiday period.
