Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra 2026: Date, Meaning & Where to See It
The new year of the Bikram Sambat calendar on 1 Baisakh, celebrated most dramatically in Bhaktapur with the nine-day Bisket Jatra.
- Next
- Usually in April
- Also called
- Navavarsha, Baisakh 1
- Usual month
- April
- Earlier years
- 14 April 2026 · 14 April 2025 · 13 April 2024 · 14 April 2023 · 14 April 2022
Nepal counts its years about 57 years ahead of the Western calendar. In Bhaktapur, the huge chariot of Bhairab is pulled through the old town in a tug of war between the upper and lower halves of the city, and a tall lingo pole is raised and pulled down to mark the new year.
Elsewhere it is a public holiday with picnics, concerts and busy temples.
Where to see it
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur, Bagmati ProvinceThe best-preserved medieval city of the valley: the five-storey Nyatapola temple, the 55-Window Palace and potters' squares.
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Tansen
Palpa, Lumbini ProvinceA hill-town of cobbled streets, Newar houses and dhaka weavers, capital of the old Palpa kingdom.
Read more →Quick answers
- When is Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra in 2026?
- Usually in April. The exact date for the next one is not published yet.
- What is Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra?
- The new year of the Bikram Sambat calendar on 1 Baisakh, celebrated most dramatically in Bhaktapur with the nine-day Bisket Jatra.
- Where is the best place to see Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra?
- Bhaktapur, Tansen.
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.