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LoadingThe Bhutanese festival calendar
The Bhutanese festival calendar follows the lunar cycle; dates shift each Gregorian year. The Royal Government's Department of Tourism publishes confirmed dates 6–12 months in advance, and we refresh this calendar as each year is confirmed.
Upcoming festivals — in date order
Gangtey Goemba, Phobjikha valley · Wangdue Phodrang
Next: 16–18 September 2026
The Gangtey Tshechu is held at Gangtey Goemba in the Phobjikha valley, typically in late September or early October. Three days; smaller and substantially less crowded than Paro or Thimphu; the festival sits at the scale of a community gathering, in one of the most beautiful valleys in Bhutan.
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong · Wangdue Phodrang
Next: 20–22 September 2026
The Wangdue Tshechu is held at Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, typically in late September or early October. The dzong burned in 2012 and was painstakingly rebuilt; it reopened in 2022. The festival is the principal autumn cultural event of the central-western region, and is less crowded than Paro or Thimphu while drawing the full local register.
Tamshing Lhakhang, Choekhor valley, Bumthang · Bumthang
Next: 20–22 September 2026
Tamshing Phala Choepa is held annually at Tamshing Lhakhang in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang, typically in late September or early October. The monastery was founded in 1501 by Pema Lingpa — the great Nyingma terton — and the festival honours his lineage and treasures. Three days; intimate; the Bumthang autumn at its photographic peak.
Tashichho Dzong, Thimphu · Thimphu
Next: 22–24 September 2026
The Thimphu Tshechu is the most-attended Bhutanese festival of the year — held annually at Tashichho Dzong, typically in late September or early October. Three days; no thongdrel at the Tshechu itself (the thongdrel sits at the preceding Drubchen), but the full chams cycle and the largest crowds of any festival in the country.
Laya village settlement · Gasa
Next: 23–24 October 2026
The Royal Highlander Festival is held annually on 23–24 October in the Laya village settlement, at 3,800 metres in the high north of Gasa dzongkhag. The festival was inaugurated in 2016 under the patronage of His Majesty the King and gathers the Layap, the Bjop, the Brokpa, and the Doya — the four principal highland-community groups of the northern Bhutanese borderlands.
Jambay Lhakhang, Choekhor valley, Bumthang · Bumthang
Next: 28 October – 1 November 2026
The Jambay Lhakhang Drup is held annually at Jambay Lhakhang in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang, in late October or November. Five days of chams; the festival's principal moments are the Mewang (the fire-blessing ceremony, attended at midnight on the second night) and the Tercham, a sacred fertility cham held in the small hours.
Gangtey Goemba courtyard, Phobjikha valley · Wangdue Phodrang
Next: 11 November 2026
The Black-Necked Crane Festival is held annually on 11 November in the courtyard of Gangtey Goemba, in the Phobjikha valley — the principal overwintering ground of the rare black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). The festival celebrates the cranes' return from the Tibetan plateau, marks His Majesty the 4th King's birthday, and runs as a one-day Gregorian-fixed event.
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu · Thimphu
Next: 17 December 2026
Bhutan's National Day is held annually on 17 December, marking the day in 1907 when the National Assembly unanimously elected Sir Ugyen Wangchuck as Bhutan's first hereditary monarch. The principal ceremony is held at Changlimithang stadium in Thimphu in the presence of His Majesty the King; concurrent celebrations are held in every dzongkhag.
Trongsa Dzong · Trongsa
Next: 28–31 December 2026
The Trongsa Tshechu is held annually at Trongsa Dzong, typically in late December or early January. The dzong is the ancestral seat of the Wangchuck dynasty — every Crown Prince of Bhutan serves as Trongsa Penlop (Governor of Trongsa) before ascending the Golden Throne. The festival is the principal winter cultural event in central Bhutan, with a quieter international register than the autumn or spring tshechus.
Choekhor valley, Bumthang (start and finish at Wangdicholing Palace ground) · Bumthang
Next: 6 March 2027
The Bhutan International Marathon is the country's principal international running event — held annually in early March in the Choekhor valley of Bumthang, at altitudes between 2,500 and 2,800 metres. The marathon course runs past Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, and Tamshing Lhakhang — three of the most-revered religious sites in Bhutan — and the event is organised by the Bhutan Olympic Committee under the patronage of the Royal Family.
Punakha Dzong, Punakha · Punakha
Next: 12–17 March 2027
The Punakha Drubchen and the Punakha Tshechu are held back-to-back at Punakha Dzong in late February or early March. The Drubchen opens with the Serda procession — a re-enactment of the 17th-century Tibetan-invasion victory — and the Tshechu closes with the principal chams and the pre-dawn thongdrel.
Chorten Kora stupa, Trashiyangtse · Trashiyangtse
Next: 23 March – 7 April 2027
Chorten Kora is held annually at the great Tibetan-style stupa of Trashiyangtse, in two pilgrimage windows fifteen days apart in late February or early March. The first kora (Dakpa Kora) is principally attended by the Dakpa community from across the eastern border in Arunachal Pradesh; the second (Drupa Kora) is attended by Bhutanese pilgrims. The stupa was built in 1740, modelled on the Bodhnath stupa in Kathmandu.
Gom Kora Lhakhang, Trashiyangtse · Trashiyangtse
Next: 15–17 April 2027
The Gom Kora Tshechu is held annually at Gom Kora Lhakhang in the Trashiyangtse dzongkhag of eastern Bhutan, typically in late March or early April. The lhakhang sits beside a meditation cave Guru Rinpoche is held to have used in the 8th century; the festival is one of the principal Bhutanese tshechus of the eastern circuit, with a strong pilgrimage tradition that continues through the night.
Rinpung Dzong, Paro · Paro
Next: 17–21 April 2027
The Paro Tshechu is one of Bhutan's most internationally-attended festivals — held annually at Rinpung Dzong, typically in late March or early April. The festival runs five days, culminating in the pre-dawn unfurling of the giant thongdrel on the final morning.
All festivals — alphabetical