Festival calendar

Full Moon PartyThailand

Next: 27 October 2026 · Haad Rin beach, Koh Phangan

A beach rave running since the late 1980s, with neon body paint and multiple stages along one beach through to sunrise.

Hoi An Lantern FestivalVietnam

Next: 23 October 2026 · Hoi An Ancient Town

Once a month the old town switches off its electric lights and floats candle lanterns on the Hoai River.

Boun Ok Phansa and the boat racesLaos

26 to 27 October 2026 (expected) · Luang Prabang (illuminated boat processions) and Vientiane (dragon-boat races)

Marks the end of Buddhist Lent, with illuminated boats floated down the Mekong at dusk followed by long-boat races.

Durga PujaIndia

17 to 21 October 2026 · Kolkata, West Bengal

A five-day citywide art event as much as a religious festival, with thousands of elaborately themed pandals to walk between.

Navratri and GarbaIndia

11 to 19 October 2026 · Ahmedabad and Vadodara, Gujarat

Nine nights of communal circular dance held to honour the goddess Durga, with large ticketed public events.

Phuket Vegetarian FestivalThailand

10 to 18 October 2026 · Phuket Town, with smaller versions in Trang, Krabi and Hat Yai

Nine days of strict vegetarian eating and Taoist purification rituals, including cheek-piercing and firewalking by trance mediums.

Ubud Writers & Readers FestivalBali & Indonesia

21 to 25 October 2026 · Ubud, Bali

One of Asia's leading literary festivals, with author talks and panels held across several Ubud venues.

Boun That LuangLaos

21 to 24 November 2026 · Vientiane, around the That Luang stupa

Laos's most important national religious festival, a week of monk processions and a candlelit walk around the golden stupa.

Dev DeepawaliIndia

24 November 2026 · Varanasi

Millions of oil lamps are lit along Varanasi's riverside ghats on the full moon night that ends the Hindu festival calendar's biggest month.

DiwaliIndia

6 to 10 November 2026 · Jaipur, Amritsar, Varanasi and homes and temples nationwide

India's biggest festival, a five-day celebration of light over darkness marked by oil lamps, fireworks and family gatherings.

Lopburi Monkey Buffet FestivalThailand

29 November 2026 (expected) · Lopburi, central Thailand

The town lays out a huge fruit and vegetable buffet for Lopburi's resident macaque population, who mob the tables within minutes.

Loy KrathongThailand

24 November 2026 · Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Bangkok

A nationwide evening of floating small candle-lit rafts on rivers and lakes to apologise to the water goddess.

Our trip for this festival: Thailand Lantern Festival Tour

Pushkar Camel FairIndia

17 to 24 November 2026 (expected) · Pushkar, Rajasthan

One of the world's largest camel and livestock fairs, with camel races, a fairground and a holy bathing climax that draws plenty of visitors.

Rann Utsav (White Desert Festival)India

1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027 · Dhordo Tent City, Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

A months-long tented festival city on the white salt flats, with folk music, craft markets and desert safaris.

Sonepur Cattle FairIndia

22 November to 22 December 2026 (expected) · Sonepur, Bihar, at the confluence of the Ganges and Gandak rivers

Historically Asia's largest livestock fair, now a month-long fairground of folk performances and a riverbank bathing ritual.

Surin Elephant Round-upThailand

20 to 22 November 2026 (expected) · Surin province

A large elephant show of parades and a big elephant breakfast, held in a province with a long mahout tradition.

Yi PengThailand

24 to 25 November 2026 · Chiang Mai, with ticketed mass releases outside the city at Mae On

The northern Thai sister festival to Loy Krathong, when thousands of paper sky lanterns are released at once.

Our trip for this festival: Thailand Lantern Festival Tour

Hmong New YearLaos

1 to 15 December 2026 (expected) · Hill-tribe areas of northern Laos, notably around Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang

A harvest and new year celebration among Laos's Hmong minority, with a courtship ball-tossing game and family feasting.

Hornbill FestivalIndia

1 to 10 December 2026 · Kisama Heritage Village, near Kohima, Nagaland

A ten-day gathering of Nagaland's tribes, with traditional dress, dance and food, plus a motorbike and music side-programme.

Konark Dance FestivalIndia

1 to 5 December 2026 · Konark, Odisha, staged against the Sun Temple

A five-night classical Indian dance festival performed outdoors with the floodlit 13th-century Sun Temple as a backdrop.

Losar (Tibetan and Ladakhi New Year)India

9 to 23 December 2026 · Leh, Ladakh, plus Sikkim, Darjeeling and Dharamshala

Himalayan Tibetan Buddhist new year celebrations, with Ladakh uniquely marking it about two months earlier than everywhere else.

WonderfruitThailand

3 to 7 December 2026 · The Fields, Siam Country Club, Chonburi, near Pattaya

A five-day boutique arts, music and sustainable-living festival on farmland, closer in spirit to Glastonbury than a Thai festival.

Haridwar Ardh KumbhIndia

14 January to 20 April 2027 · Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on the Ganges (Har Ki Pauri and the city's ghats)

The "half" Kumbh held between Haridwar's full Kumbh Melas, with ten main bathing days on the Ganges over three months.

Jaisalmer Desert FestivalIndia

18 to 20 February 2027 (expected) · Jaisalmer and the Sam sand dunes, Rajasthan

A government-run desert culture festival of camel races, turban-tying contests and folk music, ending on a full moon night.

Navam PeraheraSri Lanka

19 to 20 February 2027 (expected) · Gangaramaya Temple, around Beira Lake, Colombo

Colombo's own elephant, dancer and drummer procession around Beira Lake, organised by Gangaramaya Temple.

PongalIndia

14 to 17 January 2027 · Tamil Nadu, with Madurai and Thanjavur as good bases

A four-day Tamil harvest festival built around boiling the season's first rice as an offering.

Uttarayan (International Kite Festival)India

14 to 15 January 2027 · Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Skies over Ahmedabad's old city fill with thousands of competing kites for the Makar Sankranti holiday.

Chiang Mai Flower FestivalThailand

5 to 7 February 2027 (expected) · Buak Hat Park and the old city, Chiang Mai

A three-day celebration of Chiang Mai's cool-season blooms, with a flower-covered parade and garden displays.

Chinese New Year (Bangkok)Thailand

6 February 2027 · Yaowarat Road, Bangkok, with Phuket Town also strong

Bangkok's ethnic-Chinese community closes Yaowarat Road for lion dances, street food and an opening ceremony.

Goa CarnivalIndia

5 to 9 February 2027 (expected) · Panaji, with satellite events in Margao, Vasco and Mapusa

A four-day street carnival of parade floats, live music and masked processions, a legacy of Goa's Portuguese past.

PasolaBali & Indonesia

1 February to 15 March 2027 (expected) · Sumba island (Lamboya, Kodi, Wanukaka and Gaura districts), with a related Bau Nyale ritual on Lombok

Rival villages on horseback throw blunt wooden spears at each other in a ritual battle meant to bless the harvest.

Perfume Pagoda FestivalVietnam

7 February to 1 May 2027 (expected) · My Duc district, near Hanoi

Vietnam's largest Buddhist pilgrimage, a scenic boat ride and cable car or hike up to cave shrines over a ten-week spring window.

Sayaboury Elephant FestivalLaos

1 to 28 February 2027 (expected) · Sayaboury (Xayaboury) province

A festival of elephant parades and a blessing ceremony, run partly to raise money for Laos's shrinking elephant population.

Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year)Vietnam

6 February 2027 · Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An

Vietnam's most important holiday, a week of family reunions, ancestor worship and citywide flower decorations.

Attukal PongalaIndia

22 February 2027 · Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

A Guinness-record ritual in which over a million women cook a sweet rice offering on the streets around the temple.

Chapchar KutIndia

5 March 2027 (expected) · Aizawl, Mizoram

Mizoram's biggest festival, a spring celebration after jungle-clearing farm work, with the bamboo Cheraw dance.

HoliIndia

21 to 22 March 2027 · Mathura and Vrindavan, Jaipur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Delhi

The Hindu festival of colours, a joyful day of throwing coloured powder and water, preceded by the Holika Dahan bonfire.

Our trip for this festival: India Holi Festival Tour

Nyepi (Day of Silence)Bali & Indonesia

8 to 9 March 2027 · Island-wide, Bali (Ubud is a popular base to experience it)

A legally enforced 24-hour shutdown across Bali for the Balinese Hindu new year, with no flights, lights or travel allowed.

Hung Kings Temple FestivalVietnam

16 April 2027 (expected) · Phu Tho province, at the Hung Temple complex

A national day of remembrance for Vietnam's legendary founding Hung Kings, with a mass domestic pilgrimage.

Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year)Laos

14 to 16 April 2027 (expected) · Luang Prabang and Vientiane

Laos's April new year, opening with Buddha-image-washing ceremonies before giving way to citywide water fighting.

Sinhala and Tamil New YearSri Lanka

13 to 14 April 2027 · Island-wide, with village areas in the Central and Southern Provinces giving the most traditional-games version

A shared Sinhalese and Tamil new year marked by astrologically timed rituals, traditional games and family visits.

Songkran (Thai New Year)Thailand

13 to 15 April 2027 · Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Pattaya and Ayutthaya

Thailand's New Year, a Buddha-blessing tradition that has grown into a nationwide street water fight lasting several days.

Our trip for this festival: Thailand Songkran Festival Tour

Thrissur PooramIndia

17 to 18 April 2027 · Thrissur, Kerala

Two temples parade up to 30 caparisoned elephants each in a percussion contest that closes with a fireworks display.

Bun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival)Thailand

7 to 9 May 2027 (expected) · Yasothon, at Phaya Thaen Park

Villages compete to build and launch huge homemade bamboo rockets, historically to call the rain gods before rice planting.

VesakSri Lanka

19 May 2027 · Colombo, with Kandy and Anuradhapura also strong

Commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death on a single day, with illuminated lantern displays and free food stalls.

Bali Arts FestivalBali & Indonesia

12 June to 10 July 2027 (expected) · Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, Denpasar

A free, month-long display of Balinese traditional dance, gamelan music and craft from villages across the island.

Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF)Vietnam

1 June to 15 July 2027 (expected) · Da Nang, along the Han River

An international pyrotechnics competition, with national teams facing off over the Han River on selected nights each summer.

Galungan and KuninganBali & Indonesia

13 to 23 January 2027 (expected) · Island-wide, Bali, with Ubud's temples especially decorated with penjor poles

Twin holy days on Bali's 210-day calendar, when ancestral spirits are believed to visit and then return to heaven.

Hemis FestivalIndia

13 to 14 July 2027 (expected) · Hemis Monastery, Ladakh

Ladakh's biggest monastic festival, with monks performing masked Cham dances to mark Guru Padmasambhava's birth.

Hue FestivalVietnam

1 to 30 June 2027 (expected) · Hue, at the imperial citadel and royal tombs

A city-wide arts and heritage festival of royal court music, craft fairs and light shows against the citadel walls.

Phi Ta Khon (Ghost Festival)Thailand

15 June to 15 July 2027 (expected) · Dan Sai district, Loei province

A village festival where locals dress as spirits in coconut-husk masks and parade before a Buddhist sermon closes it.

PosonSri Lanka

18 June 2027 · Anuradhapura and Mihintale

Sri Lanka's second most important Buddhist festival, marking the arrival of Buddhism via the monk Mahinda.

Bali Kite FestivalBali & Indonesia

1 to 31 July 2027 (expected) · Padang Galak and Mertasari beaches, near Sanur, Denpasar

Giant traditional kites, some ten metres long, compete on Bali's beaches in what began as an offering for a good harvest.

Kataragama FestivalSri Lanka

4 to 19 July 2027 (expected) · Kataragama, Southern Province

A multi-faith pilgrimage to a shrine sacred to the god Kataragama, with devotees performing fire-walking and body-piercing as vows.

Toraja Funeral Ceremonies (Rambu Solo)Bali & Indonesia

1 July to 31 August 2027 (expected) · Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Elaborate, days-long Toraja funeral rites held by individual families once they can afford the ceremony and animal sacrifice.

Ubon Ratchathani Candle FestivalThailand

17 to 19 July 2027 (expected) · Ubon Ratchathani, Isaan

Building-sized carved wax candle floats parade through the city to mark the start of Buddhist Lent.

Baliem Valley FestivalBali & Indonesia

6 to 7 August 2027 (expected) · Wamena, Baliem Valley, Papua

Highland Dani, Lani and Yali tribes gather for mock tribal wars, traditional dress and feasting in central Papua.

Kandy Esala PeraheraSri Lanka

6 to 16 August 2027 (expected) · Kandy, at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

Sri Lanka's grandest Buddhist festival, a ten-night procession of costumed elephants, fire dancers and Kandyan drummers.

Kumbh Mela (Nashik Simhastha)India

31 October 2026 · Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra (Ujjain holds its own, separate Simhastha in 2028)

One of the world's largest religious gatherings, when millions of Hindu pilgrims bathe in sacred rivers on astrologically fixed days.

Nallur FestivalSri Lanka

6 to 30 August 2027 (expected) · Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, Jaffna

A 25-day Hindu temple festival building to a huge wooden chariot pulled through Jaffna's streets by devotees.

OnamIndia

3 to 12 September 2027 · Thiruvananthapuram and across Kerala, with Alappuzha for the snake-boat races

Kerala's ten-day harvest festival of flower-carpet competitions, a banana-leaf feast and the Nehru Trophy boat race.

Ganesh ChaturthiIndia

4 to 14 September 2027 · Mumbai, especially Lalbaugcha Raja, and across Maharashtra

A ten-day citywide celebration of Ganesha, ending with huge public idols carried to the sea for immersion.

Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu)Vietnam

15 September 2027 (expected) · Hanoi's Old Quarter and Tuyen Quang's giant lantern parade

A harvest-season festival centred on children, with mooncakes, paper lanterns and lion dances nationwide.

Ziro Festival of MusicIndia

23 to 26 September 2027 (expected) · Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

India's best-known independent music festival, a camping event mixing Indian and international acts in a tribal rice-paddy valley.