Tshechu calendar
Festival Dates
Sacred masked dances, giant thangkas unveiled at dawn and whole valleys gathered in their finest silk — the moments worth planning a journey around.
Through the year
When the valleys dance
Most festivals follow the Bhutanese lunar calendar, so exact dates move a little each year. Tell us which festival you would love to see and we will confirm this year’s dates and plan everything around it.
-
Punakha Drubchen & Tshechu
Pazaps in full battle dress re-enact the 17th-century victory over Tibetan forces, followed by three days of sacred masked dances by the river.
-
Paro Tshechu
Bhutan’s best-loved festival ends before sunrise with the unveiling of the Guru Thongdrel, a giant thangka said to cleanse the sins of all who see it.
-
Ura Yakchoe
An intimate village festival where a sacred relic is carried down from the mountains and passed among the crowd for blessings.
-
Kurjey Tshechu
Held at the temple where Guru Rinpoche left his body print in the rock, with dances performed by the monks of Trongsa.
-
Haa Summer Festival
A celebration of nomadic life: yak-herder games, alpine flowers, home-made ara and the valley’s famous buckwheat dishes.
-
Thimphu Drubchen & Tshechu
The capital’s grand festival draws families from across the country for days of cham dances in the courtyard of the seat of government.
-
Wangdue Tshechu
Known for the Raksha Mangcham, the dance of the ox, and a thongdrel unveiled on the final morning as the valley glows gold with ripening rice.
-
Jambay Lhakhang Drup
Famous for Mewang, a midnight fire blessing where people run beneath a burning gate to be cleansed of misfortune.
-
Black-necked Crane Festival
Schoolchildren dance as cranes in the monastery courtyard to welcome the endangered birds back to the valley for winter.
-
Druk Wangyel Tshechu
Performed by the Royal Bhutan Army at 3,100 m, with the snow-capped Himalaya as the backdrop on a clear winter day.
-
Trongsa Tshechu
Three days of dances in the ancestral seat of the royal family, perched above a gorge in the heart of the kingdom.
Begin your journey
The mountains are calling. Let’s plan your Bhutan.
Tell us how you like to travel. Within 24 hours a local travel designer will send a hand-written itinerary — no obligation, no templates.