Festivals and Events in Asia

Festivals across Asia revolve around faith, seasonal cycles, harvests and historical traditions, following lunar and solar calendars. They mix religious rites, family rituals and public spectacle, often tied to agrarian seasons, New Year celebrations and centuries-old regional customs.

Songkran is Thailand’s New Year festival held each April across the country, combining temple visits, merit-making and citywide water fights. It stands out for exuberant street parties and communal water rituals that symbolise cleansing and renewal, drawing locals and tourists into the revelry.

Holi is the Hindu festival of colours celebrated in March across India, Nepal and Hindu communities worldwide. Marking spring and the triumph of good over evil, it stands out for exuberant color-throwing, street dancing and communal feasts that dissolve social boundaries.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival takes place each January in Harbin, China, showcasing towering illuminated ice castles and vast carved sculptures. It stands out as one of the world’s largest winter festivals, with night-time lighting, large-scale ice architecture and international carving competitions attracting visitors globally.

Songkran
1
Songkran
13–15 April · Thailand
Thai New Year celebrated with nationwide water fights.
Holi
2
Holi
March (full moon of Phalguna) · India
Hindu festival of colours celebrating spring and good over evil.
3
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Jan–Feb · Harbin
The world's largest ice festival, with illuminated ice castles.
Cherry Blossom Season (Hanami)
4
Cherry Blossom Season (Hanami)
Late Mar–Apr · Japan
Nationwide viewing of sakura blooms in parks and temples.
Sapporo Snow Festival
5
Sapporo Snow Festival
Early February · Sapporo
Giant snow and ice sculptures draw millions to Hokkaido.
6
Yi Peng & Loy Krathong
Nov (full moon) · Chiang Mai
Sky lanterns and floating krathongs light up northern Thailand.
Gion Matsuri
7
Gion Matsuri
July · Kyoto
Kyoto's 1,000-year-old summer festival with grand float processions.
Naadam Festival
8
Naadam Festival
11–13 July · Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia's national games of wrestling, archery and horse racing.
Sinulog Festival
9
Sinulog Festival
Third Sunday of January · Cebu City
Grand Santo Niño procession and dance parade in Cebu.
Pushkar Camel Fair
10
Pushkar Camel Fair
November (Kartik Purnima) · Pushkar
Rajasthan's vast livestock fair, races and folk culture.
Thaipusam
11
Thaipusam
Jan–Feb (full moon) · Kuala Lumpur
Tamil Hindu festival of devotion and kavadi at the Batu Caves.
Diwali
12
Diwali
Oct–Nov (new moon of Kartik) · India
The five-day Festival of Lights celebrated across India and the diaspora.
Hornbill Festival
13
Hornbill Festival
1–10 December · Kohima
Nagaland's 'Festival of Festivals' showcasing Naga tribes.
Boryeong Mud Festival
14
Boryeong Mud Festival
July · Boryeong
Korea's playful mud-wrestling beach festival.
15
Vegetarian Festival
Oct (9th lunar month) · Phuket
Phuket's Taoist purification festival with extreme piercings.
Phi Ta Khon
16
Phi Ta Khon
June or July (dates set by mediums) · Dan Sai
Loei's riotous 'ghost festival' of giant painted masks and wild costumes.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
17
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
First weekend of February · Chiang Mai
Floral floats and parades fill Chiang Mai at the end of the cool season.
18
Monkey Buffet Festival
Last Sunday of November · Lopburi
Lopburi lays out a vast fruit banquet for its resident macaques.
Surin Elephant Round-up
19
Surin Elephant Round-up
Third weekend of November · Surin
Hundreds of elephants parade and perform in Thailand's northeast.
20
Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival
A weekend in May · Yasothon
Isan's rocket festival firing huge homemade rockets to summon the rains.
Takayama Matsuri
21
Takayama Matsuri
Mid-April & mid-October · Takayama
Ornate festival floats parade through old Takayama, twice a year.
Nebuta Matsuri
22
Nebuta Matsuri
2–7 August · Aomori
Giant illuminated warrior floats parade through Aomori.
Fuji Rock Festival
23
Fuji Rock Festival
Late July · Naeba
Japan's biggest outdoor music festival in the mountains.
24
Awa Odori
12–15 August · Tokushima
Japan's largest dance festival during Obon.
Tenjin Matsuri
25
Tenjin Matsuri
24-25 July · Osaka
Osaka's grand river festival with boat processions and fireworks.
Kanda Matsuri
26
Kanda Matsuri
Mid-May (odd years) · Tokyo
One of Tokyo's three great Shinto festivals, with a huge shrine procession.
Sanja Matsuri
27
Sanja Matsuri
Third weekend of May · Tokyo
Asakusa's wild three-day festival with around a hundred mikoshi shrines.
Aoi Matsuri
28
Aoi Matsuri
15 May · Kyoto
Kyoto's elegant Heian-era procession in aristocratic costume.
Jidai Matsuri
29
Jidai Matsuri
22 October · Kyoto
Kyoto's 'Festival of the Ages', a costumed parade through a millennium of history.
Chichibu Night Festival
30
Chichibu Night Festival
2-3 December · Chichibu
Illuminated floats and winter fireworks light up Chichibu.
Nyepi (Day of Silence)
31
Nyepi (Day of Silence)
March (Balinese new year) · Bali
Bali's silent new year, preceded by giant Ogoh-ogoh parades.
32
Esala Perahera
Jul–Aug · Kandy
Kandy's grand procession of tusker elephants and the tooth relic.
Golden Eagle Festival
33
Golden Eagle Festival
October · Ölgii
Kazakh eagle hunters compete in Mongolia's Altai.
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
34
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
Lantern Festival (Feb) · New Taipei
Thousands of wish-lanterns released into the sky in Pingxi.
Chinese New Year
35
Chinese New Year
Jan–Feb (new moon) · China
Lunar New Year with feasts, lion dances, lanterns and fireworks.
Nowruz
36
Nowruz
~21 March (spring equinox) · Iran
Persian New Year marking the spring equinox, across Iran and Central Asia.
Kumbh Mela
37
Kumbh Mela
Jan–Mar (every 3–12 years) · Prayagraj
The largest religious gathering on Earth, where millions bathe in sacred rivers.
Vesak
38
Vesak
May (full moon) · Sri Lanka
Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, marked with lanterns.
Mid-Autumn Festival
39
Mid-Autumn Festival
Sep–Oct (full moon) · China
Mooncakes and lanterns mark the harvest moon across East Asia.
Durga Puja
40
Durga Puja
Sep–Oct · Kolkata
Kolkata's UNESCO-listed festival of elaborate Durga pandals.
Ganesh Chaturthi
41
Ganesh Chaturthi
Aug–Sep · Mumbai
Ten-day festival immersing Ganesha idols, huge in Mumbai.
Tet (Vietnamese New Year)
42
Tet (Vietnamese New Year)
Jan–Feb (lunar new year) · Vietnam
Vietnam's most important holiday, welcoming the lunar new year.
Dragon Boat Festival
43
Dragon Boat Festival
May–Jun (5th lunar month) · China
Dragon-boat races and zongzi honour poet Qu Yuan.
44
Thimphu Tshechu
Sep–Oct · Thimphu
Bhutan's grandest masked-dance festival at the dzong.
Goa Carnival
45
Goa Carnival
Feb–Mar · Panaji
India's Portuguese-rooted pre-Lenten carnival.
Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao)
46
Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao)
15th day of Lunar New Year · China
Lanterns and riddles close the Chinese New Year period.
Onam
47
Onam
Aug–Sep · India
Kerala's harvest festival with boat races and flower carpets.
Lotus Lantern Festival (Yeondeunghoe)
48
Lotus Lantern Festival (Yeondeunghoe)
May (Buddha's Birthday) · Seoul
UNESCO-listed Buddhist lantern parade through Seoul.
Thingyan
49
Thingyan
Mid-April · Myanmar
Myanmar's Buddhist New Year water festival.
Indra Jatra
50
Indra Jatra
September · Kathmandu
Kathmandu's chariot festival honouring the living goddess Kumari.
51
Jaipur Literature Festival
January · Jaipur
The world's largest free literary festival.
Bon Om Touk (Water Festival)
52
Bon Om Touk (Water Festival)
November (full moon) · Phnom Penh
Cambodia's water festival with boat races on the Tonlé Sap.
Al Dhafra Festival
53
Al Dhafra Festival
Dec–Jan · Abu Dhabi
Bedouin heritage festival with a camel beauty pageant.
Ati-Atihan Festival
54
Ati-Atihan Festival
Third weekend of January · Kalibo
The 'Mother of Philippine Festivals' with tribal dancing.
Jerash Festival
55
Jerash Festival
Jul–Aug · Jerash
Culture and arts among the Roman ruins of Jerash.
Bali Arts Festival
56
Bali Arts Festival
Jun–Jul · Denpasar
A month of Balinese dance, music and craft.
57
MassKara Festival
October · Bacolod
Bacolod's smiling-mask street dancing festival.
Istanbul Tulip Festival
58
Istanbul Tulip Festival
April · Istanbul
Millions of tulips bloom across Istanbul's parks.
59
Chinese New Year in Thailand
Jan-Feb (lunar new year) · Bangkok
Bangkok's Yaowarat Chinatown erupts with lion dances, lanterns and street food.
60
Hemis Festival
June–July · Leh
Ladakh's masked cham dances at Hemis Monastery.
61
Hoi An Lantern Festival
Monthly (full moon) · Hoi An
The old town glows with silk lanterns each full moon.
62
Paro Tshechu
Mar–Apr · Paro
Spring masked-dance festival with a giant thongdrel unveiling.
63
Whirling Dervishes Festival (Şeb-i Arus)
10–17 December · Konya
Commemoration of Rumi with Mevlevi whirling ceremonies.
Hajj
64
Hajj
Varies (Islamic calendar) · Mecca
The annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the world's largest gathering.

Festival Calendar

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