Losar & Tibetan Festivals in McLeod Ganj: Dates, What to See & Etiquette (2026-27)

The biggest Tibetan festival in McLeod Ganj is Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which falls in February or early March (it was on 18 February in 2026). Other key dates are 10 March (Tibetan Uprising Day), Saga Dawa (the holiest month, peaking on a full moon around late May or June), the Dalai Lama's birthday on 6 July, and 10 December (anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize). The Dharamshala International Film Festival runs from 29 October to 1 November 2026 at the Tibetan Children's Village. Most religious events at the Tsuglagkhang are free and open to visitors who behave respectfully.

Because Tibetan festivals follow a lunar calendar, dates move each year. Below is what each event is, when to expect it, what visitors can actually see, and the etiquette that keeps you welcome.

Tibetan festival calendar at a glance

How to get exact dates: the Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan Medical and Astro-Science Institute) publishes the Tibetan calendar each year, and dates for teachings and long-life prayers are posted on the Dalai Lama's official website schedule. Ask at your guesthouse too; locals always know.

Losar: Tibetan New Year

Losar is a family festival first, so the most visible part for visitors is the build-up and the temple rituals.

When

The first day of the first Tibetan month, usually in February and occasionally in early March. In 2025 Losar fell on 28 February; in 2026 it fell on 18 February (Fire Horse year). Expect Losar 2027 around February; check the Men-Tsee-Khang calendar for the exact date. Celebrations last up to 15 days, with the main festivities on the first three.

What happens

• Before Losar: homes are cleaned top to bottom, and on the 29th day of the last month families eat guthuk, a noodle soup with dough balls hiding small objects (chilli, wool, salt) that jokingly predict your character for the year. Monasteries perform Gutor rituals to clear away the old year's obstacles, often with cham, masked monastic dances, in the courtyard.
• Day 1: families visit the temple early, make offerings and greet each other with "Losar Tashi Delek". Altars carry khapse, fried pastries in twisted shapes, and the chemar bo, a decorated box of roasted barley flour and wheat.
• Days 2-3: visits to relatives and friends, new prayer flags raised on rooftops and ridges, and smoke offerings of juniper (sang) at dawn.

What visitors can see and do

• Watch the cham dances and Gutor rituals at the Tsuglagkhang and other monasteries in the days just before Losar. Arrive early for a spot, sit where you are directed, and do not walk across the dance area.
• Visit the Tsuglagkhang on the morning of Losar to see the crowds in their best chubas.
• Buy and hang prayer flags yourself; ask a shopkeeper to explain the colours (blue, white, red, green, yellow for sky, air, fire, water and earth).
• Expect many Tibetan shops and restaurants to close for several days. Stock up on cash and plan meals accordingly.
• Losar is cold. February nights in McLeod Ganj drop near freezing and snow sometimes falls on the ridges. Read our winter guide.

Etiquette

• If invited into a home, bring a small gift and accept at least a little food and butter tea.
• "Losar Tashi Delek" is the greeting; everyone will be pleased to hear it from a visitor.
• Ask before photographing families or anyone at prayer, and never photograph inside shrine halls.

Monlam and Chotrul Duchen

The Monlam Chenmo (Great Prayer Festival) follows Losar in the first Tibetan month, with long prayer sessions in monasteries. It culminates around the full moon in Chotrul Duchen, the Butter Lamp festival commemorating the Buddha's displays of miracles, when monasteries light many butter lamps and sometimes display elaborate butter sculptures. Visitors can sit quietly at the back of assemblies; keep phones silent and avoid wandering during prayers.

Tibetan Uprising Day: 10 March

Every 10 March, Tibetans mark the 1959 uprising in Lhasa. In Dharamshala there is an official commemoration in the morning, followed by a march from McLeod Ganj down to Lower Dharamshala. Expect speeches, flags, slogans and, often, very emotional scenes.

• Visitors may watch or walk alongside respectfully. Follow the marshals' instructions; traffic on the McLeod Ganj to Dharamshala road is disrupted for much of the day.
• Be careful with photos. Identifiable images of protesters posted online can cause trouble for relatives in Tibet. Shoot wide or ask permission.
• It is a day of mourning and protest, not a festival; avoid treating it as a spectacle.

Saga Dawa

Saga Dawa is the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar, the holiest month of the year, commemorating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. The peak, Saga Dawa Duchen, falls on the full moon, usually in late May or June.

• Many Tibetans eat vegetarian for the month and focus on merit-making: releasing animals, giving alms and walking the Lingkhor kora around the Tsuglagkhang.
• Join the kora clockwise in the early morning; you will walk with families, elderly people spinning hand prayer wheels and monks chanting.
• Giving small amounts to people seeking alms along the kora is part of the tradition at this time.

The Dalai Lama's birthday: 6 July

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was born on 6 July 1935 and turned 90 in 2025, when the community marked a year-long Year of Compassion. Each 6 July there is a morning function at the Tsuglagkhang and celebrations across the community with cultural performances, often including the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), plus parties at schools and homes. It falls in the monsoon, so bring a rain jacket. See our monsoon guide.

Teachings and long-life prayers

Public teachings and long-life prayer ceremonies offered to the Dalai Lama by different communities are held at the Tsuglagkhang several times a year. In 2026 these included long-life prayers in February, March, April and May. Events are free and open to all, but there are rules:

• Registration: bring your passport and a passport-size photo to the registration point at the Tsuglagkhang courtyard (recently 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm) in the days before.
• Security: phones, cameras, bags and liquids are usually not allowed. Leave them at your hotel.
• Bring: a cushion, a cup for tea, and an FM radio with earphones if translation is being broadcast.
• Seating: foreigners and Indian visitors are often seated in a particular section; arrive early.

Our Dalai Lama Temple guide explains the layout. Check the schedule on the official website a few weeks before you travel; His Holiness's public appearances are less frequent than in the past.

Cham dances

Cham are masked dances performed by monks in ornate costumes to the sound of long horns, drums and cymbals. They represent protector deities and the triumph over obstacles. In McLeod Ganj the most reliable time to see cham is during the Gutor rituals just before Losar at the Tsuglagkhang. Other monasteries in the region, including Gyuto in Sidhbari and the monasteries of Bir, hold their own ritual dance days on their own calendars; ask at the monastery office. See our Sidhbari, Norbulingka and Gyuto guide and Bir travel guide.

Cham etiquette: stay behind any rope or line, do not step into the dance space even for a photo, do not use flash, and keep children seated.

Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF)

DIFF is an independent festival of Indian and international features, documentaries and shorts, with Q&As and masterclasses. The 2026 edition runs 29 October to 1 November at the Tibetan Children's Village, Upper Dharamshala, near Dal Lake. Check the festival website for passes and the programme. TCV is about 4 km from McLeod Ganj; shared taxis run, but book a taxi back for late screenings because evenings are cold and roads are dark. Hotels in McLeod Ganj and Naddi fill up that weekend.

Other Tibetan observances

• Lhakar (every Wednesday): a weekly grassroots movement of wearing traditional dress, speaking Tibetan and eating vegetarian.
• Democracy Day (2 September): marks the first Tibetan parliament in exile in 1960. Functions at the CTA in Gangchen Kyishong.
• Ganden Ngamchoe: the anniversary of Je Tsongkhapa's passing, when monasteries and homes light rows of butter lamps after dark.
• 10 December: the anniversary of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama, with a function at the Tsuglagkhang.

For non-Tibetan events, including Himachali fairs and the cricket season, see our festivals and events calendar.

General festival etiquette

1. Walk clockwise around temples and on the kora.
2. Dress modestly; on festival days locals dress up, and so can you.
3. No photography inside shrine halls, and always ask before photographing people.
4. Do not stand on benches or walls to get a better view of rituals.
5. Do not touch ritual objects, tormas (sculpted offerings) or masks.
6. Silence your phone and keep conversations quiet during prayers.
7. Shops close: carry cash and plan meals on Losar and Uprising Day.

Our Tibetan culture and etiquette guide goes deeper.

Planning your stay around a festival

Rooms near the Tsuglagkhang go first during Losar, the 6 July birthday and DIFF. Book early through our hotels page, or base yourself a short walk away in Bhagsu or Dharamkot. Our McLeod Ganj destination guide helps you pick an area, and the best time to visit guide weighs the weather. Any other questions? See our FAQ.