Dashain Dates 2026: Full Calendar and Tika Time

If you are planning around Nepal's biggest festival, the Dashain dates 2026 are now confirmed by the country's official calendar authority. The festival runs for a full fifteen days, from Ghatasthapana on Sunday, October 11, 2026 to Kojagrat Purnima on Sunday, October 25, 2026, with the pivotal Vijaya Dashami (Tika) falling on Wednesday, October 21. This guide lays out the complete day-by-day schedule, the official tika muhurat, the Bikram Sambat equivalents, the public-holiday window, and what each of those dates means for a traveler in Nepal that month.

For the bigger picture of why these dates move every year, see our companion explainer on when Dashain falls and how the lunar calendar sets it. This page is the year-specific timetable; that one is the timing logic behind it.

Key takeaways

• Dashain 2026 runs October 11 to 25 — fifteen days, from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima.
• Vijaya Dashami (Tika day) is Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the single most important date.
• The auspicious tika muhurat begins at 11:53 AM Nepal Standard Time, as set by the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti.
• In Bikram Sambat the festival spans Ashwin 25 to Kartik 8, 2083 BS.
• The government public-holiday stretch runs roughly October 17 to 25.
• Travel logistics get tight just before Tika, so book flights, buses, and rooms early.

Dashain 2026: the full 15-day calendar

Dashain's fifteen days are not equal. A handful carry the ritual weight, and those are the ones worth building a trip around. Here is the complete 2026 schedule with both the Gregorian and Bikram Sambat dates.

| Day | Ritual | Date (2026) | Bikram Sambat (2083) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Ghatasthapana | Sunday, October 11 | Ashwin 25 | | 7 | Phulpati | Saturday, October 17 | Kartik 1 | | 8 | Maha Ashtami | Sunday, October 18 | Kartik 2 | | 9 | Maha Nawami | Tuesday, October 20 | Kartik 4 (preceding) | | 10 | Vijaya Dashami (Tika) | Wednesday, October 21 | Kartik 4 | | 15 | Kojagrat Purnima | Sunday, October 25 | Kartik 8 |

A quick note on the gap between Maha Ashtami and Maha Nawami: because Dashain is timed to the tithi (a lunar day defined by the moon's position rather than by sunrise) rather than to clock dates, the ritual days do not always sit on perfectly consecutive Western dates. In 2026 the calendar places Maha Ashtami on October 18 and Maha Nawami on October 20, which is why some printed Western calendars look like they skip a day. Vijaya Dashami then follows on October 21.

The days in between

Days 2 through 6 (roughly October 12 to 16) are quieter days of household worship that build toward the intense final stretch. For most visitors they pass with little outward spectacle. The festival's most visible, photogenic, and culturally rich window for travelers is days 7 to 10 — October 17 to 21.

When is Dashain Tika in 2026?

The climax of the whole festival is Vijaya Dashami, Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the day families gather and elders apply tika (a mark of red rice-paste, yogurt, and vermilion) and jamara (the yellow barley grass sown back on Ghatasthapana) to the foreheads of younger relatives, along with blessings and small gifts of money.

Crucially, families do not simply start whenever they wake up. There is a single most-auspicious moment — the muhurat or sahait — calculated each year by Nepal's official calendar committee, the Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti. For 2026, that moment has been published as 11:53 AM Nepal Standard Time on October 21. Households across the country aim to begin their tika ceremonies from that time onward, then continue through the rest of the day.

For a visitor, the practical upshot is simple: if you want to witness the tika tradition, midday on October 21 is the window, ideally among a Nepali family who has invited you in, or near a busy temple square. For more on the etiquette of visiting temples during festival days, see our guide to Nepal temple etiquette for tourists.

What each major date means

Knowing the dates is far more useful when you know what is happening on them.

Ghatasthapana — Sunday, October 11

The festival opens. In a ritual room, barley and maize seeds are sown in sand and kept in low light so they grow into the pale-yellow jamara grass used ten days later. This is a quiet, household-centered day; you will not see much on the streets, but it marks the official start of the fifteen-day countdown.

Phulpati — Saturday, October 17

The seventh day brings a ceremonial procession of flowers, leaves, sugarcane, and sacred plants. Historically a royal Phulpati was carried into Kathmandu with great fanfare; the day still signals the shift into Dashain's intense phase. From around here, the cities begin to empty as workers head to their home villages.

Maha Ashtami and Maha Nawami — Sunday, October 18 and Tuesday, October 20

These are the most ritually charged days. They are traditionally associated with animal sacrifice at temples and homes, offerings to the goddess Durga, and the worship of tools, vehicles, and instruments on Nawami. Squares such as those in the Kathmandu Valley's old durbar areas can be busy with observances. Travelers who are sensitive to animal sacrifice should be aware that it is openly visible on these days.

Vijaya Dashami — Wednesday, October 21

The heart of Dashain. Tika, jamara, blessings, family gatherings, and the most widely observed public holiday of the Nepali year. If your trip overlaps with only one Dashain day, this is the one to plan for.

Kojagrat Purnima — Sunday, October 25

The full-moon close, associated with the goddess Lakshmi and with staying awake through the night in hopes of prosperity. By this point the extended-family visiting has mostly wound down and businesses are reopening.

Bikram Sambat dates for Dashain 2026

Nepal's official calendar is the Bikram Sambat (BS), which runs roughly 56 to 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Dashain 2026 falls in the year 2083 BS, straddling the months of Ashwin and Kartik.

| Western date (2026) | Bikram Sambat (2083 BS) | Event | | --- | --- | --- | | October 11 | Ashwin 25 | Ghatasthapana | | October 17 | Kartik 1 | Phulpati | | October 21 | Kartik 4 | Vijaya Dashami (Tika) | | October 25 | Kartik 8 | Kojagrat Purnima |

If you are trying to make sense of how the Nepali year maps onto your own, our piece on the BS vs AD calendar explains the conversion in plain terms.

Public holidays and what closes

Dashain brings the longest public-holiday stretch in Nepal's official calendar. For 2026, the government holiday window runs roughly October 17 to October 25, centered on Vijaya Dashami. Treat that as the planning baseline and confirm against the official notice closer to the time, since the exact span is set each year.

What this means on the ground:

• Government offices and banks close for several days around Tika. Sort out any official errands, permits, or large currency exchanges before mid-October.
• Many local restaurants and shops shut for five to seven days, especially outside tourist hubs.
• Tourist-area services and major temples generally stay open, though often with reduced staffing.
• Banks closing also means you should not rely on branch service during the peak days; plan your cash around it. Our Nepal ATM withdrawal guide covers how to keep cash flowing when banks are shut.

For a fuller picture of the atmosphere, closures, and etiquette during the festival, our honest Dashain tourist guide walks through what the quiet actually feels like for a visitor.

Travel logistics around the 2026 dates

The dates have a predictable rhythm, and a little timing awareness saves a lot of friction.

The pre-Tika travel crush

In the days just before Vijaya Dashami — so roughly October 17 to 20, 2026 — hundreds of thousands of people leave Kathmandu for their ancestral villages. Long-distance buses sell out, domestic flights fill up, and major highways get congested. If you need to move between cities in that window, book well ahead. Our overview of domestic flights in Nepal explains the main routes and operators.

The quiet after

From Vijaya Dashami through Kojagrat Purnima (October 21 to 25), Kathmandu is genuinely calm. Streets that are normally gridlocked feel like a small town. For some travelers this is the worst time to visit; for others it is the best, precisely because the usual crowds are gone.

Lean into the season

Dashain 2026 sits squarely inside one of Nepal's clearest, driest stretches. October is widely regarded as a prime month for mountain visibility and comfortable temperatures, which is why it overlaps with the best time to visit Nepal and the peak trekking season. The trade-off for the festival quiet is genuinely good weather.

How Dashain anchors the rest of the 2026 festival season

Dashain is also a timing landmark for the festivals around it. Roughly two weeks after Dashain ends comes Tihar, Nepal's festival of lights — covered in our guide to Tihar, the festival of lights. Knowing that Dashain pins late October helps you slot the rest of the autumn calendar into an itinerary. If you are mapping the whole festival year, our broader festivals coverage puts Dashain in context.

Quick reference

• Festival window 2026: October 11 to 25 (Ashwin 25 to Kartik 8, 2083 BS)
• Ghatasthapana: Sunday, October 11
• Phulpati: Saturday, October 17
• Maha Ashtami / Maha Nawami: Sunday, October 18 and Tuesday, October 20
• Vijaya Dashami (Tika): Wednesday, October 21 — muhurat from 11:53 AM
• Kojagrat Purnima: Sunday, October 25
• Public-holiday stretch: roughly October 17 to 25

The single rule to remember: confirm these dates early, then build your flights, trek dates, and expectations about what is open around October 21, 2026 — the day the whole country pauses for tika.

Sources

• Awesome Holidays Nepal — Dashain 2026 Dates, Tika and Festival Guide
• Nepal Hiking Team — Dashain Festival 2026: Dates, Tika Time and Celebration
• Hop Nepal — Dashain Festival 2026: Date, Tika Time, Meaning, Rituals
• timeanddate.com — Dashami (Dashain) in Nepal
• NepCalendar — Dashain 2026 / दशैं 2083
• Nepali Calendar (rat32) — Nepali Patro 2083 with Dashain and Tihar
• Dashain — Wikipedia