Thiruvonam 2026 falls on Wednesday, 26 August 2026. The ten days of Onam run from Atham on Monday, 17 August to Thiruvonam on 26 August. In Ernakulam district, the season opens earlier with Athachamayam at Tripunithura on 16 August. Onam Sadya is eaten at midday on Thiruvonam. Gokul Oottupura serves Sadya in Kochi from 17 August to 26 August,2026
When is Thiruvonam 2026?
Thiruvonam 2026 is on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.
Onam is not fixed to a date. It is fixed to a star. Thiruvonam is a nakshatra, known as Shravana outside Kerala, and Onam is observed on the day that star prevails during Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar. That is why the Gregorian date moves each year between mid-August and mid-September. In the Kollavarsham calendar, Thiruvonam 2026 falls on Chingam 10, 1202.
Because the day is decided by a star and not a lunar tithi, panchangams that calculate from different locations occasionally disagree by a day on the earlier nakshatras. For 2026 the Thiruvonam date is consistent across Kerala panchangams: 26 August.
The ten days of Onam 2026
Onam begins on Atham and runs for ten days. The pookalam is laid on the first morning and grows a ring each day.
| Day | Nakshatra | Date 2026 |
| 1 | Atham | Monday, 17 August |
| 2 | Chithira | Tuesday, 18 August |
| 3 | Chodhi | Wednesday, 19 August |
| 4 | Vishakam | Thursday, 20 August |
| 5 | Anizham | Friday, 21 August |
| 6 | Thriketa | Saturday, 22 August |
| 7 | Moolam | Sunday, 23 August |
| 8 | Pooradam | Monday, 24 August |
| 9 | Uthradam (First Onam) | Tuesday, 25 August |
| 10 | Thiruvonam | Wednesday, 26 August |
Two days follow the festival proper. Avittam, or Third Onam, falls on Thursday, 27 August 2026, and marks Mahabali’s departure. Chathayam, or Fourth Onam, falls on Friday, 28 August 2026.
Uthradam matters practically. It is called Onam Eve, and it is the day Kerala shops. Vegetable markets, banana leaf vendors and caterers do their heaviest trade on 25 August.
Why Onam 2026 begins in Ernakulam
Onam is a Kerala festival, but two of its anchors sit inside Ernakulam district.
Athachamayam, Tripunithura, 16 August 2026. The procession that traditionally opens the Onam season is held at Tripunithura, about 12 km from central Kochi. It commemorates the Cochin Raja’s march to the Thrikkakara temple and now runs as a street pageant of caparisoned elephants, chenda melam, folk art forms and tableaux. When Kerala says Onam has begun, it is usually pointing at Tripunithura.
Thrikkakara Temple. The Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple, near Kakkanad in Kochi, is the only major temple in Kerala dedicated to Vamana, and it is the mythological seat of Onam itself. The clay figure of Thrikkakara Appan placed at the centre of every pookalam in Kerala takes its name from this temple. The temple’s own Onam festival runs across the ten days and culminates on Thiruvonam.
For anyone in Kochi, this is worth knowing: the festival’s origin point is a fifteen-minute drive from Infopark.
When is Onam Sadya eaten?
Onam Sadya is a midday meal. It is served on Thiruvonam, 26 August 2026, typically between late morning and early afternoon, after the pookalam is complete and the Onathappan has been placed.
The timing is not arbitrary. A Sadya is 23 items, eaten by hand, in courses, over roughly forty five minutes. It is built to be the day’s principal meal, and Kerala households eat lightly in the evening after one.
Many families in Kochi now eat Sadya more than once across the season: once at home on Thiruvonam, once at an office lunch during the preceding week, and once at a restaurant on Avittam or Chathayam when the cooking is done. Restaurant and catering demand therefore spreads across roughly 21 to 28 August rather than concentrating on a single day.
Onam Sadya at Gokul Oottupura, Kochi
Gokul Oottupura is a pure vegetarian family run restaurant in Kochi, in Ernakulam district. The Onam Sadya served here follows the traditional Kerala sequence of 23 items on a banana leaf, from salt and varuthupperi through the rice courses to palada payasam and pradhaman.
Sadya dates: 17 August to 25 August 2026, including Thiruvonam Sadhya on 26 August.
Sittings: 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Booking: 📞 9061048194 and 💬 8089494620
Onam Sadya catering in Kochi
Gokul Oottupura caters Onam Sadya across Ernakulam district, including Kakkanad, Edappally, Palarivattom, Vyttila, Kaloor, Panampilly Nagar, Tripunithura, Aluva and Fort Kochi. Catering is available as banana leaf service at your venue or as bulk parcel. Take away also available at outlets.
- Minimum order of two for take-away.
- Minimum order for catering: Contact Gokul Oottupura at [Number]
- Notice required: 2 days
- Maximum capacity per day: 1000 plates
Corporate orders for Infopark and Smart City offices are usually placed for the week of 21 to 24 August, before the public holidays begin.
Planning around the 2026 calendar
Book before Uthradam. Kitchens quote and confirm off a fixed capacity. Once 26 August is full, it is full, and no caterer can add plates on the day.
Thiruvonam is a Wednesday. That places the festival mid-week in 2026, which pushes corporate Onam lunches earlier, into 21 to 25 August, and pushes family restaurant visits later, into Avittam and Chathayam on 27 and 28 August.
Banana leaves are the constraint nobody plans for. Leaf supply tightens across Ernakulam from Uthradam onward. Caterers who have not booked leaves by mid-August are buying at a premium.
Frequently asked questions
When is Onam 2026?
Onam 2026 is celebrated on Thiruvonam, Wednesday, 26 August 2026. The ten-day festival begins on Atham, Monday, 17 August 2026. In Ernakulam, the season opens with the Athachamayam procession at Tripunithura on 16 August.
What date is Thiruvonam in 2026?
Thiruvonam falls on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, corresponding to Chingam 10, 1202 in the Malayalam calendar. Onam is set by the Thiruvonam nakshatra rather than a fixed calendar date, which is why it moves between August and September each year.
Is Onam always in August?
No. Onam falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam, which spans mid-August to mid-September. The date is determined by the Thiruvonam nakshatra. In 2026 it falls on 26 August; in other years it has fallen in early September.
What day is Onam Sadya eaten?
Onam Sadya is eaten at midday on Thiruvonam, 26 August 2026. In Kochi, restaurants and caterers serve Sadya across a wider window, generally from Uthradam on 25 August through Chathayam on 28 August.
When should I book Onam Sadya catering in Kochi?
Book at least 2 days before Thiruvonam. Caterers work to a fixed daily plate capacity, and 26 August fills first. Gokul Oottupura accepts catering bookings for Ernakulam district from any number of plates upward on 8089494620.
What is Athachamayam? Athachamayam is the procession held at Tripunithura, Ernakulam, that traditionally opens the Onam season. In 2026 it falls on 16 August. It features elephants, chenda melam, folk performances and tableaux, and marks the historical march of the Cochin ruler to Thrikkakara.
Which temple is connected to Onam? Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple near Kakkanad in Kochi is the temple most closely associated with Onam. It is dedicated to Vamana, and the Thrikkakara Appan figure placed at the centre of every pookalam in Kerala is named after it.
