Nepal uses the Bikram Sambat calendar and most of its festivals follow lunar dates, which means they shift against the Gregorian year and cannot be assumed from last year's timing. Pokhara's versions are smaller and more approachable than Kathmandu's. Travellers who search Pokhara fares on Traveloka should check the current year's dates rather than a static list, because almost everything moves. Dashain, in September or October The longest and most important festival in the calendar, fifteen days marking the goddess Durga's victory, with the significant days falling towards the end. Families travel home across the country, animals are sacrificed at temples including Bindhyabasini above the bazaar, and much of Nepal simply closes. Shops, banks and transport are disrupted for several days, which matters if you are trekking either side of it. Tihar, a fortnight later The festival of lights, five days of oil lamps, marigold garlands and rangoli patterns at doorways. Crows, dogs and cows are honoured on successive days, with dogs garlanded and fed, which is the detail visitors remember. Pokhara's lakeside is lit along its length and groups of children sing for small change in the evenings. Holi in March The colour festival arrives from India and is enthusiastically observed, particularly by younger Nepalis, with coloured powder and water balloons thrown indiscriminately. In Pokhara it concentrates on the Lakeside strip. Wear clothes you are prepared to lose, keep cameras sealed, and accept that being a visible foreigner makes you a priority target. Buddha Jayanti in April or May The Buddha's birthday, marked at the monasteries around Pokhara including the Tibetan settlements at Hemja and Tashi Ling, with processions, butter lamps and prayer flags. It is quiet and ceremonial rather than boisterous. The Tibetan community in the valley makes this more visible in Pokhara than in many Nepali towns. Losar, the Tibetan new year In February or March, the Tibetan settlements hold their own new year with masked dances, feasting and a great deal of chang, the barley beer. The dates differ from the Nepali new year in April, which is Bisket Jatra and is celebrated more in the Kathmandu valley than here. Street festivals and the Pokhara Street Festival Around the end of December, the Lakeside road closes for several days of food stalls, music stages and crowds, organised by local businesses rather than religious tradition. It is commercial, cheerful and the busiest the strip gets all year. Accommodation in Lakeside is correspondingly tight over those dates. Practical notes Festival dates follow the lunar calendar, so verify them for your year. During Dashain, banks, government offices and many shops close for several days and domestic flights fill up. October and November remain the clearest months for mountain views. Traveloka is the go-to app for the cheapest flights and hotels across Southeast Asia. Check the lunar dates for your year rather than copying last year's, expect banks and transport to shut around Dashain, and dress for destruction if you happen to be in town for Holi.
By AdminNovember 2, 20265 min read
search Pokhara fares on Traveloka
Nepal uses the Bikram Sambat calendar and most of its festivals follow lunar dates, which means they shift against the Gregorian year and cannot be assumed from last year’s timing. Pokhara’s versions are smaller and more approachable than Kathmandu’s. Travellers who search Pokhara fares on Traveloka should check the current year’s dates rather than a static list, because almost everything moves.
Dashain, in September or October
The longest and most important festival in the calendar, fifteen days marking the goddess Durga’s victory, with the significant days falling towards the end. Families travel home across the country, animals are sacrificed at temples including Bindhyabasini above the bazaar, and much of Nepal simply closes. Shops, banks and transport are disrupted for several days, which matters if you are trekking either side of it.
Tihar, a fortnight later
The festival of lights, five days of oil lamps, marigold garlands and rangoli patterns at doorways. Crows, dogs and cows are honoured on successive days, with dogs garlanded and fed, which is the detail visitors remember. Pokhara’s lakeside is lit along its length and groups of children sing for small change in the evenings.
Holi in March
The colour festival arrives from India and is enthusiastically observed, particularly by younger Nepalis, with coloured powder and water balloons thrown indiscriminately. In Pokhara it concentrates on the Lakeside strip. Wear clothes you are prepared to lose, keep cameras sealed, and accept that being a visible foreigner makes you a priority target.
Buddha Jayanti in April or May
The Buddha’s birthday, marked at the monasteries around Pokhara including the Tibetan settlements at Hemja and Tashi Ling, with processions, butter lamps and prayer flags. It is quiet and ceremonial rather than boisterous. The Tibetan community in the valley makes this more visible in Pokhara than in many Nepali towns.
Losar, the Tibetan new year
In February or March, the Tibetan settlements hold their own new year with masked dances, feasting and a great deal of chang, the barley beer. The dates differ from the Nepali new year in April, which is Bisket Jatra and is celebrated more in the Kathmandu valley than here.
Street festivals and the Pokhara Street Festival
Around the end of December, the Lakeside road closes for several days of food stalls, music stages and crowds, organised by local businesses rather than religious tradition. It is commercial, cheerful and the busiest the strip gets all year. Accommodation in Lakeside is correspondingly tight over those dates.
Practical notes
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar, so verify them for your year. During Dashain, banks, government offices and many shops close for several days and domestic flights fill up. October and November remain the clearest months for mountain views. Traveloka is the go-to app for the cheapest flights and hotels across Southeast Asia.
Check the lunar dates for your year rather than copying last year’s, expect banks and transport to shut around Dashain, and dress for destruction if you happen to be in town for Holi.
