Nepal Festivals 2026: Dates & Guide

Overview

Nepal celebrates dozens of vibrant Hindu and Buddhist festivals through the year, and many are public holidays that affect transport, opening hours and accommodation. Some, like Dashain and Tihar, effectively pause the whole country for days; others are quieter, tied to a single temple, town or community.

Most festivals follow the lunar calendar, so their dates in the Western (Gregorian) calendar shift each year — usually by a week or two. A handful are fixed solar dates. Nepal also runs on its own Bikram Sambat (BS) calendar, which is about 56 to 57 years ahead of the Gregorian year, so 2026 AD spans the Nepali years 2082 and 2083 BS. If you are matching dates, our Nepali calendar and date converter make the conversion quick.

Below is a practical 2026 calendar with approximate dates, what each festival means, and travel notes. The biggest festivals cluster in autumn (September to November), which is also Nepal's clearest trekking season — so culture and the best mountain weather peak together. Always confirm exact dates against the official Nepali calendar (Panchanga) closer to your trip, as they can move by a day or two and are only finalised each year.

Nepal Festival Calendar 2026

Maghe Sankranti — mid-January 2026

Marks the end of the coldest month with holy-river dips and dishes of sesame, ghee and yam (tarul). A fixed solar festival around 15 January, and the start of the auspicious season after the long winter month of Poush.

Losar (Tibetan / Sherpa New Year) — February 2026

The new year for Nepal's Tibetan-Buddhist communities — Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung and Tibetan. Look for masked cham dances, prayer flags and family feasts around Boudhanath, which becomes the heart of the celebration in Kathmandu.

Maha Shivaratri — February 2026

The great night of Lord Shiva. Pashupatinath draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and ash-covered sadhus from across Nepal and India — one of the year's biggest and most photogenic spectacles.

Holi (Fagu Purnima) — early March 2026

The festival of colours. Celebrated in the hills (Kathmandu, Pokhara) one day and in the Terai the next day (Terai Holi) — expect water balloons and clouds of coloured powder everywhere. Keep your phone and camera in a waterproof bag.

Ghode Jatra — March 2026

The horse-racing festival on Tundikhel ground in central Kathmandu, with a cavalry parade believed to keep a buried demon at rest. A very local, distinctly Kathmandu event.

Nepali New Year & Bisket Jatra — 14 April 2026

Baisakh 1, 2083 BS. In Bhaktapur, the Bisket Jatra chariot festival is the highlight — huge crowds haul a towering wooden chariot of the god Bhairava through the old town, and a tall ceremonial pole is raised and dropped.

Rato Machindranath Jatra — April to May 2026

One of the longest festivals in the Kathmandu Valley, centred on Patan. A tall, wheeled chariot of the rain god Machindranath is pulled through the streets over several weeks to pray for a good monsoon.

Buddha Jayanti — May 2026

The birth of the Buddha, most meaningful at Lumbini, his birthplace in the Terai, and at Swayambhunath and Boudhanath in Kathmandu, where monasteries hold processions and butter-lamp offerings.

Janai Purnima & Gai Jatra — August 2026

Sacred-thread day, when Hindu men renew the janai and many make the high pilgrimage to Gosaikunda lake, followed a day later by the lively, satirical Gai Jatra — a "cow procession" that gently mocks authority and honours those who died in the past year, biggest in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.

Krishna Janmashtami — August 2026

The birthday of Lord Krishna, marked with all-night singing and worship. The old Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square is the focal point in the valley.

Teej — September 2026

A women's festival of fasting, red saris, song and dance for the wellbeing of husbands and families, centred on Pashupatinath, where thousands of women in red gather over several days.

Indra Jatra — September 2026

Kathmandu's great street festival with masked lakhe dances, tall chariots and the appearance of the living goddess Kumari, pulled through the old city on her chariot. Kathmandu Durbar Square is the stage.

Dashain — October 2026

Nepal's biggest festival, 15 days celebrating the goddess Durga's victory over evil. Families reunite from across the country and abroad, animals are sacrificed, kites fly and elders give tika (a rice-and-vermilion blessing) to the young. Expect the busiest travel of the year — book ahead. Vijaya Dashami, the main day, falls in late October.

Tihar (Deepawali) — November 2026

The five-day festival of lights, honouring crows, dogs, cows and finally brothers on Bhai Tika. Homes are lit with oil lamps and marigold garlands, and doorsteps painted with colourful rangoli. Magical to witness, especially across the Kathmandu Valley.

Chhath — November 2026

A Terai and Mithila festival of devotion to the Sun God, performed on riverbanks and ghats at dawn and dusk. It is biggest in Janakpur and the southern plains, though Kathmandu's rivers also fill with worshippers.

Yomari Punhi — December 2026

A Newar harvest festival marking the end of the rice harvest, celebrated with yomari — steamed rice-flour dumplings filled with molasses and sesame. Quietly lovely and very local to the Kathmandu Valley.

Which festivals to plan a trip around

If you want to build a trip around a single festival, three stand out for visitors. Dashain and Tihar (October–November) show Nepal at its most festive and fall in the best trekking weather — but they are also the busiest and most disruptive weeks of the year, so plan carefully. Indra Jatra (September) is the easiest big spectacle to catch as a short-trip visitor, concentrated over a few days in central Kathmandu. Maha Shivaratri (February) at Pashupatinath is unmatched for atmosphere if you are comfortable in dense crowds.

For a first visit that combines culture with the mountains, autumn is hard to beat: see our guide to the best time to visit Nepal and the autumn season in detail before you lock in dates.

Festival travel tips

Book early around the big ones. During Dashain and Tihar (October–November) shops, offices and many restaurants close for days, and buses, domestic flights and hotels sell out well in advance. Reserve transport and accommodation weeks ahead, and expect higher prices and packed vehicles as families travel home.

Know what stays open. Temples, tourist restaurants in Thamel and Lakeside, and major hotels generally keep running through the holidays, but government offices, banks and smaller local businesses shut for the main festival days. Carry enough cash, as ATMs can run empty during long closures.

Be a respectful guest. Ask before photographing people, sacred rituals or animal sacrifices, and follow the lead of those around you. At sites like Pashupatinath some areas are reserved for Hindus, and cremation ghats should be photographed with care and distance. Dress modestly at temples — covered shoulders and knees.

Pair culture with trekking. The festival calendar clusters in autumn, which is also Nepal's clearest trekking season, so you can combine the two. For a ready-made plan, see our 10-day Nepal itinerary.