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

Uzbekistan's year runs from Navruz, the spring holiday, through the folklore of Boysun in May and the Silk and Spices craft fair in Bukhara to Independence Day on 1 September. The public holidays are fixed in law, the Eids follow the moon and the festivals are set by their organisers year by year. This calendar says what each event is, where it is held and how many nights it needs.

Researched and written by AI (Claude, Codex) · Published by tsam Inc.Updated Facts checked 6 min read
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The short answer

Book Afrosiyob seats first, because sales open 60 days ahead (Tashkent to Samarkand economy is UZS 311,000 on the fares in force since 1 February 2026), then rooms in the festival city. Public holidays are fixed, led by Navruz on 21 March and Independence Day on 1 September; the Eids follow the moon, about 9 March and 16 May, give or take a day. Silk and Spices in Bukhara and Khiva's melon festival (every August) each last about three days, so two nights cover them; Boysun Bahori (first ten days of May) and Sharq Taronalari (due in 2027) have no 2027 length.

Craft stalls hung with embroidered bags, textiles and rugs under awnings
Handicraft stalls at the Boysun Bahori festival. Photograph: Iaa2023 · CC BY 4.0
Key point
Silk and Spices and the melon festival each last about three days; most public holidays are a single day.
Where it applies
Tashkent for Navruz, Bukhara for Silk and Spices, Khiva for the melon festival, Samarkand for Sharq Taronalari, a separate trip to Boysun in May.
Timing
Public holidays cluster in March and May; the festivals fall between May and August.

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How to read this calendar

Only the public holidays are settled: Article 208 of the Labour Code puts them on the same day every year, and the weekdays below are for 2027. For everything else, the organisers had not announced 2027 dates, programmes, ticket prices or opening hours when we checked on 25 October 2026, so the lines below describe what each event is. Domestic train tickets go on sale 60 days ahead, so for Navruz, Boysun Bahori and the melon festival book your trains from about two months before the date, and book your room as soon as an organiser publishes the days.

Navruz (21 March) and Remembrance Day (9 May) both fall on Sundays in 2027, so Monday 22 March and Monday 10 May are likely days off for most office workers. A presidential decree can rearrange days off, and none for 2027 had been published. For weather and school holidays, use our best-time guide.

January to March: Ramadan, the Eids and Navruz

New Year's Day, 1 January (a Friday in 2027), is a public holiday.

Ramadan runs from about 8 February to about 8 March 2027. The FCDO says cafés and restaurants may amend their menus and be busy around iftar, the fast-breaking meal, and that areas around mosques are busy at prayer times. The Eids follow the moon: about 9 March (Eid al-Fitr, Ro'za hayit) and 16 May (Eid al-Adha, Qurbon hayiti) 2027, give or take a day, and only the first day of each is a public holiday.

International Women's Day, 8 March (a Monday in 2027), is a public holiday.

Navruz, 21 March, is the new year of the Eastern calendar, a spring celebration more than 3,000 years old. Festivities run through the whole month, before and after the day itself, so you do not have to be there on the 21st. Women stir sumalak, a wheat-germ dish, in large cauldrons all day with songs and dances, and the tourism portal lists fairs with street circus artists, musicians, dancers and storytellers, folk festivals, gifts, family visits and streets decorated with spring flowers. Its Tashkent programme has been based at the Ethnopark, with concerts, craft exhibitions and tandoors turning out samsa, sumalak and pilaf.

A covered walkway hung with white and ikat-patterned cloths for Navruz in Tashkent
Ikat and white cloths hung over a walkway in Tashkent for Navruz in March. Photograph: Ayqironlik · CC BY-SA 4.0

May: Boysun Bahori and Remembrance Day

Boysun Bahori (Boysun Spring) is a folklore festival held every year in the first ten days of May in a mountain village of the Boysun district, in Surkhandarya province. Its programme includes national wrestling, a bicycle marathon, kite flying and other folk games, with awards for the best folklore groups and competitors at the end. Boysun's cultural space joined UNESCO's list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2001. Boysun is not on the Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva route, so treat it as a separate trip.

Day of Remembrance and Honour, 9 May, is a public holiday.

A large clay cauldron of halim with a wooden paddle at a Navruz celebration
Halim, a slow-cooked wheat and meat dish, in a cauldron at the Navruz park in Tashkent. Photograph: Panpanchik · CC BY-SA 4.0

Late May to August: flowers, Silk and Spices and melons

The International Flower Festival in Namangan, in the Fergana Valley, is an annual event. Its 2026 edition, the 65th, was announced as a programme of more than 150 events between 24 May and 12 July, including an opening parade of more than 200 vehicles decorated with live flowers from Namangan International Airport to the Babur park, flower compositions, theatre and circus, gala concerts, fashion weeks and an industrial fair. It runs for weeks, so there is no single date to book around; the Fergana Valley guide covers the region.

Silk and Spices is Bukhara's craft festival and has been held for more than twenty years. Its dates change each year and the Tourism Committee announces them; the 21st edition, in 2025, lasted three days and drew more than 50 artisans from nearly 10 foreign countries and more than 50,000 visitors. The programme includes fairs of spices and of khan-atlas, adras and ikat made from silk and cotton, music, ethno-fashion shows, exhibitions of folk and applied arts and gala concerts. Two nights in Bukhara cover a three-day festival.

Qovun sayli, the melon festival, is held in Khiva every August at melon-ripening time, for three days. Districts of the Khorezm region show the sweet melons they grow in decorated pavilions by the Polvon gate of Ichan-Kala, and the programme adds national dishes, crafts, theatre, music, dance and gala concerts by local and international stars. Two nights in Khiva cover it.

A yurt with a red and white patterned roof on a lawn, with mountains behind, at the Boysun Bahori festival
A decorated yurt at the Boysun Bahori festival in the Boysun district, with the hills of Surkhandarya behind. Photograph: Iaa2023 · CC BY 4.0

Sharq Taronalari: Samarkand's music festival in 2027

Sharq Taronalari (Melodies of the East) is an international music festival held in Samarkand since 1997, in which groups from dozens of countries compete in song and music before an international jury; Registan Square is among its venues, and the Registan ticket is UZS 100,000 for foreign visitors on the directorate's 2025 figure. Presidential decision PQ-270 of 17 July 2026 provides for the festival every two years from 2027, names Registan Square as the venue and sets 2027 state funding. The last edition, in 2024, was held in late August.

Round flat breads and trays of green wheat sprouts on shelves at a festival stall
Breads and wheat sprouts on a stall at the Boysun Bahori festival. Photograph: Iaa2023 · CC BY 4.0

September to December: three national holidays

Independence Day, 1 September (a Wednesday in 2027), is the main national holiday. Independence was declared on 31 August 1991, and festivities, fairs, concerts and fireworks take place across the country, with people celebrating in every street and neighbourhood (mahalla).

Teachers and Mentors Day, 1 October (a Friday in 2027), is a public holiday.

Constitution Day, 8 December (a Wednesday in 2027), is the last public holiday of the year.

An evening concert stage on the Registan in Samarkand, with the floodlit madrasas of the square behind
A Sharq Taronalari concert on the Registan in Samarkand at dusk, during the 2013 festival. Photograph: Superbowlwinner · CC BY-SA 4.0

Practical questions

What should I book first for a festival trip?

Afrosiyob seats first, because sales open 60 days ahead, then a room in the festival city.

When is Navruz in 2027?

On 21 March, a Sunday in 2027. Festivities run through the whole month.

When are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in Uzbekistan in 2027?

About 9 March and 16 May 2027, give or take a day, because the Eids follow the moon. Only the first day of each is a public holiday.

Does Ramadan affect a trip to Uzbekistan?

Ramadan runs from about 8 February to about 8 March 2027. The FCDO says cafés and restaurants may amend their menus and be busy around iftar, and areas around mosques are busy at prayer times.

When is the Silk and Spices festival in Bukhara?

Its dates change each year and the Tourism Committee announces them. The festival lasts about three days, so two nights in Bukhara cover it.

Is Sharq Taronalari held in 2027?

A presidential decision of 17 July 2026 provides for it every two years from 2027, with Registan Square in Samarkand as the venue. The last edition was held in late August 2024.

When is Boysun Bahori?

Usually in the first ten days of May, in a mountain village of the Boysun district.

When is the melon festival in Khiva?

Every August, for three days.

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Sources and checks before you travel

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Reference sources for the version dated 26 October 2026. Confirm opening times, access, transport and conditions for your travel dates.

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