Hanukkah in Orlando 2026: Dates, Events and Kosher Food

Quick answer: Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4 and ends after nightfall on Saturday, December 12, according to Hebcal, and Chabad.org's calendar agrees on the first and eighth nights, so Hanukkah in Orlando falls in early December, before Christmas week. Public menorah lightings, community festivals and kosher restaurants exist in the Orlando area, but several 2026 event schedules had not been posted yet when we checked, so confirm each one directly.

We checked each fact below against the official page on October 12, 2026. Dates, hours and event details change, so confirm before you go. For questions about religious practice or kosher requirements, ask your own rabbi.

Key Takeaways

• Hanukkah 2026 runs from sundown on Friday, December 4 to nightfall on Saturday, December 12. The first night falls on a Friday, and Chabad.org says the menorah is lit before the Shabbat candles that night.
• The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce lists a Chanukah menorah lighting ceremony at Winter On the Avenue in Central Park on December 4, 2026, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
• Visit Orlando lists a Hanukkah Celebration of Lights on December 6 at the Oh, What Fun! Holiday Festival in Lake Nona.
• Local Chabad centers had posted their 2026 Chanukah dates but not all event details when we checked, so call or check their sites before you plan around an event.
• Kosher restaurants and groceries are listed by Chabad of South Orlando, and Walt Disney World says kosher meals are available at most of its table-service restaurants with 24 hours' notice.
• Honest Sherpa rents Kosher Grills described as brand new or never used. The site makes no statement about rabbinic supervision, so ask your own rabbi about requirements.

Hanukkah 2026 dates and candle-lighting times in Orlando

Hebcal describes Hanukkah as an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the Maccabean Revolt and the rededication of the Second Temple. One candle is lit on the first night, and an additional candle each night on a nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiah, reaching eight on the final night. The table below shows Hebcal's dates and the times it calculates for Orlando (ZIP code 32801). Friday and Saturday nights follow different rules from the weeknights, so read the notes under the table.

Hebcal lists Saturday, December 12 as the eighth day, ending at nightfall (Hebcal lists Havdalah at 6:08 pm that evening). Check the Hebcal Chanukah 2026 page for the full calendar, and Chabad.org's Hanukkah 2026 calendar for the night-by-night blessings.

Why there is no single candle time

Hebcal's weeknight time of 5:46 or 5:47 pm falls about 17 minutes after sunset, which Hebcal puts at about 5:29 pm in Orlando on those nights. Chabad.org says the custom of many communities, including the Chabad-Lubavitch custom, is to light the menorah shortly after sunset, while other communities light it after nightfall, approximately thirty minutes after sunset. Chabad.org also says the menorah is lit before the Shabbat candles on Friday and after Shabbat ends and Havdalah is recited on Saturday night. Hebcal's times are one calculation, and communities choose different Havdalah times, so confirm which times to follow with your own rabbi or the nearest Chabad center.

Public menorah lightings and events in the Orlando area

These are the events we could verify on official pages. Several organizations had not posted 2026 details yet.

Winter On the Avenue in Winter Park

The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce page lists the event for December 4, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Central Park, with an annual tree lighting, carolers, s'mores and Santa. It says a rabbi from Chabad Orlando will do a menorah lighting ceremony to usher in the season of Chanukah. The page does not give a time for the menorah lighting, and it also contains a leftover reference to a "Friday, Dec. 5" art contest, so confirm the schedule. Because December 4 is a Friday, Hebcal lists Shabbat candle lighting at 5:10 pm in Orlando and Chabad.org says the menorah is lit before the Shabbat candles, so ask the organizers about the timing of the menorah lighting.

Lake Nona

Visit Orlando's 2026 Christmas and holiday events guide lists a Hanukkah Celebration of Lights on December 6 as one of the one-night events at the Oh, What Fun! Holiday Festival in Lake Nona. The guide gives the festival dates as December 4 to 20, 2026, and the event listing shows evening hours from 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Check the festival's own site for the time of the celebration.

Chabad centers and synagogues

Chabad of North Orlando lists Chanukah as December 4 to 12, 2026 on its Chanukah page, but its upcoming events listing showed no Chanukah events yet, and it ran only through November 19. Chabad of South Orlando also lists Chanukah as December 4 to 12, with pages titled Community Festival, Car Menorah Parade, Winter Garden and More Events, but those pages contained no 2026 details when we looked. Chabad of Greater Orlando lists Chanukah, December 4 to 12, on its homepage, and we could not read its event details, so check its site or call. Chabad.org also keeps a Chanukah event directory. Contact the center nearest your rental for details.

Kosher dining and groceries

Supervision status can change, so confirm directly with any restaurant before you rely on it. This list comes from Chabad of South Orlando's Orlando kosher food page and the restaurants' own websites.

• Kosher Grill: 5615 International Drive, Orlando, (407) 392-2292. Its website describes glatt kosher food and says it is under the supervision of the Rabbinate of Central and North Florida (RCF). The site listed Sunday to Thursday 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Friday 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM and closed on Saturday.
• Kosher Eatery: 13401 Blue Heron Beach Drive #100, Orlando, (407) 354-1296. Its website describes a kosher dairy and meat restaurant and caterer under RCF supervision, open Sunday 11 AM to 9 PM and Monday to Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, closed Friday and Saturday.
• Orlando Kosher Market: 6807 Visitors Circle, Orlando, (407) 270-1233. Chabad of South Orlando's page describes a selection of kosher groceries and a Judaica section.
• Supermarkets: the same page lists kosher products at a Winn-Dixie on South Apopka Vineland Road, a Trader Joe's and a Publix on Sand Lake Road, among others. The page itself dates from 2024, so call ahead.

Hours change around holidays, so call before you go. If you will visit a theme park, the Walt Disney World special dietary requests page says kosher and halal meals are available at most table-service restaurants and should be reserved at least 24 hours in advance, with options at select quick-service locations. Disney also says its kosher meals are purchased from a certified kosher vendor and served sealed.

How to celebrate Hanukkah in a vacation home

Pack the essentials

Chabad.org's guide to traveling at Chanukah suggests taking, at the very least, a box of candles and a simple menorah stand, or ready-made cups with oil and wicks. It adds that you can see if you can get tea lights for "a perfectly kosher alternative," and that you can light the menorah in your hotel room just as you would at home. It also suggests finding your closest Chabad center for events. Ask your rabbi about anything specific to your household's practice.

Candle safety in a rental home

December is the peak time of year for home candle fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Its religious candle safety tip sheet advises these basics:

• Place candles in a sturdy holder.
• Do not place lit candles in windows where a blind or curtain could catch fire.
• Candles placed on or near tables must be watched by an adult.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets, store matches and lighters out of children's reach, and consider battery-operated candles for children.
• Test smoke alarms and plan two ways out of every room.

Check your rental's rules about open flames before you travel. If the home does not allow them, ask your rabbi what options are acceptable.

Foods, games and gifts

Chabad.org says it is customary to eat oily foods and dairy on Chanukah, and its foods page is titled "Latkes, Donuts and Cheese." It also says it is customary to give gelt (money) to children, and its Chanukah how-to guide includes a page on how to play dreidel. A family in a vacation home can keep this simple (our suggestion): bring a few treats, check what the grocery stores listed above carry, and let the children play dreidel at the dining table.

Kosher Grills and fridges from Honest Sherpa

Honest Sherpa delivers rentals to vacation homes, with free delivery and pickup seven days a week, and you choose delivery for your arrival day and pickup for your departure day at checkout. It lists two items for families that grill kosher food:

That is all the site says. It describes the medium grill as brand new and never used, and the large grill as one that has never been used, and it does not make any claim about rabbinic certification or supervision. Whether such a grill meets your household's requirements is a question for your own rabbi, and you can call Honest Sherpa at (407) 443-4286 with questions. See the Kosher Grills category for current details.

Honest Sherpa's refrigerators and freezers category is titled "(Kosher Available)" and lists a 26 cu ft refrigerator ($260/week), an 18 cu ft refrigerator ($220/week), a 10 cu ft refrigerator ($170/week), a chest freezer ($170/week) and a mini beverage fridge ($110/week) on the category page. The product pages we read do not mention kosher and do not explain what "Kosher Available" means, so this post does not claim that any of these units is kosher or certified. Ask before you order. Delivery and pickup dates are chosen at checkout, and the site does not describe delivery time windows, so ask Honest Sherpa if timing matters to your household.

For more holiday planning, see our Christmas in Orlando guide, the winter break itinerary and our holiday packing list.

FAQ

When is Hanukkah 2026? It begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026, according to Hebcal.

Is there a public menorah lighting in Orlando in 2026? The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce lists a Chanukah menorah lighting ceremony at Winter On the Avenue on December 4, 2026, and Visit Orlando lists a Hanukkah Celebration of Lights in Lake Nona on December 6. Confirm times with the organizers.

Where can I find kosher food in Orlando? Chabad of South Orlando's kosher food page lists restaurants, caterers and groceries, and the Kosher Grill and Kosher Eatery websites list their addresses and hours. Confirm supervision and hours directly before you go.

Can I get kosher meals at Disney World? Walt Disney World says kosher meals are available at most table-service restaurants and should be reserved at least 24 hours in advance, with options at select quick-service locations.

Does Honest Sherpa rent kosher grills? It lists a Medium Kosher Grill and a Kosher Large Gas Grill, described as a brand new never used grill and a grill that has never been used. The site does not mention rabbinic certification, so ask your own rabbi about your requirements.

Can I light a menorah in a rental home? Chabad.org says you can light in a hotel room as you would at home. Check your rental's rules about open flames, follow NFPA candle safety guidance, and ask your rabbi about any questions of practice.

What foods are traditional on Hanukkah? Chabad.org says it is customary to eat oily foods and dairy, such as latkes and doughnuts.

Is Hanukkah on the same days as Christmas in 2026? No. Hanukkah ends on December 12, 2026, before Christmas.

Visiting for Hanukkah? Honest Sherpa delivers rentals to your vacation home free of charge and picks them up when you leave. Browse the Kosher Grills, then enter your zip code or city on the site to see if your address is covered.