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Advent 2026 · First Sunday of Advent

When does Advent start in 2026?

Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent, which is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The season lasts 26 days, until Christmas Eve on Thursday, December 24.

52
days until AdventFirst Sunday of Advent: Counted as of October 8, 2026

MySavior, an iPhone app of Christian widgets, can keep this countdown on your Lock Screen or Home Screen.

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Illustration · day counts as of October 8, 2026

Advent 2026

Advent 2026 at a glance

The four Sundays of Advent 2026, the days of the season and the feasts that fall in it. The third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, takes its name from the Latin for “rejoice”.

First Sunday of AdventSunday, November 29, 2026
Second Sunday of AdventSunday, December 6, 2026
Third Sunday of AdventSunday, December 13, 2026 (Gaudete Sunday)
Fourth Sunday of AdventSunday, December 20, 2026
Christmas EveThursday, December 24, 2026
Christmas DayFriday, December 25, 2026
Length of Advent26 days
Feasts during AdventSt. Nicholas Day (Sun, Dec 6) and Immaculate Conception (Tue, Dec 8)
Sunday beforeChrist the King, Sunday, November 22, 2026

Ten years of dates

First Sunday of Advent, 2026 to 2035

Advent always begins on a Sunday between November 27 and December 3, so it lasts from 22 to 28 days, depending on the day of the week Christmas falls on.

YearAdvent beginsLengthChristmas Day
202626 daysFriday
202727 daysSaturday
202822 daysMonday
202923 daysTuesday
203024 daysWednesday
203125 daysThursday
203227 daysSaturday
203328 daysSunday
203422 daysMonday
203523 daysTuesday

The rule

How the start of Advent is calculated

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Two steps find it for any year:

  1. Find the last Sunday before December 25. That is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. If Christmas itself is a Sunday, go back a full week, to December 18.
  2. Count back three more Sundays, or 21 days. That is the First Sunday of Advent.

In 2026, Christmas Day is a Friday, so the last Sunday before it is December 20. Three weeks earlier is Sunday, November 29, 2026.

A quicker way to remember it: the First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to November 30, the feast of Saint Andrew. That is why it never comes before November 27 or after December 3. Unlike Lent, Advent does not depend on the date of Easter.

Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and other Western churches use this rule. The Ambrosian Rite of Milan keeps a longer Advent of six Sundays, and Eastern churches keep a forty-day Nativity Fast before Christmas instead. MySavior’s countdown uses the four-Sunday rule above, for any year.

The season

What is Advent?

Advent, from the Latin adventus, “coming”, is the season of waiting and preparation before Christmas. It looks two ways: back to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and ahead to his promised return. It also opens the Church year, so the First Sunday of Advent is a kind of New Year’s Day for Western churches. The Sunday before it, Christ the King (November 22), closes the old year.

Colors and Sundays

Violet is the color of Advent, and some Protestant churches use blue. On the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday (December 13, 2026), many churches use rose, because Christmas is near.

The Advent wreath

An Advent wreath is a ring of evergreen branches holding four candles, one more lit each Sunday: usually three violet candles and a rose one for the third Sunday. Many families add a white Christ candle in the middle for Christmas. In many churches the four candles stand for hope, peace, joy and love.

Advent calendars and the Advent season

Most Advent calendars run from December 1 to December 24, whatever the year. The season itself starts on the First Sunday of Advent: in 2026, that is November 29, two days before the first door.

On your iPhone

Put the Advent countdown on your Lock Screen

MySavior’s Christian Countdown widget keeps the days until Advent on your iPhone and changes at midnight.

  1. Install MySavior and open it once.
  2. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then choose the Lock Screen.
  3. Tap the area below the clock and add MySavior’s Christian Countdown, rectangular or circular. For one line beside the date, tap the date instead.
  4. Tap the countdown you added, set its Event to Advent, then tap Done.

Counting from October 8, 2026, a widget left on Auto would first count down to All Saints, Christ the King and Thanksgiving; choosing Advent keeps it on Advent. When Advent begins, switch it to Christmas, or keep a second widget on Christmas. The small Home Screen widget works the same way, with a photo for each feast.

How to add a widget to the iPhone Lock Screen, with pictures

Illustration · Home Screen widgets · day counts as of October 8, 2026

Questions and answers

When does Advent start in 2026?

Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent. It lasts 26 days, until Christmas Eve on Thursday, December 24, 2026.

When does Advent start in 2027 and 2028?

In 2027, Advent starts on Sunday, November 28. In 2028, it starts on Sunday, December 3. Each is the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

How is the First Sunday of Advent calculated?

The First Sunday of Advent is the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is also the Sunday closest to November 30. So it always falls between November 27 and December 3.

Does Advent always start on December 1?

No. Many Advent calendars start on December 1, but the season starts on the First Sunday of Advent, which in 2026 is November 29.

Can I see the days until Advent on my iPhone?

Yes. Add MySavior’s Christian Countdown widget to your Lock Screen or Home Screen and choose Advent as its Event. It counts down one day at a time and shows “Today” on the First Sunday of Advent.

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Count down to Advent on your iPhone

MySavior’s Christian Countdown widget shows the days until Advent, Christmas and 28 more feasts on your Lock Screen and Home Screen. For iPhone with iOS 18.6 or later.

Download on the App Store