Bhutan's main festivals in 2027 run from Punakha Tshechu on 16–18 February, through Paro Tshechu on 18–22 March, to Thimphu Tshechu on 10–12 October and the Black-Necked Crane Festival on 11 November. Every date here comes from the Department of Tourism's "Tentative Festival Dates 2027" list, updated 14 February 2025. Festivals follow the lunar calendar, so treat each date as tentative and recheck it before you pay.
When are the big Bhutan festivals in 2027?
For most travellers flying from Bangkok, five festivals do the work:
- Punakha Tshechu, 16–18 February, at Punakha Dzong, after the Punakha Dromchoe on 13–15 February.
- Paro Tshechu, 18–22 March, at Rinpung Dzong, with the Thongdrel on the last day. It's the festival closest to the airport, and our Paro Tshechu 2027 guide covers it day by day.
- Thimphu Tshechu, 10–12 October, at Tashichho Dzong in the capital.
- Gangtey Tshechu, 13–15 October, at Gangtey Gonpa in the Phobjikha valley, with a Thongdrel on the last day.
- Black-Necked Crane Festival, 11 November, at Gangtey Gonpa, timed to the cranes' winter arrival. The crane festival guide explains what the day is like.
What are all the 2027 festival dates, and when should you leave Bangkok?
All 44 festivals on the DoT list, in date order, with the latest Bangkok departure we'd plan around and whether the trip falls inside the confirmed SDF rate.
| Festival | Place | 2027 dates (tentative) | Suggested BKK departure | SDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lhamoi Dromchhen | Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa | 11–13 Feb | Tue 9 Feb | USD 100 |
| Punakha Dromchoe | Punakha Dzong, Punakha | 13–15 Feb | Fri 12 Feb | USD 100 |
| Punakha Tshechu | Punakha Dzong, Punakha | 16–18 Feb | Mon 15 Feb | USD 100 |
| Tharpaling Thongdrol | Tharpaling Lhakhang, Chumi, Bumthang | 20 Feb | Wed 17 Feb | USD 100 |
| Chhorten Kora | Chorten Kora, Trashiyangtse | 20 Feb and 8 Mar | Ask us | USD 100 |
| Tangsibi Mani | Tangsibi Lhakhang, Ura, Bumthang | 22–24 Feb | Fri 19 Feb | USD 100 |
| Gomphu Kora | Gom Kora Lhakhang, Trashiyangtse | 16–18 Mar | Ask us | USD 100 |
| Talo Tshechu | Talo Gonpa, Punakha | 16–18 Mar | Mon 15 Mar | USD 100 |
| Gasa Tshechu | Gasa Dzong, Gasa | 16–18 Mar | Ask us | USD 100 |
| Zhemgang Tshechu | Zhemgang Dzong, Zhemgang | 16–18 Mar | Ask us | USD 100 |
| Paro Tshechu | Rinpung Dzong, Paro | 18–22 Mar (Thongdrel 22 Mar) | Thu 18 Mar | USD 100 |
| Rhododendron Week | Shetemey, Merak, Trashigang | 3–9 Apr | Ask us | USD 100 |
| Domkhar Tshechu | Domkhar, Chumi, Bumthang | 16–18 Apr | Tue 13 Apr | USD 100 |
| Ura Yakchoe | Ura Lhakhang, Bumthang | 18–22 Apr | Thu 15 Apr | USD 100 |
| Rhododendron Festival | Lamperi Botanical Park, Thimphu | 22–23 Apr | Thu 22 Apr | USD 100 |
| Nimalung Tshechu | Nimalung Dratshang, Chumi, Bumthang | 12–14 Jun | Wed 9 Jun | USD 100 |
| Kurjey Tshechu | Kurjey Lhakhang, Choekhor, Bumthang | 14 Jun | Fri 11 Jun | USD 100 |
| Tour of the Dragon (mountain bike race) | Bumthang to Thimphu | 5 Sep | Sat 4 Sep | Not confirmed |
| Thimphu Drubchen | Tashichho Dzong, Thimphu | 5 Oct | Tue 5 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Wangdue Tshechu | Wangduephodrang | 8–10 Oct | Thu 7 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Tamshing Phala Chhoepa | Tamshing Lhakhang, Bumthang | 10–12 Oct | Thu 7 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Thimphu Tshechu | Tashichho Dzong, Thimphu | 10–12 Oct | Sun 10 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Gangtey Tshechu | Gangtey Gonpa, Phobjikha | 13–15 Oct (Thongdrel 15 Oct) | Mon 11 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Jhomolhari Mountain Festival | Dangochong, Thimphu | 14–15 Oct | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Thangbi Mewang | Thangbi Lhakhang, Choekhor, Bumthang | 15–16 Oct | Tue 12 Oct | Not confirmed |
| Haa Tshechu | Lhakhang Karpo, Haa | 6–8 Nov | Fri 5 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Chhukha Tshechu | Chhukha Dzong, Chhukha | 6–8 Nov | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Jakar Tshechu | Jakar Dzong, Choekhor, Bumthang | 6–9 Nov | Wed 3 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Pemagatshel Tshechu | Pemagatshel Dzong, Pemagatshel | 6–9 Nov (Thongdrel 9 Nov) | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Dechenphu Tshechu | Dechenphu Lhakhang, Thimphu | 8 Nov | Mon 8 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Black-Necked Crane Festival | Gangtey Gonpa, Phobjikha | 11 Nov | Tue 9 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Jambay Lhakhang Drup | Jambay Lhakhang, Choekhor, Bumthang | 14–17 Nov | Thu 11 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Prakhar Duchhoed | Prakhar Lhakhang, Chumi, Bumthang | 15–17 Nov | Fri 12 Nov | Not confirmed |
| Goenpai Drupchen | Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa | 3–5 Dec | Wed 1 Dec | Not confirmed |
| Mongar Tshechu | Mongar Dzong, Mongar | 6–8 Dec | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Phuentsholing Tshechu | Phuentsholing, Chhukha | 6–8 Dec | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Trashigang Tshechu | Trashigang Dzong, Trashigang | 7–9 Dec | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Jambay Lhakhang Singye Cham | Jambay Lhakhang, Choekhor, Bumthang | 13 Dec | Fri 10 Dec | Not confirmed |
| Nalakhar Tshechu | Ngaa Lhakhang, Choekhor, Bumthang | 13–15 Dec | Fri 10 Dec | Not confirmed |
| Druk Wangyel Tshechu | Dochula, Thimphu | 13 Dec | Mon 13 Dec | Not confirmed |
| Trongsa Tshechu | Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa | 5–9 Jan 2028 (Thongdrel 9 Jan) | Mon 3 Jan | Not confirmed |
| Lhuentse Tshechu | Lhuentse Dzong, Lhuentse | 5–9 Jan 2028 (Thongdrel 9 Jan) | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Samdrup Jongkhar Tshechu | Samdrup Jongkhar | 10–12 Jan 2028 | Ask us | Not confirmed |
| Nabji Lhakhang Drup | Nabji Lhakhang, Nabji, Trongsa | 12–14 Jan 2028 | Ask us | Not confirmed |
How to read the departure column. On the 2026 schedule, Bhutan Airlines B3 701 left Bangkok at 06:30 and landed in Paro at 09:55 via Kolkata, so for a festival in Paro or Thimphu you can fly on the first day and be at the dzong by early afternoon. Further east, we've allowed road time to arrive for the first morning, driving straight on from the airport: one day for Punakha, Wangdue and Haa, two for Phobjikha and Trongsa, three for Bumthang. These are planning allowances, not timetables. Recheck each date against the 2027 schedule, and if B3 701 doesn't operate that day, take the service before. "Ask us" marks festivals in the far east or with remote access, where the routing depends on the rest of your trip.
Are 2027 festival dates final, or can they change?
They're tentative, and DoT says so in the title of its own list. The dates are set by the Bhutanese lunar calendar, and the list was last updated on 14 February 2025, more than two years before the festivals.
Hold flights against the tentative dates, then check again a few months before you travel. A single day matters if you're timing a Thongdrel, so we recheck the festival dates for anyone holding festival seats with us.
Which festivals fall inside the USD 100 SDF window?
Everything from February to the end of August 2027. Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027, and the rate after that hasn't been decided.
That splits the calendar in two:
| Period | Festivals | SDF |
|---|---|---|
| Feb–Aug 2027 | Punakha, Talo, Paro, Domkhar, Ura Yakchoe, the Rhododendron Festival, Nimalung, Kurjey and the eastern spring festivals | USD 100 a night, confirmed |
| Sep 2027–Jan 2028 | Tour of the Dragon, Thimphu Drubchen and Tshechu, Wangdue, Gangtey, Jakar, the crane festival, Jambay Lhakhang, Trongsa and the rest | Not yet confirmed |
Spring is the only festival season with a confirmed fee. If you're choosing between Paro in March and Thimphu in October and price certainty matters, March wins. What happens to Bhutan's SDF after August 2027 sets out what's known and what isn't.
Which festival is best for a first trip from Bangkok?
Paro Tshechu, for three reasons. It's in the valley you land in, so a five-day trip loses no time driving to it. It falls inside the confirmed USD 100 window. And it sits in what DoT describes as Bhutan's generally dry spring, from early March to mid-April.
Thimphu Tshechu is the other obvious choice. The capital is 55 km, about 90 minutes, by road from Paro, and DoT describes autumn as bright and sunny after the rains. Its 2027 fee isn't confirmed yet, though, and October is when Bangkok–Paro seats go first.
Paro or Thimphu Tshechu: which is less crowded?
Neither is quiet. Both are among the biggest festivals in the country, and both draw Bhutanese families in their best clothes as well as most of the season's visitors. BBS describes Paro's five days as drawing "thousands from in and around Paro, and tourists".
The difference is in the shape. Paro runs five days and peaks on the final morning, when thousands gather before dawn for the Thongdrel. Thimphu's three days fall in the busiest month for flights. If you want masked dances with fewer people, look at the district festivals next to the big ones: Talo Tshechu at Talo Gonpa in Punakha on 16–18 March, just before Paro, or Wangdue Tshechu on 8–10 October, just before Thimphu.
Which festivals fit a 5-day trip?
Anything in Paro, Thimphu or Punakha fits a five-day, four-night circuit without adding a valley. In 2027 that means:
- Punakha Dromchoe and Punakha Tshechu, 13–18 February
- Talo Tshechu, 16–18 March
- Paro Tshechu, 18–22 March
- The Rhododendron Festival at Lamperi Botanical Park, 22–23 April
- Thimphu Drubchen, 5 October, and Thimphu Tshechu, 10–12 October
- Dechenphu Tshechu in Thimphu, 8 November
- Druk Wangyel Tshechu at Dochula, 13 December
Phobjikha, for Gangtey Tshechu or the crane festival, needs at least six days; our Bhutan Discovery trip is built around that extra valley. Bumthang and Trongsa need seven nights or more.
What is a Thongdrel, and which days show one?
A thongdrel is a giant appliqué thangka, a religious scroll image large enough to cover the face of a building. The name means "liberation on sight". It is shown for a few hours around dawn and rolled up before the sun can fade it.
In 2027 the DoT list marks a Thongdrel on the last day of five festivals: Paro Tshechu on 22 March, Gangtey Tshechu on 15 October, Pemagatshel Tshechu on 9 November, and the Trongsa and Lhuentse Tshechus on 9 January 2028. Tharpaling Thongdrol in Bumthang, on 20 February, is named for one.
In Paro, the Dzongkhag administration describes the Thongdrel being carried in procession from the dzong to the festival ground at Deyangkha, unfurled at 3 a.m. and taken back before sunrise. If you want to see it, you'll be up in the dark.
Does a festival trip cost more?
The government fees don't change. The SDF is charged per night with no festival supplement, and the visa is USD 40 once. What changes is demand: hotels near the dzong fill first, and a festival weekend strains guides, vehicles and the cash machines all at once. Carry enough ngultrum for the day.
Our published Bangkok–Paro return fare starts from THB 31,869 in economy, including taxes, and the fare for your dates is confirmed when you book. On festival dates the constraint is usually availability, with seats and nearby rooms going first.
Do you need to dress up for a tshechu?
You don't need national dress, but you do need to dress for a religious site. DoT says there are no rules on what visitors wear, and that at places of religious significance, smart-casual clothing covering you from shoulders to knees is appropriate. Take your hat off inside the dzong, don't walk across the dance ground, and leave the drone at home: tourists are generally not permitted to bring drones into Bhutan.
How early should you book flights and hotels for festival dates?
For Paro Tshechu and the October festivals, six to nine months ahead. The approach into Paro is visual and the number of seats is finite, so festival weeks sell out rather than getting more expensive. For March 2027, that window is open now.
Book & Hold keeps your seats free for 48 hours while we confirm the fare in writing. Once you've confirmed, payment is by bank transfer or by a Stripe card link our team sends. If you'd rather travel on a package, our Bhutan tour packages show the five- and six-day trips we build festival dates into. For the weather either side of your festival, see the month-by-month guide to visiting Bhutan.
