Festivals in Sikkim and Darjeeling by month — Losoong, Losar, Pang Lhabsol, Kagyed, Dashain and the tourism festivals
Sikkim and Darjeeling festivals by month from the Sikkim Tourism site: Losoong, Losar, Maghey Sankranti, Pang Lhabsol, Kagyed, Dashain and tourism festivals.
Sikkim and Darjeeling keep three calendars together: the Tibetan Buddhist year of the Bhutia and Lepcha communities, the Hindu year of the Nepali majority, and the new tourism festivals of the state. The Sikkim Tourism site lists festivals by season and gives no dates. Most of them follow the Tibetan or lunar calendar, so their English dates move from year to year. This guide sorts them by the months the sources give, as we read them on 24 October 2026. Ask a monastery, a hotel or the tourism office for the day before you plan around one.
January to March: the winter festivals
The Sikkim Tourism site lists four winter festivals, in January to March: Losoong, Losar, Maghey Sankranti and Gutor Cham. The site says snow blankets most areas then, and that the days are cold with sub-zero nights.
Losar is the Tibetan new year. Wikipedia says offices and educational institutions in Sikkim close for a week. Darjeeling's Tibetan Buddhist communities keep it too.
Maghey Sankranti is on the Sikkim site's winter list, and Wikipedia also names it among Darjeeling's major festivals.
Gutor Cham is a monastery dance on the same list. The site gives no day.
March and April: the flowers
The site lists a Flower Festival in the spring, March and April, when the rhododendrons and orchids are in bloom, and two more named festivals: the Maniram Bhanjyang Tourism Festival and the Cherry Tea Festival. It gives no dates for either. Read the best time to visit Sikkim and Darjeeling.
Summer and early autumn
Saga Dawa is one of the Buddhist festivals that Wikipedia lists for Sikkim. Darjeeling's Tibetan Buddhist groups keep it as well.
Pang Lhabsol is the festival that honours Mount Kangchenjunga. The Sikkim Tourism site says Ravangla hosts it every year, and Wikipedia's article on Ralang Monastery says it is held there, usually in September. It follows the Tibetan calendar, so confirm the date locally. Read the Ravangla guide and when to visit Ravangla.
Tendong Lho Rumfaat is a Lepcha festival that Wikipedia names among those of Darjeeling's Tibetan Buddhist groups. The Sikkim site describes a Lepcha dance of that name, from a folk tale of Tendong hill in South Sikkim and a flood.
October to December
Dashain and Tihar, the Nepali festivals that fall in the Dussehra and Diwali season. Sikkim's Gorkhali majority celebrates all major Hindu festivals, by Wikipedia's account. Sel roti is the sweet of these days; see the food of Sikkim and Darjeeling.
Kagyed is the monastery dance that welcomes the new year, held at various monasteries. Wikipedia says that at Ralang it ends in early December.
Red Panda Winter Festival, one of the three tourism festivals on the official list, with no date given.
A three-day music festival is held at Mangan in North Sikkim every December, says the Sikkim Tourism site. Read the North Sikkim guide, and the permit guide before you go to the north.
Christmas is promoted in Gangtok to draw visitors in the off-season, says Wikipedia, and Darjeeling lists it among its major festivals.
Festivals that follow the Hindu and Buddhist calendars
Wikipedia also names these among the festivals kept in Sikkim and Darjeeling: Holi, Buddha Jayanti, Lhabab Duechen, Drupka Teshi, Bumchu, Udhauli and Ubhauli, the main festivals of the Kirati groups, and Lakshmi Puja. We give no month for them, because the sources give none.
Been here?Help the next traveller — our team checks every contribution.
Questions people ask
When is Losar in Sikkim?
In the cold months. The Sikkim Tourism site lists Losar, with Losoong, Maghey Sankranti and Gutor Cham, among the winter festivals of January to March. Wikipedia says offices and schools close for a week at the Tibetan new year. The Tibetan calendar sets the day, so we give no date; ask a monastery or your hotel.
What is Pang Lhabsol?
A festival that honours Mount Kangchenjunga, held at Ralang near Ravangla in South Sikkim. Wikipedia says it is usually in September, and the Sikkim Tourism site says Ravangla hosts it every year. It follows the Tibetan calendar, so the date moves from year to year. Confirm it locally before you plan a visit around it.
What festivals does Darjeeling celebrate?
Wikipedia names Christmas, Buddha Jayanti and Losar among its major festivals, with Dashain, Tihar, Holi, Lakshmi Puja and Maghe Sankranti. Tibetan Buddhist groups also keep Saga Dawa and Tendong Lho Rumfaat, and the Kirati groups Udhauli and Ubhauli. We give no dates, because most follow the lunar calendar.
