Durga Puja 2026 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane: Events, Dates and Venues
Durga Puja 2026 officially runs from Mahalaya on Saturday 10 October through Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October. But most Australian communities hold their celebrations on the nearest convenient weekend, which means some events happen before the ritual dates and some happen after.
2026 Durga Puja: The Key Dates
These are the official tithi dates for 2026, based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Australian community events may fall on nearby weekends depending on the local association’s schedule.
Day | Date | Significance |
Mahalaya | Saturday, 10 Oct 2026 | Begins Devi Paksha; start of the countdown |
Maha Shashthi | Friday, 16 Oct (or Sat 17 Oct) | Goddess formally welcomed; pandal opens |
Maha Saptami | Sunday, 18 October 2026 (some almanacs observe Saptami on Saturday 17 October) | Nabapatrika rituals; morning bath of nine plants |
Maha Ashtami | Monday, 19 Oct 2026 | Most sacred day; pushpanjali and Sandhi Puja |
Maha Navami | Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026 (occasionally observed Monday 19 October depending on almanac) | Final day of main worship; homa offerings |
Vijaya Dashami | Wednesday, 21 Oct 2026 | Idol immersion (bisarjan); Sindoor Khela |
Note: The exact tithi for Shashthi varies slightly between the Bengali Panjika and the Drik Panchang. If you’re following specific ritual timings, check with your local association or priest closer to the date.
Melbourne: West Melbourne Durga Utsav 2026 (BongoSathi)
The biggest publicly announced Melbourne event for 2026 is the West Melbourne Durga Utsav, presented by BongoSathi.
Dates: Saturday 10 October and Sunday 11 October 2026
Venue: Encore Events Centre, 80 Derrimut Road, Hoppers Crossing VIC 3029
Tickets: Via BongoSathi’s West Melbourne Durga Utsav listing on Eventbrite
These dates fall on the Mahalaya weekend, which means this is an early celebration rather than one aligned with the main ritual days of Ashtami or Navami. That’s a deliberate choice by many diaspora communities, especially when the main tithi days fall midweek, and attendees can’t take time off work.
The Encore Events Centre is managed by Wyndham City Council and holds up to 1,000 people. The venue has built-in AV, on-site catering, and ample free parking. The address puts it in Hoppers Crossing, roughly 30 kilometres south-west of Melbourne’s CBD.
It is about a five-minute walk from Pacific Werribee Shopping Centre, which has a bus terminal with connections around Werribee and a SkyBus stop on the Avalon Airport route. Check current SkyBus routes before relying on this for a Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport connection, as that service has been suspended.
Expect at the BongoSathi event: Durga Puja rituals, traditional dhak drumming, cultural performances, Bengali food stalls, and community gatherings across two days.
Other Melbourne Puja Organisations to Know
The Bengali Puja Cultural Society of Victoria (BPCSV) and the Bengali Society of Melbourne (BSM) also run annual Durga Puja events, though their 2026 specific dates and venues had not been confirmed publicly at the time of publication.
BPCSV has historically held its puja at venues including the Oakleigh Mechanics Hall. BSM, established in 2012, is one of the more active Melbourne Bengali cultural organisations.
Sydney: Multiple Pujas Across the City
Sydney has the most active Bengali community of any Australian city in terms of Durga Puja events, with several associations running separate celebrations.
BANSW at Concord High School
The Bengali Association of NSW (BANSW), established in 1975, is the oldest and largest organiser of Durga Puja in Sydney. It typically holds a multi-day celebration at Concord High School, 3 Stanley Street, Concord, and regularly draws more than 5,000 visitors across the event days.
The BANSW puja is known for its imported fibreglass idols from Kumartuli, the potters’ quarter of Kolkata, which are used on rotation every five years. From 12 founding families in 1975, BANSW has grown to more than 500 member families.
VMS Durga Puja 2026 at St Marys
The Vakta Mandir Sydney Trust holds its annual VMS Durga Puja on Saturday 24 October 2026 at St Marys Memorial Hall, corner of the Great Western Highway and Mamre Road, St Marys NSW. This is a free, all-day community event.
In previous years, the day has included morning puja, pushpanjali, bhog lunch, children’s activities, kirtan, dhunuchi dance, Sindoor Khela, and an evening cultural programme with dinner stalls.
Mithila Mahotsav 2026 at Quakers Hill
The Mithila Cultural Society Australia (MCSA) runs a related event, the Mithila Mahotsav 2026, from 17 to 19 October at Quakers Hill Community Hall, 7 Lalor Road, Quakers Hill NSW 2763. This is a three-day celebration featuring Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, and Maha Navami pujas alongside cultural performances, music, dance, Madhubani art displays, and traditional bhog. Tickets are available via Humanitix.
Brisbane: Bengali Society of Queensland
In Brisbane, the main organiser is the Bengali Society of Queensland (BSQ), a non-profit established in 1998 that describes its constituency as roughly 5,000 Bengali-speaking residents across Queensland.
The BSQ holds its annual Durga Puja with a consistent format: rituals, cultural performances, and dinner across a weekend. In 2025, the puja ran from 26 to 28 September at Indooroopilly. In 2024, it was held on 5 and 6 October and included the Indian Consul General for Brisbane as a special guest.
For 2026, the BSQ had not published confirmed dates at the time of writing.
