Bhutan Festivals

Colorful Festivaland Dance

Buddhism was originally introduced to Bhutan by Padmasambhava in the 8th century.To commemorate the birth of Guru Rinpoche, each of Bhutan’s 20 dzongkhags (districts), hold their own annual festival inviting people from surrounding villages to gather together for a series of mask dances, local dances and songs. Although festivals, known as tshechus, take place on different months of the Tibetan lunar year, they’re always held on the tenth day and are an important social and spiritual event. They provide the chance for remote communities to come together, to dance, to be happy and to share in the teachings of Padmasambhava. Tshechus can last anything up to 5 days and encourage people to dress up, spend time at the local monastery or dzong (fortified Buddhist learning centre) and make the most of the assembled market stalls as well as packing a picnic in traditional bamboo baskets known as Bangchung.

Monks are integral part of tshechus and will spend many weeks in advance preparing for the event with prayer and meditation intensifying as well as practising cham dance routines, which many Bhutanese believe provide a blessing and path to enlightenment for the entire audience.Apart from the religious value, festivals always provide a highly colourful and extremely positive atmosphere. Huge crowds arrive from surrounding villages which increases the intensity of the spectacle for travellers, even if they don't understand every aspect of the event. You won’t be expected to understand every swoop and swirl of a dance or Buddhist custom, but doing a bit of research or attending with a knowledgeable local guide is definitely a good way to make the most of each and every experience.

Here are some of our best Bhutan festivals

Thimphu Tshechu - An Autumn Festival

As one of Bhutan’s largest festivals, Thimphu Festival brings the capital to all but a standstill for three days starting on the 10th day of the 8th month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Literally thousands of Bhutanese will travel from rural villages and from across the country to attend the sacred festival. The ‘Dance of the Black Hats’ and the ‘Dance of the Terrifying Deities’ along with many other dances will be performed. Aside from the theatrical elements of the festival, audiences also take great delight in being entertained by atsaras, who dance and fool about like jesters in order to mystify evil spirits. Dramatic or comedy skits are also performed, to highlight local health and safety initiatives. Thimphu Tshechu becomes a great opportunity to take pictures as people arrive in their best Gho and Kira, with their family, children and elderly all in their best moods.

Paro Tshechu - A Spring festival

This increasingly popular five-day festival is held in March or April and features amazing costumes and masks dances as well as the ceremonial unveiling of a gigantic silk scroll, known as Thongdroel– which is thought to sow the seed of enlightenment within the heart of all who see it. The Thongdroel at Paro Festival is unveiled for just a few hours after dawn on the last day of the festival and is considered one of Bhutan’s most important sacred blessings, even the king himself does not miss this event every year. Aside from the festival dances and events, the time of year that Paro Festival takes place finds the surrounding countryside awash with flowering rhododendrons – perfect for a spring stroll to further enrich enlightenment.

Haa Tshechu - summer festival

Haa Festival is a celebration of the summer season with ancient sports, home-cooked food and numerous songs and dances often enhanced by a nip of home brewed ara rice wine. Reaching the Haa Festival is often an experience in itself as it takes a couple of hours to travel by road from Paro via the highest highway crossing in Bhutan, the Chele La Mountain pass. The alpine setting of Haa Valley provides travellers with a chance to find out more about the nomadic herders who live and work within the fir forests and over the primula and poppy covered hillsides outside of Paro.

Thangbi Mani Festival

Another popular Bhutan festival in Bumthang is the Thangbi Mani Festival which takes place in October. The Mewang fire blessing ceremony is often extremely exciting with participants leaping over flames in order to purify themselves alongside numerous masked dances and further purification rituals performed by monks. Situated around the Thangbi Lhakhang Monastery, about a two-hour walk from the nearest main road, Thangbi Mani is set against a backdrop of the full moon and features some rather unique traditions involving the throwing of dough balls and offering buckwheat noodles to guests – make sure you have an amount of ngultrum ready to offer in return.

Jambay Lhakhang Drup - Bumthang

Performed at Jambay Lhakhang, an 7th century monastery, this festival spotlights several exciting dances. The fire ceremony, Mewang, is a unique dance performed under flames where crowds walk through a gate of huge fireworks as a means to drive away evil spirits. When night falls, we mingle amongst the locals to witness the Tercham which translates to ‘Treasure Dance’. This dance is the main feature of the festival where masked dancers dance naked at the outskirts of the monastery to purify sins and augur a good harvest.

The Royal Highlander festival

The Royal Highlander festival was first introduced on 16th Of October in 2016 to mark the celebration of the birth of HRH the Gyalsey, 400 years of Shabdrung Rimpoche and the Rabjung (60 years cycle) birth year of Guru Rimpoche. The Royal Highlander festival shares the beauty and the wonders of Gasa Dzongkhag through its nature, history and its age old tradition and culture, to share Gasa’s vision of “Good to Great Gasa” and to finally share all theses authenticity and the simplicity of the life of the Highlanders with our guests.

During the festival, visitors can witness The traditional offering of Buelwa (Gift offering) with Auley (traditional epic poem/song recitation tradition originated from Zhabdrung Rinpoche days) that begun during Zhabdrung Rinpoche’s reign in showing loyalty and respect by the community of Laya is being offered for dynamic and visionary leadership of our successive monarchs.Variety of cultural programs will be performed by Layaps. The various competitions on highland animals including the Yaks, horses and Mastiffs will be held and also competition such as traditional songs and dances will be held.The festival consists of series of stalls ranging from local based yak produce to highland technology, highland agriculture technology, medicinal herbs & plants and others.

One can plan on beautiful Laya Gasa Trek to catch up with this festival.

Bhutanese Festival Schedules for 2025

Bhutanese Festival Schedules for 2026