Do it like a local · Everywhere

Be here for a festival

Dashain and Tihar in autumn, Indra Jatra's chariots in Basantapur, Holi in spring. The city changes for weeks around each one.

Best time

Autumn for Dashain and Tihar; spring for Holi and the new-year festivals.

How long

Some festivals are a day; Dashain runs for over a week.

Getting there

Festivals happen everywhere, from the old squares to every neighbourhood.

The big ones

Dashain is Nepal's biggest festival, more than a week of family visits, tika blessings and kites, usually in October. Tihar follows a few weeks later, a festival of lights where homes are lit with lamps and garlands, and groups go door to door singing.

In spring, Holi fills the streets with coloured powder and water. Teej, in late summer, brings women in red to the temples, singing and dancing.

The old towns' own festivals

The valley's old cities have festivals of their own. Indra Jatra in Kathmandu brings masked dances and the Kumari's chariot through Durbar Square. Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur, at the Nepali New Year in April, pulls huge chariots through the streets.

Dates follow the lunar calendar and move every year. The listings below show the festivals and festival events coming up, with dates from the Nepali calendar.

How to join in

Most festivals are public and open to anyone. The best way to experience one is to go where locals go: the temples, the old squares and the neighbourhood streets, rather than a hotel event.

Some festivals have ticketed concerts, parties and special events around them, and those are listed too, alongside the free public celebrations.

Tips

During Dashain the city empties as people go home, and many shops close for days.
Wear old clothes for Holi; the colour does not always wash out.
Ask before you join a ritual, and follow what locals do.
Book travel early around Dashain and Tihar, as buses and flights fill up.