Festivals Calendar

The Himalayan festival calendar is one of the richest in the world, but it is also one of the most confusing to plan around. Almost every major festival in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan follows a lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, which means the dates shift by two to three weeks year on year.

Paro Tshechu may fall in late March one year and early April the next. Saga Dawa moves with the May full moon. Losar can fall anywhere from late January to mid-March. This calendar pulls together the full year of major festivals across the three countries, explains what each one is, when in the lunar cycle it falls, and which itineraries are best built around it. Our team confirms exact Gregorian dates at the time of booking and structures cultural itineraries around the public days that matter most.

Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan Year-Round

The festival calendar of Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan is the cultural backbone of every meaningful trip into the Himalaya. Travelers who plan around the right festival receive a window into a living tradition that has been performed continuously for centuries. Travelers who arrive a week late see empty courtyards where the dances were staged, deserted dzong squares where the masks have been packed away, and quiet temples that were thronged with pilgrims the previous full moon.

The difference between a festival-timed trip and a near-miss is rarely intentional — it is usually a question of confused dates, misread lunar calendars, or guidebooks that printed last year's Gregorian dates as if they were permanent.

After two decades of running festival-timed departures into Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, our team has learned that the single most important habit is confirming festival dates against the current year's lunar calendar before any flights are booked. The Bhutanese Tshechus shift two to three weeks each year. The Tibetan festivals shift with the Tibetan lunar calendar.

The Nepali Hindu festivals shift with the Bikram Sambat calendar. The Buddhist festivals across all three countries shift with the lunar full moons. None of these are fixed Gregorian dates, and treating them as such is the single most common booking mistake in the region.

This calendar lays out the full year honestly. We list each major festival, the country and region it belongs to, the lunar window it falls within, what the festival actually celebrates, and which of our itineraries are best built around it. Specific Gregorian dates shift each year — we confirm them at the time of booking and structure your trip around public holidays.

How the Lunar Calendars Actually Work

Three different lunar calendars govern the festivals across the region, and each behaves slightly differently. Understanding the basic mechanics prevents the most common date confusion.

The Tibetan Lunar Calendar

The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar — twelve months of approximately twenty-nine and a half days each, with periodic intercalary months added to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. Tibetan festivals follow this calendar, which means Saga Dawa always falls on the full moon of the fourth Tibetan month, but the corresponding Gregorian date shifts by approximately eleven days each year. Major Tibetan festivals — Losar, Saga Dawa, Shoton, Lhabab Düchen — all move with this calendar.

The Bhutanese Lunar Calendar

Bhutan uses a similar lunisolar calendar to Tibet, with regional variations. Most Tshechu festivals fall on the tenth day of a specific Tibetan/Bhutanese lunar month, which is significant because the tenth day commemorates Guru Padmasambhava, whose birthday Tshechus collectively celebrate. The Druk Wangyel Tshechu on 13 December is one of the few exceptions — it commemorates a specific historical event in 2003 and falls on a fixed Gregorian date.

The Nepali Hindu Calendar (Bikram Sambat)

Nepal's official Hindu calendar is the Bikram Sambat (BS), which is approximately 56.7 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. The current Bikram Sambat year began in mid-April. Nepali Hindu festivals — Dashain, Tihar, Holi, Teej, Maha Shivaratri — follow lunar windows in the Bikram Sambat calendar, which means they shift across Gregorian months but remain relatively consistent within their named seasons.

Buddhist Festivals Across All Three Countries

Buddhist festivals — Buddha Jayanti, Saga Dawa, the various commemorations of the Buddha's life — follow lunar full moons that are observed across all three countries simultaneously, though regional names and customs differ. The May full moon is celebrated as Buddha Jayanti in Nepal, Saga Dawa in Tibet, and as the Triple Festival in Bhutan.

Master Calendar: Festivals at a Glance

The table below summarises the major festivals across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan in chronological order through a typical year. Use this as a quick reference for planning. Specific dates within each window shift annually with the lunar calendar.

Major Festival Profiles by Country

The sections below profile the most important festivals in each country with the operational depth a planner actually needs — what the festival celebrates, where it is staged, what to expect, and which itineraries are best built around it.

Nepal: Dashain

Dashain is the longest and most significant Hindu festival in Nepal. The fifteen-day cycle falls in late September and October on the Nepali Hindu calendar and culminates with the public days of Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Vijaya Dashami. Animal sacrifice, family gatherings, kite flying, and the giving of tikka and jamara (red rice paste and barley sprouts) define the festival.

Travelers in Kathmandu during public days experience the city at its quietest, as most residents return to ancestral homes — luxury hotels remain open, but many small businesses close. Dashain is a prime time for travelers wanting to see the rituals at Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares, but a quiet time for the everyday city.

Nepal: Tihar (Diwali)

Tihar follows Dashain by approximately two weeks and is the festival of lights — five days of household decoration, oil lamps, marigold garlands, and the worship of crows, dogs, cows, and finally brothers (Bhai Tika). Bhaktapur and Patan are particularly atmospheric during Tihar evenings when courtyards are filled with butter lamps and rangoli. We schedule cultural-trekking combinations around Tihar because the festival overlaps with the strongest autumn trekking weather and adds significant cultural depth to a Khumbu or Annapurna trip.

Nepal: Holi (Phagu Purnima)

Holi falls on the full moon of the Hindu month of Phalgun, typically in March. The festival of colors involves throwing colored powder and water paint in public spaces. Bhaktapur, Patan, and Pokhara host the most photogenic public Holi celebrations.

Travelers in heritage hotels are typically protected from public chaos, but the atmosphere across the cities is unmistakable throughout the day. Holi works particularly well as a single-day cultural anchor in a longer trekking-focused itinerary.

Nepal: Indra Jatra

Indra Jatra is Kathmandu's largest indigenous festival and falls in late August or early September. The festival centers on Kathmandu Durbar Square and includes the chariot procession of the Kumari (the living goddess), the unveiling of the giant Akash Bhairab mask, masked dance performances, and the worship of Indra, the king of the heavens. The festival lasts eight days and overlaps with the Shoton Festival in Lhasa, which makes early September one of the strongest single weeks for cultural travel across the wider region.

Nepal: Buddha Jayanti

Buddha Jayanti is the most important Buddhist festival in Nepal and falls on the full moon of May. The festival commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana on a single day. Lumbini — the Buddha's birthplace — sees pilgrims flow from across South and East Asia. Boudhanath in Kathmandu lights up with butter lamps and circumambulating pilgrims. Swayambhunath holds processions throughout the day. Travelers in Nepal during the May full moon experience one of the strongest single days of the Buddhist year.

Nepal: Yartung Horse Festival, Mustang

Yartung is a horse-racing and trans-Himalayan cultural festival held in Muktinath in Upper Mustang. The festival falls in July or August, depending on the lunar calendar, and is one of the most distinctive cultural experiences in the trans-Himalaya. Yartung is best combined with an Upper Mustang trekking itinerary in the rain-shadow valleys behind the main Himalayan range.

Tibet: Saga Dawa

Saga Dawa is the holiest day in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar — the full moon of the fourth Tibetan month, falling in May or early June. The day commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Spiritual texts teach that every action performed on Saga Dawa carries one hundred million times its normal weight.

Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash peaks on this day, with the great flagpole-raising ceremony at Tarboche on the kora route. Lhasa's Barkhor circuit fills with prostrating pilgrims. The Yarlung Valley sees increased pilgrim flows. Travelers wanting the Saga Dawa experience should confirm departures by January at the latest, as permits and accommodation tighten earlier than any other window in the Tibetan calendar.

Tibet: Losar (Tibetan New Year)

Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. The festival falls in late January, February, or early March, depending on the Tibetan lunar calendar. Three days of monastery rituals, household offerings, and pilgrim flows transform the feel of Lhasa and the wider plateau.

Foreign-traveler access during Losar can be restricted around politically sensitive anniversaries — our team confirms permit availability on a case-by-case basis for Losar departures. Sherpa and Tamang communities in Nepal's Khumbu, Helambu, and Langtang regions also celebrate Losar with three days of village festivities.

Tibet: Shoton Festival

The Shoton Festival is Lhasa's largest and most theatrical festival and falls in late August or early September, depending on the lunar calendar. The festival opens with the unveiling of the giant thangka at Drepung Monastery before sunrise on the first day. Pilgrims flow up the Drepung kora, reaching their annual peak.

Tibetan opera performances at Norbulingka run for the full week. Yogurt offerings (Shoton, meaning "yogurt banquet") define household celebrations. The Shoton week is one of the strongest single cultural windows in the entire Tibetan year, and our team builds dedicated Lhasa departures around it.

Tibet: Ganden Thangka Festival

The Ganden Thangka Festival typically falls in late July, depending on the lunar calendar. The giant thangka unveiling at Ganden Monastery — one of the three great Gelug monasteries — is one of the most distinctive cultural events of the summer. Ganden sits east of Lhasa at 4,300 meters on a hillside above the Lhasa-Sichuan road, and the unveiling at sunrise on the festival day is a remarkable sight.

Tibet: Lhabab Düchen

Lhabab Düchen falls in late October or November, depending on the lunar calendar. The day commemorates the Buddha's descent from the Heaven of Thirty-Three after teaching the dharma to his deceased mother. Spiritual merit on Lhabab Düchen is held to multiply ten million times. The festival is observed across Tibetan Buddhist regions, including Lhasa, the Khumbu, and Bhutan.

Bhutan: Paro Tshechu

Paro Tshechu is the largest spring festival in Bhutan and the most photographed cultural event in the kingdom. The festival falls on the tenth day of the second lunar month — typically late March or early April. Five days of mask dances in the Rinpung Dzong courtyard culminate with the predawn unveiling of the giant Thongdrol thangka of Guru Rinpoche on the final day.

Pilgrims from across Bhutan converge on Paro for the festival. Hotels and luxury accommodation across the Paro Valley book out four to six months ahead — our team confirms Paro Tshechu dates against the lunar calendar at the time of booking.

Bhutan: Thimphu Tshechu

Thimphu Tshechu is the largest autumn festival in Bhutan and falls in late September or early October. The festival is staged in the courtyard of Tashichho Dzong and is preceded by the Thimphu Drubchen, a four-day prayer ceremony that opens the festival cycle. The Thimphu Tshechu itself runs for three days of mask dances, atsara (clown) performances, and pilgrim flows. The festival is the busiest single week in the Bhutanese capital and our team confirms Thimphu Tshechu dates and inventory by April for autumn departures.

Bhutan: Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu

The Punakha Drubchen falls in February or early March and reenacts the seventeenth-century battle in which the Drukpa lineage repelled a Tibetan invasion. The Drubchen is followed immediately by the Punakha Tshechu, which adds three days of mask dances. The combined six-day festival is held in the courtyard of Punakha Dzong, one of the most photogenic dzongs in the kingdom. Punakha sits at a lower elevation than Paro or Thimphu, which makes the festival a comfortable winter cultural anchor.

Bhutan: Jakar Tshechu

Jakar Tshechu falls in mid to late October in Bumthang Valley. The festival is quieter and more intimate than Thimphu Tshechu and many travellers prefer it for exactly this reason. The mask dances are staged in the Jakar Dzong courtyard against the autumn light of central Bhutan. Travelers combining Jakar Tshechu with Thimphu Tshechu in the same trip experience the two ends of the autumn festival arc — the largest urban festival, followed by the most atmospheric central festival.

Bhutan: Druk Wangyel Tshechu

The Druk Wangyel Tshechu is staged on 13 December at Dochula Pass — one of the few fixed Gregorian dates in the Bhutanese festival calendar. The festival commemorates the Royal Bhutan Army's 2003 victory over insurgents and is staged in the courtyard of the 108 Druk Wangyel Chortens at Dochula. The setting is one of the most dramatic in any Tshechu: the chortens, the Dochula temple complex, and the Eastern Himalaya rising in the distance. The festival is among the most photographed in the country.

Bhutan: Black-Necked Crane Festival

The Black-Necked Crane Festival falls on 11 November in the Phobjikha Valley — one of the few fixed-date festivals in the Bhutanese calendar. The festival celebrates the arrival of the black-necked cranes, which migrate from the Tibetan Plateau in late October and stay through winter. Schoolchildren perform crane dances in the courtyard of Gangtey Goenpa while the cranes themselves circle overhead. The festival combines cultural performance with wildlife observation in the same afternoon and is one of the most distinctive cultural events of the year.

Bhutan: Haa Summer Festival

The Haa Summer Festival falls in early July and is one of the most underrated cultural events in Bhutan. The festival celebrates the nomadic and semi-nomadic culture of the Haa Valley and includes traditional dress demonstrations, archery, yak-herder competitions, and food festivals. Haa is one of the quieter valleys in the western kingdom, and the summer festival is the only window when the valley fully comes alive.

Bhutan: Matsutake Mushroom Festival

The Matsutake Mushroom Festival falls in mid-August in Ura Valley, Bumthang. Matsutake mushrooms are a delicacy across East Asia, and Bhutan's Bumthang region produces some of the most prized matsutake in the Himalaya. The festival celebrates the harvest with traditional dishes, foraging walks, and cultural performances. The festival is one of the most distinctive food events in the wider Himalayan region.

How to Plan a Festival-Anchored Trip

Confirm the Lunar Date First

The single most important rule of festival travel in the region is to confirm the lunar date before booking flights. Our team works backward from the confirmed festival date — we lock in the Tshechu, Tshechu's preceding Drubchen, or pilgrimage date first, then build the trekking and cultural days around it. Travelers who book flights against last year's Gregorian dates routinely arrive a week early or a week late.

Build Buffer Days Before the Festival

Festival dates can be confirmed, but flight delays cannot. Lukla flights, Drukair into Paro, and weather across the plateau can all delay a guest's arrival by 24 to 48 hours. We build a buffer day into every festival-anchored itinerary so a flight delay does not cost a guest the public day they came for. The buffer day is also useful for recovering from jet lag and acclimatizing before the festival energy begins.

Confirm Inventory Earlier for Festival Weeks

Luxury accommodation around major festivals tightens four to six months ahead. The Paro Valley luxury inventory for Paro Tshechu, the Thimphu and Bumthang properties for the autumn Tshechu arc, and the Lhasa luxury hotels for Saga Dawa and Shoton all book out earliest. Our team confirms inventory from the previous season, and we recommend confirming dates at least 5 months in advance for major festival weeks.

Combine Multiple Festivals When Possible

The autumn festival arc in Bhutan — Thimphu Tshechu, Wangdue Tshechu, Jakar Tshechu, then Mongar or Trashigang Tshechu — runs across approximately five weeks. Travelers with longer trip windows can combine two or three Tshechus into a single trip that follows the festival circuit east. The same applies to the Saga Dawa and Buddha Jayanti window across Tibet and Nepal.

Festival Etiquette and Photography

Festival etiquette across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan shares core principles even though the specific rules vary by tradition. The list below covers the most important behaviors that experienced travelers observe.

• Dress modestly. Long trousers or skirts and sleeved tops are appropriate for all festival sites. Shorts and sleeveless tops are not acceptable inside dzongs, monasteries, or temples
• Remove shoes when entering temple interiors. Most monasteries require shoe removal at the entrance. Slip-on shoes are practical for festival days because of repeated removal
• Walk clockwise around stupas, prayer wheels, and chortens. The clockwise direction is the Buddhist convention for circumambulation
• Ask before photographing people. The mask dancers themselves are typically open to photography during public performances. Pilgrims, monks, and lay practitioners deserve explicit permission before close-up photography
• Do not photograph the inner sanctum of temples. Some monasteries permit courtyard photography but prohibit interior photography. When in doubt, ask a monk or our guide
• Never photograph monks or laity during ritual prostration without permission. The act of prostration is a private religious moment that travelers should not interrupt
• Do not interrupt mask dances to ask questions. Wait for breaks between performances. Our guides explain the symbolism of each dance in the breaks
• Do not point feet at religious objects, statues, or seated monks. Cross legs or tuck feet beneath you when sitting near religious imagery
• Do not buy religious objects from open markets at festival sites. The most authentic and ethically sourced religious items are sold directly by monasteries. Open-market sellers sometimes deal in stolen or illegally exported objects
• Tip the atsara (clowns) modestly when they approach. The atsaras are part of the religious tradition rather than entertainers — small tips are customary but not required
• Avoid eating or drinking visibly during religious processions. Festival days include fast periods for many participants, and visible eating during these windows can be inappropriate
• Switch off phones during ritual ceremonies. Photography is acceptable, but ringtones and conversation are not

Festival-Anchored Itinerary Recommendations

Spring Bhutan Around Paro Tshechu

Eight to ten days. Two days in Paro for the Tshechu public days; two days in Thimphu, including Tashichho Dzong and the Buddha Dordenma; two days in Punakha, including the dzong and Chimi Lhakhang; and a final day for the Tiger's Nest hike before departure. The combination delivers the largest spring festival alongside the kingdom's three foundational valleys.

Saga Dawa at Mount Kailash

Sixteen to eighteen days. Three nights in Kathmandu for acclimatization and briefing, the Group Visa processing window, an overland or flight transfer to Lhasa with three nights at altitude in the holy city, the drive to Saga and Manasarovar, the three-day Kailash kora climaxing on or around the full moon of May, and the return to Kathmandu. The most spiritually significant pilgrimage in the wider Buddhist world.

Autumn Bhutan Around Thimphu and Jakar Tshechus

Ten to fourteen days. Three days in Thimphu for the Tshechu, two days in Punakha, two days in Phobjikha (with the option of the Black-Necked Crane Festival on 11 November if dates align), two days in Jakar Bumthang for the smaller Tshechu, and a final return to Paro with the Tiger's Nest hike. Travelers in early November can combine the autumn Tshechu arc with the crane festival in a single trip.

Shoton Festival in Lhasa

Eight to ten days. Three nights in Lhasa for acclimatization, the Drepung thangka unveiling at sunrise on the first festival day, and two further days exploring the Tibetan opera performances at Norbulingka. The full Shoton week, combined with the Indra Jatra in Kathmandu, produces one of the most concentrated festival weeks in the wider Himalaya.

Tihar in the Kathmandu Valley

Six to eight days. Bhaktapur evenings during Tihar are particularly atmospheric. The five-day cycle includes Kag Tihar (crow worship), Kukur Tihar (dog worship), Gai Tihar and Lakshmi Puja (cow and Lakshmi worship), Goru Puja and Mha Puja (ox and self worship in the Newar tradition), and Bhai Tika (brother worship). Tihar is best combined with a short Annapurna foothills trek for travelers who want festival immersion alongside autumn trekking weather.

Druk Wangyel Tshechu at Dochula

Six to eight days. The 13 December festival is a fixed date, making planning easier than for other Tshechus. Three days in Paro and Thimphu, the festival day at Dochula, two days in Punakha, and a final Paro day. The festival takes place on a winter day when mountain visibility from Dochula Pass is at its annual best — Mount Gangkhar Puensum and the eastern Himalayan range are visible from the festival ground.