Holi 2026: Date, Meaning & Where to See It
The festival of colours on the full moon of Falgun: coloured powder, water balloons and music in the streets.
- Next
- Usually in March
- Also called
- Fagu Purnima
- Usual month
- March
A week before the full moon a pole (chir) is raised at Basantapur in Kathmandu, and on Holi itself the streets of Thamel, Basantapur and Pokhara Lakeside fill with people throwing colour. The hills celebrate one day and the Terai the next.
Wear old clothes, protect your camera and phone, and expect to be included.
Where to see it
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Kathmandu, Bagmati ProvinceThe old royal palace of Hanuman Dhoka and its temple squares, home of the Kumari, the living goddess.
Read more →
Pokhara
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceNepal's adventure capital and tourism capital, where the Annapurnas rise just 30 km from the lakeshore.
Read more →.jpg?width=960)
Janaki Mandir, Janakpur
Dhanusha, Madhesh ProvinceA white marble palace-temple of 1910 dedicated to Sita, built where her image is said to have been found.
Read more →Quick answers
- When is Holi in 2026?
- Usually in March. The exact date for the next one is not published yet.
- What is Holi?
- The festival of colours on the full moon of Falgun: coloured powder, water balloons and music in the streets.
- Where is the best place to see Holi?
- Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pokhara, Janaki Mandir, Janakpur.
Other festivals
Dates from the public Holidays in Nepal calendar (Google Calendar), checked daily. Local festivals not in that calendar show their usual month; lunar dates can shift by a day locally.