Planning
Corporate Gifting Calendar 2027: Month by Month
By Gifting by Cladure Team11 min read
Most corporate gifting goes wrong on timing rather than taste: the order goes in after the branding window has closed, or a festival that matters to half the team is missed because it is not a holiday at head office. This calendar lays out the 2027 occasions that Indian companies usually gift for, month by month, with what to send and when to start.
Quick answer: The big gifting moments in 2027 are New Year, Makar Sankranti and Pongal (15 January), Holi (22 March), the financial-year end (31 March), Independence Day (15 August), the festive run from Ganesh Chaturthi (4 September) and Onam (12 September) through Navratri and Dussehra (9 October) to Diwali on Friday 29 October, and Christmas (25 December). Start each branded order several weeks ahead, and start Diwali planning by early August, because Diwali 2027 falls about ten days earlier than it did in 2026.
How we built this calendar
We included an occasion only if companies commonly mark it with a gift for employees, clients or partners. For each one we looked at:
- Verified dates. Festival dates follow the lunar or solar calendar, so we checked every 2027 date against at least two published panchang calendars. Where they disagree, or where the date depends on a moon sighting (Lohri and Eid, for example), we give the month only. Your local calendar may differ by a day for some festivals.
- Where the occasion matters most. Several festivals are regional. A Pune or Bengaluru team will expect Ganesh Chaturthi or Ugadi to be noticed; a Kolkata team will expect Durga Puja to be.
- Lead time. Branded gifts need time for a quote, a mockup, approval, branding and delivery. We note when to start, not just when the day falls.
- Budget fit. Smaller occasions suit a light per-head gift; the festive season and year-end usually carry the larger budgets.
The 2027 calendar at a glance
Dates below are for 2027. "Start by" is a planning suggestion for a branded order; the written quote confirms the actual timeline for your products, quantity and cities.
| Date | Occasion | Where it matters most | Start planning by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January (Fri) | New Year | All teams and clients | Late November 2026 |
| January (eve of Sankranti) | Lohri | Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR | Early December 2026 |
| 15 January (Fri) | Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Uttarayan | Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and more | Early December 2026 |
| 26 January (Tue) | Republic Day | Employee engagement across India | Mid-December 2026 |
| 8 March (Mon) | International Women's Day | All teams | Late January |
| 21 to 22 March | Holika Dahan and Holi | North and central India especially | Early February |
| March (moon sighting) | Eid al-Fitr | Employees and partners who observe it | Early February |
| 31 March (Wed) | Financial-year end | Clients, partners, top performers | Mid-February |
| 7 April (Wed) | Ugadi and Gudi Padwa | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra | Late February |
| 14 April (Wed) | Baisakhi | Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR | Early March |
| 15 August (Sun) | Independence Day | Employee engagement across India | Early July |
| 17 August (Tue) | Raksha Bandhan | Mostly informal team gestures | Early July |
| 4 September (Sat) | Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganeshotsav begins) | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana | Late July |
| 12 September (Sun) | Onam (Thiruvonam) | Kerala | Late July |
| 30 September to 9 October | Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra | Gujarat (Navratri), West Bengal and the east (Durga Puja), across India (Dussehra) | Mid-August |
| 27 to 31 October | Dhanteras, Diwali (Fri 29 Oct), Bhai Dooj | Across India | Early August |
| 4 November (Thu) | Chhath Puja | Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh | Fold into the Diwali order |
| 25 December (Sat) | Christmas | All teams, overseas clients and partners | Early November |
| 31 December (Fri) | Year-end and New Year 2028 | Clients and teams | Early November |
Dates checked in November 2026 against published panchang calendars. Lohri and Eid al-Fitr are given by month only, because the exact day varies by source or depends on the moon.
January to March: winter, harvest festivals and the year-end close
January: New Year, Lohri, Sankranti and Pongal
The year opens with New Year gifts for clients and teams, usually ordered in November alongside Christmas. Mid-January brings the harvest festivals: Lohri in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi NCR on the eve of Makar Sankranti, then Makar Sankranti, Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Uttarayan in Gujarat on Friday 15 January. A small box of chikki or til sweets with a card is a warm, low-cost gesture for regional teams. For north Indian offices, January is also the coldest month, so heaters, flasks and throws make sense; see winter corporate gifts.
February and March: Holi, Women's Day and the financial-year end
International Women's Day on Monday 8 March is usually marked with a light, thoughtful gift for every employee; our Women's Day gift ideas cover the options. Holi follows on Monday 22 March, with Holika Dahan the evening before. Herbal colour kits, sweets and snacks suit office celebrations; see Holi corporate gifts. Eid al-Fitr is expected in March, with the exact day set by the moon sighting.
The financial year ends on Wednesday 31 March. Many companies thank key clients and channel partners at the close, recognise people who hit annual targets, and use up the remaining gifting budget. Diaries, pen sets and desk pieces for the new financial year are a natural fit. Because this coincides with Holi, get quotes in by mid-February.
Examples for January to March
April to July: regional new years, appraisals and onboarding
Ugadi (in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) and Gudi Padwa (in Maharashtra) both fall on Wednesday 7 April, and Baisakhi, the spring harvest festival of Punjab that also marks the founding of the Khalsa, falls on Wednesday 14 April. If you have large teams in those states, a sweets box or a small brass piece with a regional greeting goes a long way.
April to July has no national gifting peak, which makes it the right time for programmes that run all year:
- Onboarding kits. Many campus hires join in the summer months. Order welcome kits in one batch with a few spares, rather than one rushed order per joining date.
- Appraisal and recognition gifts. If your appraisal cycle closes in April or May, plan rewards and recognition gifts with the HR calendar.
- Work anniversaries and birthdays. Agree one standard gift per milestone, keep a small stock, and send on the day; see milestone gifts and employee birthday gifts.
- Summer drinkware. Insulated bottles are useful in May and June across most of India and travel well to home addresses.
- Retirements and farewells. These follow no calendar, so keep a short approved list ready; see farewell and retirement gifts.
Examples for April to July
August to November: the festive season
This is where most corporate gifting budgets go, and where most delays happen. In 2027 the season starts earlier than in 2026 because Diwali moves from 8 November (2026) to Friday 29 October.
- Independence Day (Sunday 15 August). A small engagement gift for all employees; see Independence Day gifts. As it falls on a Sunday, plan office celebrations for the Friday before or the Monday after.
- Raksha Bandhan (Tuesday 17 August). Usually an informal office moment with sweets rather than a formal gift.
- Ganesh Chaturthi (Saturday 4 September). Ganeshotsav runs for ten days and matters most to teams in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Telangana. Sweets and puja-friendly décor suit it.
- Onam (Sunday 12 September). Thiruvonam is the main day of Onam in Kerala. Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram teams will notice a gift timed for it.
- Navratri, Durga Puja and Dussehra (30 September to 9 October). Navratri begins on Thursday 30 September, Durga Ashtami is on Thursday 7 October and Dussehra is on Saturday 9 October. Durga Puja is the main festival for teams in West Bengal and the east.
- Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj (27 to 31 October). Diwali is on Friday 29 October, with Dhanteras on Wednesday 27 October. Most companies aim to hand over gifts in the week before. See Diwali corporate gifts and how to plan Diwali corporate gifting.
- Chhath Puja (Thursday 4 November). Important for many employees from Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. A greeting card, or flexibility on leave around the festival, can matter as much as a gift.
A Diwali 2027 timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| June to July 2027 | Agree the budget, recipient groups and headcount per group |
| Early August 2027 | Shortlist two or three gifts per group and request quotes |
| Mid to late August 2027 | Review mockups, card text and packaging; one or two rounds of changes |
| By early September 2027 | Approve the quote and branding; place the order |
| September 2027 | Collect and check delivery addresses, city by city |
| October 2027 | Delivery to offices and homes ahead of Dhanteras (27 October) |
A combined festive order can cover Navratri or Durga Puja for one region and Diwali for everyone else, with different card text per city. That keeps one approval cycle instead of three.
Examples for the festive season
December: Christmas and the year-end
Christmas falls on Saturday 25 December 2027, so office celebrations and deliveries should land by Thursday 23 or Friday 24 December. It is the natural moment for overseas clients and teams who do not mark Diwali. Year-end client gifts and New Year gifts for 2028 usually go in the same order. Start in early November, because the last fortnight of December is a busy time for deliveries. See Christmas corporate gifts and how to plan year-end client gifts.
Examples for December
How should you split the gifting budget across 2027?
Decide the year in one sitting, not occasion by occasion. A simple way to structure it:
| Occasion type | Typical per-head band | Who usually receives it |
|---|---|---|
| Diwali (or your main festival) | ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 and up for clients | All employees, key clients, dealers |
| Year-end and New Year | ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 | Clients and partners |
| Regional festivals | Under ₹500 | Teams in the relevant state |
| Women's Day, Independence Day, Holi | Under ₹500 | All employees |
| Onboarding kits | ₹500 to ₹1,000 | Every new joiner |
| Work anniversaries and recognition | ₹1,000 and up, rising with tenure | Named individuals |
These bands are a starting point, not a rule. Prices on the site are indicative per unit; branding, packaging, GST and delivery are confirmed in the written quote. For a fuller method, read how to set a corporate gifting budget.
How to order for several occasions without missing dates
- Put every date in one shared calendar with a "request quote" reminder several weeks before each one, and earlier for Diwali.
- Batch where you can. Christmas and New Year, or Navratri, Durga Puja and Diwali, can share one order with different card text per group.
- Keep your logo files ready. A vector logo (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF) saves a round of back-and-forth on every mockup.
- Keep a list of delivery addresses up to date through the year, rather than collecting them in a rush before Diwali.
- Share everything in one quote request: quantity, budget per gift, branding, cities and the date you need gifts to arrive.
We are based in Delhi NCR and deliver across India. One order can go to one office or be split across many cities and home addresses, and the written quote confirms price, GST and the delivery timeline. Minimum quantities vary by product and are confirmed in the quote. How ordering works walks through each step, and all occasions lists our occasion pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Diwali in 2027?
Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) is on Friday 29 October 2027, with Dhanteras on Wednesday 27 October and Bhai Dooj on Sunday 31 October. That is about ten days earlier than Diwali 2026, which fell on 8 November.
When should we start planning corporate Diwali gifts for 2027?
Agree the budget and recipient groups by July, request quotes in early August and aim to approve branding and place the order by early September. The written quote confirms the production and delivery timeline for your products.
Which regional festivals should a company with teams across India plan for?
The most common are Pongal and Makar Sankranti in January, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and Baisakhi in April, Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam in September, and Durga Puja and Navratri in late September and October. Match the festival to the states where your teams are.
Why are some 2027 dates given only by month?
Some festivals, such as Lohri and Eid al-Fitr, can fall on different days depending on the calendar used or the moon sighting. We give the month and suggest you confirm the day with your local calendar nearer the time.
Can one order cover several festivals or cities?
Yes. A combined order can carry different card text for different regions, for example Durga Puja greetings for Kolkata and Diwali greetings elsewhere, and be delivered to many cities and home addresses. The quote confirms the details.
What is a sensible gift for the financial-year end?
Clients and partners often receive a hamper or a premium desk piece, while top performers receive a recognition gift. Diaries and pen sets for the new financial year are a practical choice for both.
