Notes: All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Cambridge, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable).
Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise.
According to Hindu scriptures Holika Dahan, which is also known as Holika Deepak or Chhoti Holi, should be done during Pradosh Kaal (which starts after sunset) while Purnimasi Tithi is prevailing. Bhadra prevails during first half of Purnimasi Tithi and all good work should be avoided when Bhadra prevails.
The first preference to get Holika Dahan Muhurta is during Pradosh while Purnimasi Tithi is prevailing and Bhadra is over. If Bhadra prevails during Pradosh but it ends before midnight then Holika Dahan should be done after Bhadra is over. If Bhadra is getting over after midnight then only Holika Dahan should be done in Bhadra and preferably during Bhadra Punchha. However one should avoid Bhadra Mukha and in no condition Holika Dahan should be done in Bhadra Mukha. Doing so brings bad luck for the whole year not only for individuals but for whole city and country. Many times Bhadra Punchha is not available between Pradosh and midnight. In such situations one should do Holika Dahan during Pradosh. In rare occasions when neither Pradosh nor Bhadra Punchha is available then one should do Holika Dahan after Pradosh.
Choosing right Muhurta for Holika Dahan is more important than choosing right Muhurta for any other festivals. For other festivals doing puja at wrong time will not bring puja benefits but doing Holika Dahan at wrong time would bring suffering and misfortune.
DrikPanchang.com takes care all above scenarios and exceptions. We suggest you the best Muhurat for Holika Dahan. In no situation we suggest Bhadra Mukha. We also list Bhadra Mukha and Bhadra Punchha duration for all cities so that no confusion remains in deciding best Muhurat for Holika Dahan. If Bhadra Punchha is before Pradosh or after midnight we can't take that for Holika Dahan as Holika Dahan should be done between Pradosh and midnight. By midnight we mean Hindu midnight which is not same as 24.
The Holi/Dhulandi day when people play with colors is always next day of Holika Dahan or Holi bonfire. The whole team of DrikPanchang.com wishes you happy and colorful Holi.