How Nepal's festival dates work
Nepal runs on more than one calendar. Daily life follows Bikram Sambat, the official solar calendar, whose new year falls in mid-April. Most festivals follow lunar calendars: the Hindu lunar months for Dashain and Tihar, the Newar calendar of the Kathmandu Valley for Indra Jatra and Yomari Punhi, and the Tibetan calendar for Losar and Mani Rimdu. The result is that most festivals move by two to four weeks from one year to the next, and exact dates are often fixed only months ahead.
Festivals in Nepal are living religious events rather than shows. They happen in streets, temple squares and homes, and visitors are welcome to watch with respect. Some bring national holidays that close offices, fill buses and flights, and push up hotel demand. Others are local, and you may only realise one is happening when a procession turns into your lane. For all the dates below, check current status before you travel.
The festival year at a glance
Months are typical; lunar dates shift every year, so check current status before you travel.
| Month | Festival | Where |
|---|---|---|
| January | Maghe Sankranti | Nationwide, river confluences |
| February–March | Gyalpo Losar (Tibetan New Year) | Boudhanath, Sherpa and Tibetan areas |
| February–March | Maha Shivaratri | Pashupatinath |
| February–March | Holi (Fagu Purnima) | Kathmandu Valley, then the Terai a day later |
| April | Bisket Jatra, Nepali New Year | Bhaktapur |
| April–May | Rato Machhindranath chariot | Patan |
| April–May | Buddha Jayanti | Lumbini, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath |
| May | Tiji | Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang |
| August | Janai Purnima, Gai Jatra | Kathmandu Valley, Kumbheshwar in Patan |
| August–September | Teej | Pashupatinath |
| August–September | Indra Jatra | Kathmandu Durbar Square |
| September–October | Dashain | Nationwide |
| October–November | Tihar | Nationwide |
| October–November | Mani Rimdu | Tengboche Monastery |
| December | Yomari Punhi | Kathmandu Valley |
Indra Jatra in Kathmandu
Indra Jatra, in late August or September, is the great street festival of Kathmandu. For eight days the old city around Kathmandu Durbar Square fills with masked dancers, including the Lakhe, a demon dancer, and the faces of Bhairab are uncovered and honoured. The high point is Kumari Jatra, when the Kumari, the living goddess, is pulled through the old town on a wooden chariot, with two boys representing Ganesh and Bhairab following on their own chariots. Crowds are dense; we arrange viewing spots where possible and keep groups small.
Indra Jatra marks the end of the monsoon and the start of the festival season, so it is a good reason to arrive in Kathmandu a few weeks before the autumn rush. Rain often falls later in the day, and the old city is at its most atmospheric. A few weeks earlier, Janai Purnima, at the August full moon, brings Hindu men to renew their sacred thread and pilgrims to the Kumbheshwar temple pond in Patan, and the next day Gai Jatra honours family members who died in the past year, with processions of children dressed as cows through the old towns, especially Bhaktapur. Teej, in late August or September, fills Pashupatinath with women in red saris who fast, sing and dance for the long life of their husbands.
Dashain and Tihar
Dashain, usually in late September or October, is the longest and most important Hindu festival in Nepal, honouring the goddess Durga's victory over evil. It lasts 15 days, but the main days are the last few: Fulpati, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami, when animals are sacrificed at temples, and Vijaya Dashami, when elders place red tika and jamara (barley shoots) on the foreheads of younger relatives. Kites fill the sky, and bamboo swings appear in villages. Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Durbar Square and the Dakshinkali temple south of the city are crowded on the main days.
Tihar, the five-day festival of lights, follows about two to three weeks later. Each day honours someone: crows, then dogs, garlanded and fed, then cows and Laxmi, goddess of wealth, when homes are lit with oil lamps and candles; then the Newar new year and Mha Puja, a ritual of self-worship; and finally Bhai Tika, when sisters bless brothers. Expect offices to close and transport to fill on the main days of both festivals, and book early.
Mani Rimdu at Tengboche
Mani Rimdu is a Sherpa Buddhist festival held at monasteries in the Khumbu. The best known is at Tengboche Monastery, at 3,867 m, usually in October or November, at the height of the walking season. Over several days monks perform prayers and rituals; for visitors the main public events are a blessing ceremony for the gathered Sherpa families, a day of masked cham dances in the monastery courtyard, and a closing fire ceremony. Thame monastery holds its own Mani Rimdu in spring. Visitors sit around the edges of the courtyard; dress warmly, as the dances run for hours in the cold, and ask before photographing monks.
Watching requires being in the Khumbu with time to acclimatise, as Tengboche is too high to reach quickly from Kathmandu. Our 12-night Everest lodge-to-lodge trek includes a Tengboche day hike and can be timed for Mani Rimdu in years when the dates suit. Lodges nearby fill early in festival week (check current status before you travel).
Winter festivals: Yomari Punhi to Holi
Winter is quieter, but several festivals are worth planning for. Yomari Punhi, the December full moon, marks the end of the rice harvest in Newar homes, with yomari dumplings of rice flour and molasses. Maghe Sankranti in mid-January marks the turn towards warmer days, with ritual bathing at river confluences and dishes of sesame, molasses, sweet potato and ghee.
Gyalpo Losar, the Tibetan New Year, usually in February or early March, is celebrated at Boudhanath with prayers and new prayer flags, and families visit the stupa in their best clothes. Maha Shivaratri, the night of Shiva, around the same time, brings thousands of sadhus and pilgrims from Nepal and India to Pashupatinath. Fires burn all night, and the complex is crowded.
Holi, called Fagu Purnima in Nepal, falls in February or March. In the hill areas, including Kathmandu, it is played one day, and in the Terai the next. Basantapur, by Kathmandu Durbar Square, is the centre of the coloured powder and water. It is loud and good-natured; we suggest old, light-coloured clothes, a phone in a waterproof pouch and staying in groups.
Spring: Bisket Jatra to Buddha Jayanti
Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur marks the Nepali New Year in mid-April. Large wooden chariots carrying the god Bhairab and the goddess Bhadrakali are pulled through the old city in a tug of war between the upper and lower halves of the town, and a tall wooden pole is raised and then pulled down to mark the new year. It is the best festival to see in Bhaktapur.
In Patan, the Rato Machhindranath chariot festival runs for several weeks around April and May. A towering chariot is hauled through the streets in stages to bring the monsoon rains, ending with the showing of the sacred bhoto, a vest at Jawalakhel.
Buddha Jayanti, the full moon of Baisakh, usually in late April or May, marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. At Lumbini, where he was born, pilgrims gather at the Maya Devi Temple and the monasteries hold prayers. In Kathmandu, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath fill with butter lamps. Lumbini is hot in May, often above 38 °C, so we plan early mornings and evenings there. In Upper Mustang, Tiji, a three-day masked dance festival in Lo Manthang, usually falls in May.
Planning a trip around a festival
Our 7-night Kathmandu Valley festival season journey spends four nights in Kathmandu, two in Dhulikhel and a final night in Kathmandu, timed around Indra Jatra, Dashain or Tihar depending on the year. For Buddha Jayanti we suggest our 8-night Lumbini Buddhist journey, and for Tiji, our Mustang journey in May. A few rules help:
- Ask us for confirmed dates; we check them each year against the latest calendars
- Book six to nine months ahead for Dashain, Tihar and Mani Rimdu, when hotels and flights fill
- Allow an extra day in Kathmandu during Dashain and Tihar, when roads and flights are busy
- Dress modestly at temples and ask before photographing rituals or people
- Expect some shops, offices and museums to close on main festival days
- Pair a festival with a quieter stay, such as Dwarika's Resort Dhulikhel after Indra Jatra
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
What is the biggest festival in Nepal?
Dashain is the biggest and longest festival in Nepal. It lasts 15 days, usually in late September or October, and honours the goddess Durga. Families gather, elders give red tika and barley shoots to younger relatives, and kites and bamboo swings appear everywhere. Offices close for several days, and transport is busy as people travel home. Dates move each year; check current status before you travel.
When is Tihar in Nepal?
Tihar usually falls in October or November, about two to three weeks after Dashain, and lasts five days. Its third day, Laxmi Puja, is the night homes are lit with oil lamps and candles. Other days honour crows, dogs and cows, the Newar new year and, finally, brothers and sisters at Bhai Tika. Exact dates follow the lunar calendar; check current status before you travel.
Can tourists watch Indra Jatra?
Yes. Indra Jatra takes place in the streets around Kathmandu Durbar Square for about eight days in late August or September, and visitors are welcome to watch the masked dances and the Kumari's chariot procession. Crowds are dense, so we arrange a raised viewing spot where possible and keep valuables close. Dates follow the lunar calendar; check current status before you travel.
Where is the best place to celebrate Holi in Nepal?
Basantapur, beside Kathmandu Durbar Square, is the centre of Holi in the Kathmandu Valley, with music, coloured powder and water. Thamel and Patan are lively too. In the hills Holi is played one day, and in the Terai the next. Wear old, light-coloured clothes, protect your phone and eyes, and stay with your group. Holi falls in February or March.
When is Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini?
Buddha Jayanti falls on the full moon of the month of Baisakh, usually in late April or May. In Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, pilgrims gather at the Maya Devi Temple and the monasteries hold prayers and processions. It is hot, often above 38 °C, so we plan visits for early morning and evening. Dates follow the lunar calendar; check current status before you travel.
What is Mani Rimdu and where can I see it?
Mani Rimdu is a Sherpa Buddhist festival of prayers, blessings and masked cham dances. The best known is held at Tengboche Monastery, at 3,867 m in the Everest region, usually in October or November. Reaching it needs several days of gradual walking to acclimatise, so it fits a lodge-to-lodge walk in the Khumbu rather than a short visit. Check current status before you travel.
Is it a good idea to travel in Nepal during Dashain?
Yes, with planning. You see Nepal at its most festive, with families in new clothes, kites and temple rituals. On the other hand, offices and many shops close for the main days, buses and domestic flights fill as people travel home, and hotels are in demand. We book early, add a buffer day and plan sightseeing around the key days.
What festival happens in Bhaktapur?
Bisket Jatra, at Nepali New Year in mid-April, is Bhaktapur's greatest festival. Wooden chariots of Bhairab and Bhadrakali are pulled through the streets in a contest between the upper and lower town, and a tall pole is raised and brought down to mark the new year. Bhaktapur also celebrates Dashain, Tihar and Gai Jatra in its squares, each in its own style.
Are festival dates the same every year?
No. Most Nepali festivals follow lunar calendars, so their dates move by up to several weeks from year to year. Bisket Jatra is tied to the solar new year in mid-April and moves little. Dates are usually confirmed by temple and government calendars some months ahead. We check every booking against the latest calendar; check current status before you travel.
