Trek Guide
Holi 2026 falls Monday 2 March in the hills and Tuesday 3 March in the Terai. The two dates, where to celebrate, the chir and Holika Dahan tradition…
By Maya Rai · May 27, 2026
Holi (Fagu Purnima) is the Hindu festival of colours , celebrating spring and the triumph of good over evil. Holi 2026 is Monday 2 March in the hills — Kathmandu and Pokhara — and Tuesday 3 March in the Terai . Two dates, one festival. Wear throwaway clothes…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The split is not a scheduling quirk. The hills celebrate on the Falgun full moon itself; the Terai follows a day later, in step with northern India across the border. If you are travelling between the two you can, in principle, be soaked twice. Early March is…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Holi (Fagu Purnima) is the exuberant Hindu festival of colours, celebrating the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. People throw coloured powder (abir) and water at one another, music fills the streets, and the usual social formalities…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
On Holi, streets and rooftops erupt in colour — strangers smear each other's faces with powder, water balloons and buckets fly, and crowds dance to music. In Kathmandu, Basantapur (Durbar Square) and Thamel become the epicentre of the celebration. It's loud…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Holi is celebrated on different days in different regions: the hilly regions (including Kathmandu) celebrate one day, and the Terai (southern plains) celebrate the following day. The festival falls on the full moon of the lunar month of Falgun — typically in…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Wear clothes you'll throw away — the colours stain permanently. Protect your phone and camera in waterproof bags; powder and water destroy electronics. Apply oil or moisturiser to skin and hair beforehand to make colour easier to wash off. Wear sunglasses to…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Holi is overwhelmingly good-humoured, but crowds get rowdy and some people drink. Women travelers in particular should celebrate in groups or known areas, and it's fine to firmly decline unwanted contact. Stick to organised hotel or community celebrations if…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
For sheer joyful spectacle, few festivals match Holi. Being caught in a street drenched in pink, green, and blue, laughing with total strangers, is one of the most memorable things a traveler can experience in Nepal. Time a spring trip around it if you can.
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Holi falls on the full moon of Falgun. In 2026 that is Monday 2 March in the hills, including Kathmandu and Pokhara (Falgun 18, 2082 BS), and Tuesday 3 March in the Terai — Chitwan, Janakpur and the southern plains (Falgun 19). The southern date aligns with…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Wear clothes you can throw away, seal your phone and camera in waterproof bags, oil your skin and hair beforehand, and wear sunglasses. Stay in groups in known or organised settings. Planning a spring trip around the festival? See colour-season treks in our…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Holi is not one festival but a hundred neighbourhood ones happening at once, and where you stand changes everything. In Kathmandu the crowds converge on Basantapur and Thamel; in Pokhara the party gathers along Lakeside with the added mercy of the lake to…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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