Festival Calendar
Bhutan festival dates
Forty-five tshechus, drubchens and mountain festivals across 2026. Dates follow the lunar calendar, so they move every year.
Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel
Thimphu, Bhutan | +975 77391059 | somfinsoguide@gmail.com
What you are watching
A tshechu is not
a performance
Tshechu means “tenth day” — the day of the lunar month associated with Guru Rinpoche, who brought Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan in the eighth century. Monks and lay dancers perform cham, masked dances that enact the triumph of wisdom over ignorance, in a dzong courtyard over three to five days.
The monks prepare for weeks beforehand, in retreat. Bhutanese families arrive in their best kira and gho, with coral and turquoise, and picnic through the day. Watching the dances is understood to carry merit — most people try to attend at least once in their lives.
Many festivals end at dawn on the final day with the unfurling of a thongdrel, a silk appliqué scroll several storeys high, displayed before sunrise and rolled away before the light touches it. If you attend one morning of one festival, make it that one.
The short list
Six worth building a trip around
Of the forty-five, these are the ones we would actually rearrange dates for.
29 Mar – 2 Apr 2026
Paro Tshechu
Rinpung Dzong, Paro
The largest festival in western Bhutan and the easiest to reach — an hour from the airport. Ends with the Guru Thongdrel unfurled before dawn on the final morning. Thousands attend; book a year out.
21 – 23 Sep 2026
Thimphu Tshechu
Tashichho Dzong, Thimphu
The capital’s festival, and the busiest. Preceded by Thimphu Drubchen from the 17th. Convenient, spectacular, and crowded in the way that is part of the point.
27 – 28 Feb 2026
Punakha Tshechu
Punakha Dzong
Smaller, and our quiet recommendation. Follows the Dromchoe, which re-enacts the repelling of a Tibetan invasion with villagers dressed as ancient soldiers. Warm valley, late winter, far fewer visitors.
26 – 29 Oct 2026
Jambay Lhakhang Drup
Bumthang
At one of the oldest temples in the kingdom. Known for the mewang fire ceremony and the tercham, a naked dance performed at midnight by firelight. Unlike anything else on the calendar.
11 Nov 2026
Black-Necked Crane Festival
Gangtey Goenpa, Phobjikha
A single day, held by schoolchildren and villagers to mark the cranes’ return from Tibet. Small, warm and entirely unpolished — the opposite of a grand tshechu.
23 – 24 Oct 2026
Royal Highland Festival
Laya, Gasa
At 4,000 metres among the Layap herders — yak parades, highland sports, and about two hundred visitors. Reaching it requires a trek. Worth it.
The full calendar
Every festival, 2026
Grouped by month. Dates are set by the Bhutanese lunar calendar and are occasionally adjusted — we confirm before you book flights.
February
3 festivals
22 – 24 Feb
Lhamoi Dromchhen
Trongsa
24 – 26 Feb
Punakha Dromchoe
Punakha
27 – 28 Feb
Punakha Tshechu
Punakha
March
8 festivals
3 Mar
Tharpaling Thongdrol
Bumthang
5 – 6 Mar
Tangsibi Mani
Bumthang
5 – 19 Mar
Chhorten Kora
Trashi Yangtse
26 – 28 Mar
Gasa Tshechu
Gasa
26 – 28 Mar
Zhemgang Tshechu
Zhemgang
26 – 28 Mar
Talo Tshechu
Punakha
26 – 28 Mar
Gomphukora
Trashi Yangtse
29 Mar – 2 Apr
Paro Tshechu
Paro
April
4 festivals
7 – 9 Apr
Haa Spring Festival
Haa
13 – 14 Apr
Rhododendron Festival
Thimphu
26 – 28 Apr
Domkhar Tshechu
Bumthang
28 Apr – 2 May
Ura Yakchoe
Bumthang
June
2 festivals
22 – 24 Jun
Nimalung Tshechu
Bumthang
24 Jun
Kurjey Tshechu
Bumthang
September
8 festivals
5 Sep
Tour of the Dragon
Bumthang
17 Sep
Thimphu Drubchen
Thimphu
19 – 21 Sep
Wangdue Tshechu
Wangdue Phodrang
19 – 21 Sep
Haa Tshechu
Haa
21 – 23 Sep
Thimphu Tshechu
Thimphu
21 – 23 Sep
Tamshing Phala Chhoepa
Bumthang
24 – 26 Sep
Gangtey Tshechu
Wangdue Phodrang
26 – 27 Sep
Thangbi Mewang
Bumthang
October
8 festivals
14 – 15 Oct
Jhomolhari Mountain Festival
Thimphu
18 – 21 Oct
Pemagatshel Tshechu
Pemagatshel
18 – 21 Oct
Jakar Tshechu
Bumthang
19 – 21 Oct
Chhukha Tshechu
Chukha
21 Oct
Dechenphu Tshechu
Thimphu
23 – 24 Oct
Royal Highland Festival
Gasa (Laya)
26 – 29 Oct
Jambay Lhakhang Drup
Bumthang
27 – 29 Oct
Traakar Duchhoed
Bumthang
November
7 festivals
11 Nov
Black-Necked Crane Festival
Phobjikha
14 – 16 Nov
Goenpai Drupchen
Trongsa
17 – 19 Nov
Phuntsholing Tshechu
Chukha
17 – 19 Nov
Mongar Tshechu
Mongar
18 – 20 Nov
Trashigang Tshechu
Trashigang
24 Nov
Jambay Lhakhang Singye Cham
Bumthang
24 – 26 Nov
Nalakhar Tshechu
Bumthang
December
5 festivals
13 Dec
Druk Wangyel Tshechu
Dochula
17 – 21 Dec
Trongsa Tshechu
Trongsa
17 – 21 Dec
Lhuentse Tshechu
Lhuentse
22 – 24 Dec
Samdrupjongkhar Tshechu
Samdrup Jongkhar
22 – 26 Dec
Nabji Lhakhang Drup
Trongsa
Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan festival calendar. January, May, July and August have no major tshechus. 2027 dates are published by the Council later in the year — ask us and we will send them as soon as they are confirmed.
Planning
Six things worth knowing
Most festival trips go wrong in the same handful of ways.
Book eight to twelve months ahead
For Paro and Thimphu especially. It is not the hotel rooms that run out first — it is the good guides.
Arrive a day early
Festival mornings start before dawn, and a delayed flight into Paro should not cost you the day you came for.
The last morning is the one
Thongdrel unfurlings happen before sunrise and are over quickly. Plan to be there at 4am, not 9am.
Consider the smaller ones
Talo, Nalakhar, Gomphukora and Ura Yakchoe give you a village festival rather than a spectacle, with a fraction of the visitors.
Dress for it
Covered shoulders and knees, and something warm — courtyards are cold at dawn and you will be sitting on stone for hours.
Dates move
Every year. Never book non-refundable flights against a festival date until we have confirmed it against the Council’s calendar.
Time it right
Build your journey around a festival
Tell us which one draws you, or tell us your dates and we will tell you what falls inside them. Either way we will confirm the dates before you book a flight.