Most festivals in Nepal follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move every year. Below are the dates of the main festivals for 2026, 2027 and 2028, followed by what each festival is and what it means if you are travelling at that time.
Festival dates
Select a year. Dates marked expected are calculated from the lunar calendar and are confirmed once Nepal’s official calendar for that year is published.
| Festival | Date 2026 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Maha ShivaratriPashupatinath, Kathmandu | 15 Feb | Pashupatinath, Kathmandu |
| Gyalpo Lhosar (Tibetan New Year)Boudhanath, Swayambhunath | 18 Feb | Boudhanath, Swayambhunath |
| HoliHills incl. Kathmandu / Terai | 2 Mar / 3 Mar | Hills incl. Kathmandu / Terai |
| Ghode JatraTundikhel, Kathmandu | 18 Mar | Tundikhel, Kathmandu |
| Nepali New Year & Bisket JatraNationwide / Bhaktapur | 14 Apr | Nationwide / Bhaktapur |
| Buddha JayantiSwayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini | 1 May | Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini |
| Janai PurnimaNationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) | 28 Aug | Nationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) |
| Gai JatraKathmandu Valley | 29 Aug | Kathmandu Valley |
| Krishna JanmashtamiKrishna Mandir, Patan | 4 Sep | Krishna Mandir, Patan |
| TeejPashupatinath and nationwide | 14 Sep | Pashupatinath and nationwide |
| Indra JatraKathmandu Durbar Square | 25 Sep | Kathmandu Durbar Square |
| Dashain: Ghatasthapana (day 1)Nationwide | 11 Oct | Nationwide |
| Dashain: Fulpati (day 7)Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu | 17 Oct | Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu |
| Dashain: Vijaya Dashami (main day)Nationwide | 21 Oct | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Laxmi PujaNationwide | 8 Nov | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Bhai TikaNationwide | 11 Nov | Nationwide |
| ChhathTerai, also Kathmandu | 15 Nov | Terai, also Kathmandu |
Dates from Nepal’s official calendar for this year.
| Festival | Date 2027 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Maha ShivaratriPashupatinath, Kathmandu | 6 Mar | Pashupatinath, Kathmandu |
| Gyalpo Lhosar (Tibetan New Year)Boudhanath, Swayambhunath | 9 Mar | Boudhanath, Swayambhunath |
| HoliHills incl. Kathmandu / Terai | 21 Mar / 22 Mar | Hills incl. Kathmandu / Terai |
| Ghode JatraTundikhel, Kathmandu | 6 Apr | Tundikhel, Kathmandu |
| Nepali New Year & Bisket JatraNationwide / Bhaktapur | 14 Apr expected | Nationwide / Bhaktapur |
| Buddha JayantiSwayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini | 20 May expected | Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini |
| Janai PurnimaNationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) | 17 Aug expected | Nationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) |
| Gai JatraKathmandu Valley | 18 Aug expected | Kathmandu Valley |
| Krishna JanmashtamiKrishna Mandir, Patan | 25 Aug expected | Krishna Mandir, Patan |
| TeejPashupatinath and nationwide | 3 Sep expected | Pashupatinath and nationwide |
| Indra JatraKathmandu Durbar Square | 14 Sep expected | Kathmandu Durbar Square |
| Dashain: Ghatasthapana (day 1)Nationwide | 30 Sep expected | Nationwide |
| Dashain: Fulpati (day 7)Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu | 6 Oct expected | Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu |
| Dashain: Vijaya Dashami (main day)Nationwide | 10 Oct expected | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Laxmi PujaNationwide | 29 Oct expected | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Bhai TikaNationwide | 31 Oct expected | Nationwide |
| ChhathTerai, also Kathmandu | 4 Nov expected | Terai, also Kathmandu |
January to mid-April from the official calendar. Later dates are expected dates, calculated from the lunar calendar, and may shift by a day. We update them when the official calendar is published.
| Festival | Date 2028 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Maha ShivaratriPashupatinath, Kathmandu | 23 Feb expected | Pashupatinath, Kathmandu |
| Gyalpo Lhosar (Tibetan New Year)Boudhanath, Swayambhunath | Late Feb expected | Boudhanath, Swayambhunath |
| HoliHills incl. Kathmandu / Terai | 10 Mar / 11 Mar expected | Hills incl. Kathmandu / Terai |
| Ghode JatraTundikhel, Kathmandu | Late Mar expected | Tundikhel, Kathmandu |
| Nepali New Year & Bisket JatraNationwide / Bhaktapur | 13 or 14 Apr expected | Nationwide / Bhaktapur |
| Buddha JayantiSwayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini | 8 May expected | Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Lumbini |
| Janai PurnimaNationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) | 5 Aug expected | Nationwide, Kumbheshwar (Patan) |
| Gai JatraKathmandu Valley | 6 Aug expected | Kathmandu Valley |
| Krishna JanmashtamiKrishna Mandir, Patan | 13 or 14 Aug expected | Krishna Mandir, Patan |
| TeejPashupatinath and nationwide | 22 Aug expected | Pashupatinath and nationwide |
| Indra JatraKathmandu Durbar Square | Early Sep expected | Kathmandu Durbar Square |
| Dashain: Ghatasthapana (day 1)Nationwide | 19 Sep expected | Nationwide |
| Dashain: Fulpati (day 7)Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu | 25 Sep expected | Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu |
| Dashain: Vijaya Dashami (main day)Nationwide | 28 Sep expected | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Laxmi PujaNationwide | 17 Oct expected | Nationwide |
| Tihar: Bhai TikaNationwide | 19 Oct expected | Nationwide |
| ChhathTerai, also Kathmandu | Late Oct expected | Terai, also Kathmandu |
Expected dates, calculated from the lunar calendar. They may shift by a day, and some can only be fixed once the official calendar is published. We update them as soon as it is.
Dashain and Tihar
Dashain
Dashain is the biggest festival of the year, 15 days in late September or October. It celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. On Ghatasthapana, the first day, families sow barley seeds that grow into the yellow shoots (jamara) worn on the main day. On Fulpati, the seventh day, a procession carries sacred flowers and leaves into Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu Durbar Square. On the eighth and ninth day, animals are sacrificed at temples across the country. On Vijaya Dashami, elders give red tika and jamara to younger family members.
For travellers: offices, banks and many shops close for several days around the main days, and many Kathmandu residents travel to their home villages. Buses and domestic flights out of Kathmandu are fully booked in the days before; book transport well ahead. Hotels, tourist restaurants, trekking routes and the main sights stay open, and Kathmandu itself is quieter than usual.
Tihar
Tihar, the festival of lights, lasts five days in October or November. Each day honours something different: crows, dogs, cows, and on the third day Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, when houses are lit with oil lamps and candles and decorated with marigold garlands and coloured mandalas. The fourth day is Mha Puja, the Newar New Year. On Bhai Tika, the last day, sisters give their brothers a seven-coloured tika.
For travellers: Tihar is a good time to be in Kathmandu. The streets are lit in the evenings and groups of children and young people go from house to house singing. Offices close for a few days, but shops and restaurants mostly stay open.
Spring festivals
Maha Shivaratri
The night of Shiva, in February or early March. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and sadhus from Nepal and India come to Pashupatinath, and the queues for the main temple last hours. See our Pashupatinath visitor guide.
Gyalpo Lhosar
The Tibetan New Year, in February or March, celebrated by Tibetan and Sherpa communities. Boudhanath is the centre in Kathmandu, with prayers, new prayer flags and crowds around the stupa. See our Boudhanath visitor guide. Tamang (Sonam Lhosar) and Gurung (Tamu Lhosar) communities celebrate their own New Year at other times of the year.
Holi
The festival of colours, on the full moon of Falgun, in February or March. The hills, including Kathmandu, celebrate one day before the Terai. In Kathmandu the centre of the colour throwing is Basantapur, near Durbar Square, and Thamel. Read why Kathmandu celebrates Holi a day earlier.
Ghode Jatra
The horse festival, in March or April. The Nepal Army holds horse races and displays at Tundikhel, the parade ground in the centre of Kathmandu.
Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra
The Nepali year (Bikram Sambat) starts in mid-April. In Bhaktapur the new year is marked with Bisket Jatra, a festival of several days in which huge chariots are pulled through the old town and a tall wooden pole is raised and pulled down.
Buddha Jayanti
The birthday of the Buddha, on the full moon in April or May. Swayambhunath and Boudhanath fill with pilgrims, butter lamps and processions, and Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace, holds large celebrations. See our Swayambhunath guide.
Monsoon and late-summer festivals
Janai Purnima
On the full moon in July or August, Hindu men renew the sacred thread (janai) they wear across the chest, and people of all backgrounds have a protective string tied around the wrist. In Patan, pilgrims gather at the Kumbheshwar temple, and many make the pilgrimage to the lake at Gosaikunda.
Gai Jatra
The day after Janai Purnima. Newar families in the Kathmandu Valley who lost someone in the past year join a procession through the old towns, with children dressed as cows. The day has also become a day of satire and street humour.
Krishna Janmashtami
The birthday of Krishna, in August or September. Devotees fill the Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square through the night, with singing and oil lamps.
Teej
A festival of Hindu women in August or September. Women dress in red saris, fast, and sing and dance, and Pashupatinath is crowded with women in red from early morning.
Indra Jatra
Eight days in September, centred on Kathmandu Durbar Square. Masked dancers perform in the square, and the Kumari, the living goddess, is pulled through the old city in her chariot. See our Kathmandu Durbar Square tour.
Chhath
Six days after Laxmi Puja, in October or November. Mainly celebrated in the Terai, but also at ponds and rivers in Kathmandu: devotees stand in the water and make offerings to the setting and the rising sun.
See Kathmandu's festivals with a local guide. Our guides know where the processions start, what the rituals mean and where to stand. Small group or private, daily from Thamel.
See our tours →Frequently asked questions
When is Dashain?
Dashain falls in late September or October and lasts about 15 days. The main day, Vijaya Dashami, is on 21 October 2026, and is expected on 10 October 2027 and 28 September 2028.
When is Tihar?
Tihar falls two to three weeks after Dashain, in October or November, and lasts five days. Laxmi Puja is on 8 November 2026 and Bhai Tika on 11 November 2026. In 2027, Laxmi Puja is expected on 29 October and Bhai Tika on 31 October.
When is Holi in Nepal?
Holi falls on the full moon of Falgun, in February or March. The hills, including Kathmandu, celebrate one day before the Terai. In 2027 Holi is on 21 March in the hills and 22 March in the Terai.
Is Nepal closed during Dashain?
Offices, banks and many shops close for several days around the main days of Dashain, and buses and domestic flights out of Kathmandu are fully booked as people travel home. Hotels, restaurants in tourist areas, trekking routes and most sights stay open.
Why do festival dates change every year?
Most festivals in Nepal follow the lunar calendar, so their date in the Western calendar moves every year. The official dates are set in Nepal's calendar for each Nepali year, which runs from mid-April to mid-April.
Related reading
Best Time to Visit Nepal: Month-by-Month Guide
Sources: official dates for 2026 and early 2027 from Nepal's government holiday calendar as published by Hamro Patro. Expected dates are calculated from the lunar calendar and cross-checked with Drik Panchang.
Main photo; A cham, the masked dance of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, in Kathmandu, by Karma Samten on Pexels.
