Nepal festivals and events 2027: month-by-month calendar

How to read this calendar

Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs publishes public holidays by Nepali year. The list for 2083, which runs to mid-April 2027, is out, but the list for 2084, which covers the rest of 2027, had not been published when we checked. Only one 2027 date in this article, Holi, appears on a government calendar so far, published by Nepal's consulate in San Francisco.

For the other festivals, we give the rule or season from the Nepal Tourism Board and, where useful, the expected date as calculated for Kathmandu by the calendar publisher Drik Panchang. Treat these as expected: Nepal's own calendar committee has the final word, and ritual days can differ by a day from Indian calendars. A festival does not tell you which shops or sights close, so check the places you plan to visit.

January to March: Maghe Sankranti, Shivaratri and Holi

Maghe Sankranti, the first day of the month of Magh, is expected on Friday 15 January. Families share sesame sweets, chaku, ghee and root vegetables, and many people take a holy dip in a river; Tharu communities call it Maghi.

Maha Shivaratri, the night of Shiva, is expected on Saturday 6 March. Devotees and pilgrims from across Nepal and India gather at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu. Entry to the main temple is for Hindus only; visitors watch from across the river.

Holi (Fagu Purnima), the festival of colours, is listed on Monday 22 March on the government calendar of Nepal's consulate in San Francisco. Expect coloured powder and water in the streets; the Terai may celebrate on a different day.

April and May: Bisket Jatra, Nepali New Year and Buddha Jayanti

Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur usually starts in the second week of April and lasts more than a week; crowds pull chariots carrying the gods Bhairava and Bhadrakali through the streets. The 2027 dates had not been announced.

Nepali New Year, 1 Baisakh, the start of the year 2084, falls in mid-April; the exact date was not yet in a government list.

Buddha Jayanti, marking the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, is expected on Thursday 20 May, with prayers and meditation in Lumbini and at the Buddhist sites of the Kathmandu Valley.

July to September: Gai Jatra, Janai Purnima, Teej and Indra Jatra

Gai Jatra, the festival remembering family members who died during the year, usually falls in July or August, with processions, cow costumes, singing and humour; in Bhaktapur it lasts eight days.

Janai Purnima, when sacred threads are renewed, is expected on Tuesday 17 August; pilgrims gather at Kumbeshwar in Patan and at the lake of Gosaikunda.

Teej, the women's festival, is expected on Friday 3 September. The Nepal Tourism Board describes thousands of women in red and green at Pashupatinath, singing and dancing; many fast for the day.

Indra Jatra is an eight-day festival in September in Kathmandu's old city, around Basantapur and Hanuman Dhoka, with the raising of a ceremonial pole, masked dances and the chariot procession of the Living Goddess Kumari. Hundreds gather for the pole ceremony and the narrow streets get crowded. The 2027 dates had not been announced.

October and November: Dashain, Tihar and Chhath

Dashain traditionally lasts two weeks. It is expected to run from Ghatasthapana on Thursday 30 September to Kojagrat Purnima on Thursday 14 October, with Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika and blessings, expected on Sunday 10 October. The Nepal Tourism Board notes that Kathmandu's population is greatly reduced as many people head home, so plan around the main days.

Tihar, the five-day festival of lights, is expected from Wednesday 27 to Sunday 31 October: days for crows, dogs, cows and oxen, Lakshmi Puja on Friday 29 October and Bhai Tika, the day of tika between brothers and sisters, on Sunday 31 October. Homes are decorated with lights and garlands.

Chhath, worship of the sun with offerings at sunset and the following dawn, is expected on Thursday 4 November. It draws thousands of pilgrims to Janakpur in the Terai, and people also gather on riverbanks in Kathmandu.