Jewish life in Panama
Shabbat times in Panama City
Candle lighting and the end of Shabbat and Yom Tov, worked out for Panama City and shown the way the local shuls publish them. All times are Panama time.
This Shabbat
Shabbat · Toldot
Fri, Nov 13 – Sat, Nov 14, 2026
- Candle lightingFri, Nov 13
- SunsetFri, Nov 13
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 14 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 14 · Chabad
Times are Panama time (UTC−5). Panama doesn’t change its clocks.
The next 8 weeks
Shabbat and Yom Tov in Panama City
Candle lighting, sunset and the end time under each opinion. Yom Tov appears in its week, with the second-night candles.
Shabbat · Vayetzei
Fri, Nov 20 – Sat, Nov 21, 2026
- Candle lightingFri, Nov 20
- SunsetFri, Nov 20
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 21 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 21 · Chabad
Shabbat · Vayishlach
Fri, Nov 27 – Sat, Nov 28, 2026
- Candle lightingFri, Nov 27
- SunsetFri, Nov 27
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 28 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Nov 28 · Chabad
Shabbat · Vayeshev
Fri, Dec 4 – Sat, Dec 5, 2026
Chanukah
- Candle lightingFri, Dec 4
- SunsetFri, Dec 4
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 5 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 5 · Chabad
Shabbat · Miketz
Fri, Dec 11 – Sat, Dec 12, 2026
Chanukah
- Candle lightingFri, Dec 11
- SunsetFri, Dec 11
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 12 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 12 · Chabad
Shabbat · Vayigash
Fri, Dec 18 – Sat, Dec 19, 2026
- Candle lightingFri, Dec 18
- SunsetFri, Dec 18
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 19 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 19 · Chabad
Shabbat · Vayechi
Fri, Dec 25 – Sat, Dec 26, 2026
- Candle lightingFri, Dec 25
- SunsetFri, Dec 25
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 26 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Dec 26 · Chabad
Shabbat · Shemot
Fri, Jan 1 – Sat, Jan 2, 2027
- Candle lightingFri, Jan 1
- SunsetFri, Jan 1
- Shabbat endsSat, Jan 2 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Jan 2 · Chabad
Shabbat · Vaera
Fri, Jan 8 – Sat, Jan 9, 2027
Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat
- Candle lightingFri, Jan 8
- SunsetFri, Jan 8
- Shabbat endsSat, Jan 9 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Jan 9 · Chabad
Planning a trip
Every Shabbat and Yom Tov on your dates
Pick the days you’ll be in Panama. We list each Shabbat and Yom Tov in that range with its times, ready to add to your calendar.
4 Shabbatot and Yamim Tovim between Wed, Sep 1, 2027 and Thu, Sep 30, 2027, in Panama City:
Shabbat · Shoftim
Fri, Sep 3 – Sat, Sep 4, 2027
- Candle lightingFri, Sep 3
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 4 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 4 · Chabad
Shabbat · Ki Teitzei
Fri, Sep 10 – Sat, Sep 11, 2027
- Candle lightingFri, Sep 10
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 11 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 11 · Chabad
Shabbat · Ki Tavo
Fri, Sep 17 – Sat, Sep 18, 2027
- Candle lightingFri, Sep 17
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 18 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 18 · Chabad
Shabbat · Nitzavim-Vayeilech
Fri, Sep 24 – Sat, Sep 25, 2027
- Candle lightingFri, Sep 24
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 25 · Shevet Ahim and Beth El
- Shabbat endsSat, Sep 25 · Chabad
How we work these out
The method, in plain words
Sunset
We calculate sunrise and sunset ourselves, on our own server, with the standard astronomical formulas the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes, for Panama City at sea level. Hills and tall buildings can hide the sun a little earlier, so the times are a calculation, not an observation.
Candle lighting
18 minutes before sunset. Shevet Ahim, Beth El and Chabad all publish times 18 minutes before sunset. We round down to the minute, so our time is never later than the real one. Our times may be a minute earlier or later than a shul’s printed sheet.
The end of Shabbat and Yom Tov
Shown two ways. First, about 35 minutes after sunset: Shevet Ahim’s time for 18–19 July 2025 (7:17 PM) and Beth El’s for 28–29 August 2026 (7:03 PM) are both within a minute of it (we round to the safe side, so we show 7:17 PM and 7:04 PM). Neither shul states its rule, so treat it as our reading of their printed sheets. Second, Chabad’s practice: when the sun is 8.5° below the horizon, which gives Chabad’s published 6:27 PM for 7 November 2026. Both round up to the minute.
Dates, Yom Tov and the parasha
From Hebcal.com (CC BY 4.0), checked once a week, with two days of Yom Tov as kept outside Israel. If Hebcal can’t be reached we use our saved copy of its calendar. We test our times against Hebcal’s for every Shabbat and Yom Tov from 2026 to 2029: they agree to within a minute.
Your community’s published time takes precedence. For a shul’s minyan times or a different custom, ask the shul. Daily zmanim has sunrise, the latest Shema and the fasts.
Panama this week
Weather and money
What to pack for Shabbat walks and day trips, and what a dollar is worth at home.
Weather this week
Panama City Pacific coast
86°FShowers now (30°C, humidity 72%)
7-day forecast for Panama City Day Sky High / low Rain Wed Showers 89° / 78° 2 mm Thu Showers 88° / 78° 5 mm Fri Rain 83° / 78° 6 mm Shabbat Rain 84° / 77° 10 mm Sun Showers 82° / 78° 6 mm Mon Showers 81° / 78° 6 mm Tue Showers 87° / 78° 5 mm November on average (city weather station, 1971–2000): highs 91°F, lows 69°F, about 252 mm of rain in the month.
Boquete Highlands, about 1,100 m up
75°FRain now (24°C, humidity 77%)
7-day forecast for Boquete Day Sky High / low Rain Wed Showers 80° / 66° 1 mm Thu Showers 78° / 65° 5 mm Fri Rain 73° / 65° 4 mm Shabbat Rain 72° / 66° 6 mm Sun Showers 79° / 65° 3 mm Mon Showers 77° / 65° 2 mm Tue Showers 77° / 64° 4 mm November on average (NASA POWER, 2016–2025): highs 78°F, lows 69°F, about 366 mm of rain in the month. These cover an area averaging 688 m up; the town, at about 1,100 m, is cooler, especially at night.
Coronado Pacific beaches
88°FShowers now (31°C, humidity 70%)
7-day forecast for Coronado Day Sky High / low Rain Wed Rain 89° / 79° 1 mm Thu Rain 86° / 78° 5 mm Fri Rain 83° / 79° 10 mm Shabbat Rain 83° / 78° 10 mm Sun Rain 83° / 78° 4 mm Mon Showers 81° / 78° 9 mm Tue Showers 81° / 78° 7 mm November on average (NASA POWER, 2016–2025): highs 83°F, lows 77°F, about 329 mm of rain in the month.
Bocas del Toro Caribbean islands
82°FPartly cloudy now (28°C, humidity 76%)
7-day forecast for Bocas del Toro Day Sky High / low Rain Wed Partly cloudy 85° / 79° 4 mm Thu Partly cloudy 85° / 77° 6 mm Fri Rain 84° / 78° 4 mm Shabbat Rain 82° / 78° 12 mm Sun Showers 84° / 80° 4 mm Mon Showers 84° / 80° 2 mm Tue Showers 83° / 80° 13 mm November on average (NASA POWER, 2016–2025): highs 80°F, lows 76°F, about 474 mm of rain in the month.
November is the rainy season in Panama City: its weather station averages 252 mm (9.9 in) of rain, on about 16 days. NASA POWER puts the Boquete area at 366 mm (14.4 in) and the Caribbean side at 336 mm (13.2 in) around San Blas and 474 mm (18.7 in) in Bocas del Toro.
Month by month, for Panama City, the beaches, Boquete, Gamboa and the islands: Panama weather in November, with a packing list to match.
Money: Panama uses US dollars
Prices, taxis and tips are in US dollars (the balboa is fixed one to one, and Panamanian coins turn up in change). For visitors from elsewhere:
- Canadian dollarsCA$141.031 USD = 1.4103 CAD
- British pounds£74.541 USD = 0.7454 GBP
- Euros€89.341 USD = 0.8934 EUR
- Israeli shekels₪317.071 USD = 3.171 ILS
Questions
Shabbat in Panama City: what people ask
What time is candle lighting in Panama City?
18 minutes before sunset, which all three communities we checked use (Shevet Ahim, Beth El and Chabad). Because Panama is close to the equator, sunset only moves between about 5:54 PM and 6:42 PM over the year, so candle lighting is always between about 5:36 PM and 6:24 PM.
When does Shabbat end in Panama City?
It depends on your shul. Shevet Ahim and Beth El publish an end time about 35 minutes after sunset, and we show that first. Chabad publishes the time the sun is 8.5° below the horizon, usually two or three minutes earlier. If you are davening with a community, follow the time it announces.
Does Panama change its clocks?
No. Panama is on UTC−5 all year with no daylight saving time. From early November to mid-March it is the same time as New York, Miami and Toronto; the rest of the year it is one hour behind them.
Why is your time a minute different from my shul’s sheet?
We round every time the cautious way: candle lighting down to the minute and the end of Shabbat up. Shul sheets often round to the nearest minute, so ours can be a minute earlier for candles or a minute later at the end. Your community’s published time takes precedence.
How do candles work on the second night of Yom Tov?
On the second night of Yom Tov, and on a Yom Tov that starts on Motzei Shabbat, candles are lit after nightfall from a flame that has been burning since before Yom Tov. We show the earliest time under each opinion. When Yom Tov falls on Friday, Shabbat candles are lit before sunset as usual.
What about Boquete and the beaches?
Choose Boquete or Coronado above. Sunset there is later than in Panama City (about 12 minutes later in Boquete), so the times move with it. We haven’t found a published timetable from either town, so we show both Panama City opinions computed for that place.
Talk to a person
Questions about Panama? Ask us.
Two people answer: Jack and Shlomo. WhatsApp is usually fastest. You can also write to info@panamaunpacked.com.