Chanukah, Purim and Pesach 2026–27: the dates, the short Fridays, and the last day to order
Updated October 2026 · Sam’s Menswear editorial team
Simchas Torah, on 4 October, is the last Yom Tov until Pesach. What follows is six months of ordinary Shabbosim with three occasions in them: Chanukah in December, Purim in March and Pesach in April. This year the calendar does something unusual with each of them.
When is everything, exactly?
Toronto dates and times from Hebcal. Candle lighting is 18 minutes before sunset; your community’s custom may differ.
| Date | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Chanukah, first candle | Fri 4 Dec | Lit before Shabbos candles; candle lighting 4:22 pm |
| Shabbos Chanukah | Sat 5 Dec (Vayeishev) and Sat 12 Dec (Mikeitz) | Two Shabbosim inside the eight days |
| Asara B’Teves | Sun 20 Dec | Fast |
| Purim Katan | Sun 21 Feb | Because this is a leap year |
| Ta’anis Esther | Mon 22 Mar | Fast |
| Purim | Tue 23 Mar | Shushan Purim Wed 24 Mar |
| Pesach, the first seder | Wed 21 Apr | Candle lighting 7:50 pm |
| Pesach, first days | Thu 22 and Fri 23 Apr | Running straight into Shabbos, 24 Apr |
| Chol hamoed | 25 to 27 Apr | The studio is open by appointment only |
| Pesach, last days | Wed 28 and Thu 29 Apr |
Chanukah starts on a Friday, at 4:22
The first candle is lit on Friday 4 December, before Shabbos. Candle lighting in Toronto that evening is 4:22 pm, and it is 4:22 again on Friday 11 December. Those are the two earliest Fridays of the year: 4:25 the week before, 4:24 the week after, and 4:40 by early January.
The studio closes at 2 pm on Fridays, so a December Friday leaves no room for a last-minute collection. The easy day is Sunday, 9 am to 8 pm. Sam can also come to your office or your home, for the first appointment and for the fitting.
Two Shabbosim fall inside Chanukah, 5 and 12 December. If there is a simcha in the family that week, a bar mitzvah or a sheva brachos, those are the dates to work back from. The bar mitzvah calendar, Shabbos by Shabbos →
5787 has two Adars
This is a leap year, with an Adar I and an Adar II. Purim is in Adar II, so it falls on Tuesday 23 March, three weeks later than the 2026 date of 3 March. Pesach moves with it: the first seder is on Wednesday 21 April, against 1 April this year.
It also brings Purim Katan on 21 February, a small occasion in the first Adar that ordinary years do not have. And because every date from Purim onwards slides about three weeks later than this year’s, last year’s timing is no guide: count back from the 2027 dates, not from memory.
Pesach runs into Shabbos: three days without a weekday
The first days of Pesach fall on Thursday and Friday, 22 and 23 April, and Shabbos follows straight after. From the seder on Wednesday evening to Saturday night, that is three full days of Yom Tov and Shabbos in a row.
As with the High Holidays, the thing that runs out is shirts. A suit can be worn for three days; a shirt cannot. If you are ordering anything for Pesach, order shirts. The white shirt →
So when is the last day to order?
A suit takes three to four weeks, a shirt two to three. A rush of twelve days is possible only if the cloth is in stock, and it is a favour rather than a plan.
| For | Comfortable (four weeks) | Latest (three weeks) | Rush, if the cloth is in stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanukah, Fri 4 Dec | Fri 6 Nov | Fri 13 Nov | Sun 22 Nov |
| Purim, Tue 23 Mar | Tue 23 Feb | Tue 2 Mar | Thu 11 Mar |
| Pesach, Wed 21 Apr | Wed 24 Mar | Wed 31 Mar | Fri 9 Apr |
Reordering from a pattern already on file takes two to three weeks, because the measuring is done. And if last year’s suit is sound and simply no longer fits, an alteration is a quicker job than a new suit. When to alter and when to replace →
The High Holidays had their own series, and the rest of the Toronto season is on one page. The High Holidays 2026 → · The fall and winter order-by calendar →
A closing note. This guide is about dates, fabric and fit. Where it touches custom or halacha, it reports what is commonly done, never what you should do. Ask your rav.