Nepal travel guide · Updated 2026
Festivals in Nepal
When Nepal’s festivals fall in 2026, what Dashain, Tihar, Indra Jatra and Teej celebrate, and how to plan a trip around them — with the valley’s jatras mapped month by month.
Nepal festival calendar 2026
| Festival | When | Where | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Losar: Tibetan and Sherpa New Year | Tamu Lhosar 30 Dec; Sonam Lhosar 19 Jan; Gyalpo Lhosar 18 Feb 2026 | Boudhanath, Pokhara, Sherpa and Tamang villages | Masked dances, monastery ceremonies and new-year feasts |
| Swasthani Brata Katha | 3 Jan – 1 Feb 2026 (a full lunar month) | Sankhu (Sali Nadi) and homes across Nepal | Nightly scripture readings and river rituals at Sankhu |
| Holi in Nepal: The Festival of Colours | 3 Mar 2026 in the hills and Kathmandu; 4 Mar in the Terai | Basantapur, Kathmandu; Terai towns | Colour-powder street parties |
| Seto Machindranath Jatra in Kathmandu | Late March 2026 (around 26 Mar) | Asan to Lagan, old Kathmandu | A chariot hauled through the old city over three days |
| Bisket Jatra: Bhaktapur's Chariot Festival | Around 14 Apr 2026 (Nepali New Year), with festivities a few days either side | Bhaktapur and Thimi | Chariot tug-of-war, the lingo pole, tongue-piercing at Bode |
| Newari Festivals & Jatras of the Kathmandu Valley | Late April to May 2026 (Rato Machhindranath) | Patan and Bungamati | Nepal’s longest chariot festival, ending with Bhoto Jatra |
| Buddha Jayanti: Buddha's Birthday in Nepal | Full moon of May 2026 (calendars differ this year) | Lumbini, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath | Butter lamps, processions and monastery prayers |
| Naag Panchami: Nepal's Festival of the Nagas | Mid-August 2026 (around 17 Aug) | Doorways everywhere; Nag Pokhari, Kathmandu | Naag posters above doors and milk offerings |
| Gai Jatra: The Cow Festival of Nepal | 29 Aug 2026, the day after Janai Purnima | Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan | Cow processions, costumes and satire honouring the dead |
| Krishna Janmashtami in Nepal | 4 Sep 2026 | Krishna Mandir, Patan Durbar Square | All-night vigil and singing at the stone temple |
| Teej: Nepal's Women's Festival | 14 Sep 2026 | Pashupatinath, Kathmandu | Women in red dancing and fasting; the temple queue is the spectacle |
| Indra Jatra: Kathmandu's Chariot Festival | 19–27 Sep 2026 | Kathmandu Durbar Square | Kumari chariot, Lakhe dancers, Bhairav’s beer: the valley’s biggest street festival |
| Dashain: Nepal's Biggest Festival | 11–25 Oct 2026 (Vijaya Dashami 21 Oct) | Nationwide; Kathmandu empties as families go home | Tika blessings, bamboo swings and kites; expect closures |
| Tihar: Nepal's Festival of Lights | 8–12 Nov 2026 (Laxmi Puja mid-festival) | Nationwide; best in the Kathmandu Valley lanes | Oil lamps, rangoli, dog and crow days, Bhai Tika |
Most festivals follow the lunar Bikram Sambat calendar, so dates move every year and can shift by a day as the official Nepali calendar is finalised. 2026 also has an extra lunar month, which is why some calendars differ. Confirm the exact day before you book.
Nepal celebrates more often than almost anywhere. Hindu and Buddhist traditions overlap with the Newar culture of the Kathmandu Valley to fill the year with chariot processions, masked dances, lamp-lit nights and family feasts. The catch for travellers is timing: most festivals follow the lunar calendar, so they land on different dates each year, and the biggest ones close shops, offices and transport for days.
How the festival calendar works
Nepal runs on the Bikram Sambat calendar. Its months are solar, but festivals are fixed to phases of the moon, so each one drifts by around eleven days a year against the Western calendar and occasionally jumps by a month when a leap month is added, as happens in 2026. The fixed-date exceptions are few: Nepali New Year on 14 April, and the Sherpa, Tamang and Gurung new years (Lhosar), which follow their own cycles. The calendar above gives the 2026 dates; check a current Nepali calendar for the exact day once your trip is close.
The three to plan around
Dashain (October) is the national holiday: fifteen days when families return home, elders give tika and jamara, and bamboo swings and kites appear in every village. It is warm and welcoming, but Kathmandu half-empties, buses fill for a week beforehand and many restaurants shut on the main days.
Tihar (November) follows about two weeks later and is the most photogenic: five nights of oil lamps, marigold garlands and rangoli, with crows, dogs and cows honoured on successive days and brothers blessed on Bhai Tika. Little closes for long, and the valley’s lanes glow.
Indra Jatra (September) is the Kathmandu Valley’s great street festival: the living goddess Kumari drawn through Durbar Square, Lakhe demon dancers and the raising of the Yosin pole. It falls as the monsoon ends, so the skies are clearing just as the chariots roll.
Watching well
- Stand early, stand high. Chariot routes are announced locally; a rooftop cafe on Durbar Square or a temple plinth beats street level.
- Ask before photographing rituals. Tika ceremonies and temple pujas are family moments; a smile and a question are usually enough.
- Dress modestly at temples and take shoes off where locals do.
- Book ahead for Dashain and Tihar. Domestic flights and tourist buses out of Kathmandu sell out in the week before Dashain, and hotels in Pokhara and Chitwan fill.
- Eat what is offered. Festival food, from sel roti at Tihar to yomari at Yomari Punhi, is part of the experience; see our guide to Nepali food.
Festivals by faith
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest festival in Nepal?+
Dashain is the longest and most important — a 15-day Hindu festival in September or October celebrating the goddess Durga's victory over evil, when families reunite, elders give tika and blessings, and the whole country slows down. Tihar (the festival of lights) follows about two weeks later and is the second-biggest. Both are covered in detail below.
When is the best time to see festivals in Nepal?+
Autumn (September–November) is the festival heart of the year, with Indra Jatra, Dashain and Tihar falling in quick succession. Spring adds Bisket Jatra (Nepali New Year) in Bhaktapur and Buddha Jayanti. Most Nepali festivals follow the lunar calendar, so dates shift each year — check the festival calendar below for the current year's dates.
What are the Newari jatras?+
The Newars, the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley, hold some of Nepal's most spectacular street festivals — chariot processions (jatras) like Indra Jatra, Bisket Jatra and Rato Machhindranath, with masked dances, living goddesses and towering temple-cars hauled through medieval squares. The Newari festivals guide below maps them out.
Can tourists join Nepali festivals?+
Yes — most festivals are public street events and visitors are warmly welcomed to watch the processions, music and dances. Dress modestly at temples, ask before photographing rituals or people, and expect crowds and closures during the biggest days. Timing a trip around Indra Jatra or Tihar is one of the best ways to experience Nepali culture.
Time your trip around a festival
Dashain and Indra Jatra fall in the clearest trekking weather. Fix your dates, then let a package handle the rest.
