Durga Puja 2027 Advertising: Dates, Opportunities and When to Book

Durga Puja 2027 runs from Maha Shashthi on Tuesday 5 October to Bijoya Dashami on 9 or 10 October. That is about twelve days earlier than in 2026, and this time the main days fall on weekdays. Both facts change how brands should plan.

If you advertised at Durga Puja 2026, or wished you had, this is the guide to doing 2027 properly: the dates, what is different about this year, where the opportunities are, and a month-by-month plan for booking the best spaces before they go.

Durga Puja 2027 dates

| Day | Date | Day of week | |---|---|---| | Mahalaya | Around 29–30 September | Wednesday or Thursday | | Navratri begins (North India) | 30 September | Thursday | | Panchami (most pandals open to visitors) | 4 October | Monday | | Maha Shashthi | 5 October | Tuesday | | Maha Saptami | 6 October | Wednesday | | Maha Ashtami | 7 October | Thursday | | Maha Navami | 8 October | Friday | | Dussehra (North India) | 9 October | Saturday | | Bijoya Dashami | 9 or 10 October | Saturday or Sunday, depending on the panjika | | Kojagari Lakshmi Puja | Around 14–15 October | | | Diwali and Kali Puja | 29 October | Friday |

Panchangs differ by a day on some of these, especially Navami and Dashami. Committees follow their own purohit's panjika, so confirm the exact days with the puja you book.

What's different about 2027

1. It is about twelve days earlier. In 2026, Shashthi fell on 17 October. In 2027 it is 5 October. Every deadline moves forward: budget approval, booking, artwork, printing and installation. Brands that plan "like last year" will be twelve days late.

2. The main days fall on weekdays. In 2026 the Puja opened on a weekend. In 2027, Shashthi to Navami run Tuesday to Friday, and the weekend comes at the very end, with Navami night on Friday and Dashami on Saturday or Sunday. Expect the biggest crowds in the evenings, a huge Navami Friday night, and heavy pre-Puja crowds on the weekend of 2–3 October, when people visit pandals early to avoid the weekday rush.

3. Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali fall within 30 days. From 30 September to 29 October, every major festival happens back to back. Printers, fabricators and committees will all be busy at once, so production slots fill early. On the plus side, one creative idea can run through the whole month.

4. Overseas pujas will choose a weekend. Bengali pujas abroad usually hold their main celebrations on a weekend, so many are likely to use 2–3 October or 9–10 October. Check each committee's dates before planning a diaspora campaign. Durga Puja abroad guide

Why Durga Puja is worth planning a year for

• Industry leaders told Storyboard18 that Durga Puja is India's second-largest advertising season after Diwali. National brands put about 8–10% of their festive budget into it, and regional brands in Bengal and the East up to 25–30%.
• One Kolkata outdoor agency estimates Puja outdoor business in West Bengal at ₹800–1,000 crore over about ten days. The agency says this is an estimate, not an official figure.
• A famous Kolkata puja can draw up to a million visitors over the festival, and they are standing in queues, not driving past.
• In 2026, brands from snack makers to real estate developers increased their Puja spending, and a neighbourhood sweet shop sponsored the gate of the puja near its outlet. The opportunity works for every budget.

The month-by-month booking plan for 2027

| When | What to do | |---|---| | March–April 2027 | Decide which cities and neighbourhoods matter. Set a draft budget. | | May 2027 | Shortlist pujas. Ask committees for last year's photos, footfall by day and their 2027 space list. | | June 2027 | Approve the budget. Book the famous pujas and the best gates now. | | 5 July 2027 (Rath Yatra) | Many Bengal committees begin their idols with kathamo puja on Rath Yatra. Planning is officially under way. | | July–August 2027 | Book neighbourhood and mid-sized pujas. Confirm sizes and positions. | | By 31 August | Final artwork approved. | | By 15 September | Printing done. Production slots are scarce this year. | | By 2 October | Branding installed, lit and photographed, in time for the pre-Puja weekend. |

The single most important date is June. The best gates at well-known pujas are often committed by early August, sometimes to last year's sponsors before they are ever offered publicly.

The advertising opportunities at a Durga Puja

A single pandal sells far more than a gate banner. The main spaces are gate and arch branding, title sponsorship, approach-road banners and hoardings, pillar wraps, queue barricade panels, backlit boards, direction signs, the stage backdrop, cultural evenings, LED screens, stalls and sampling, food-court branding and prasad packets. Each one does a different job. Read Advertising Opportunities in Puja: 15 Spaces for what each costs and who it suits.

For a weekday Puja, favour spaces that work at night. Backlit gates, LED screens and stalls open late will earn more than unlit banners in 2027.

Where to advertise

• Kolkata and Howrah: the biggest market, with thousands of community pujas, from famous theme pujas to neighbourhood clubs.
• The rest of Bengal: Barasat, Naihati, Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri and the district towns have large crowds at much lower prices.
• Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar: Guwahati, Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Dhanbad and Patna.
• Big cities outside the East: Delhi's CR Park and NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune have large Bengali pujas with a high-spending audience.
• Abroad: London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Singapore and Dubai.

City guides: Kolkata · Delhi · Mumbai · Bangalore

Budgets: what Durga Puja 2027 could cost you

Prices from real PujaSathi listings at neighbourhood and mid-sized pujas in 2026:

| Space | Typical price | |---|---| | Banner | From ₹2,500, typically about ₹5,000 | | Pillar or pole set | Typically about ₹12,000 | | Stall | Typically about ₹15,500 | | Stage backdrop | Typically about ₹22,500 | | Gate or arch | ₹10,000 to ₹1,00,000, typically about ₹42,500 | | Title sponsorship | Typically about ₹50,000 |

Famous theme pujas charge far more. A small business can be at a neighbourhood puja for under ₹25,000. Sponsor a local puja under ₹25,000 · Full cost guide

For puja committees: start now

Brands that plan early book early, and in 2027 they will be booking in June. Committees that list their spaces, prices and last year's photos before then get those bookings. List your puja once on PujaSathi and update it for 2027 when your plans are ready. List your puja free · Sponsorship proposal template

Frequently asked questions

When is Durga Puja 2027?

Maha Shashthi is on Tuesday 5 October 2027, Maha Ashtami on Thursday 7 October and Maha Navami on Friday 8 October. Bijoya Dashami falls on Saturday 9 or Sunday 10 October, depending on the panjika.

When is Mahalaya 2027?

Around Wednesday 29 or Thursday 30 September 2027. Sources differ by a day, so check your local panjika.

Is Durga Puja 2027 earlier than 2026?

Yes, by about twelve days. Shashthi was on 17 October in 2026 and is on 5 October in 2027.

When should brands book Durga Puja 2027 advertising?

Approve the budget in June 2027 and book between June and August. Artwork should be final by the end of August, and branding installed by 2 October.

Which Durga Puja 2027 day will be the most crowded?

Expect the evenings of Ashtami (Thursday 7 October) and Navami (Friday 8 October) to be the busiest, and Navami Friday night especially. The pre-Puja weekend of 2–3 October will also be busy.

Plan Durga Puja 2027 with PujaSathi

Brands: pujas list their spaces with prices and photos, and you book directly with photo proof once your branding is up. Browse pujas. Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri 2026 are open now.

Committees: list your puja free and be ready when brands start booking.

Related: [Festival Advertising Opportunities 2026–27](/blog/festival-advertising-opportunities-2026-2027) · [Ganesh Chaturthi 2027 Advertising Opportunities](/blog/ganesh-chaturthi-2027-advertising-opportunities) · [Durga Puja Sponsorship for Brands](/blog/durga-puja-sponsorship-for-brands)