Tihar (Deepawali) 2026: Date, Meaning & Where to See It
The five-day festival of lights, honouring crows, dogs, cows and the goddess Laxmi, and ending with Bhai Tika between brothers and sisters.
- Next
- 8–10 November 2026 In 28 days
- Dates
- 8 November 2026 — Laxmi Puja (Tihar)
- 9 November 2026 — Gobhardan Pujan (Tihar)
- 10 November 2026 — Bhai Tika (Tihar)
- Also called
- Deepawali, Diwali, Yamapanchak
- Earlier years
- 20–24 October 2025 · 1–3 November 2024 · 12–15 November 2023 · 24–27 October 2022 · 4–6 November 2021
Each day of Tihar honours something different: crows (Kag Tihar), dogs with marigold garlands (Kukur Tihar), cows and the goddess Laxmi, whose night sees every house lit with oil lamps and candles, then Govardhan Puja and Mha Puja for Newars, and finally Bhai Tika, when sisters give their brothers a seven-coloured tika.
In the evenings groups go house to house singing deusi and bhailo. Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur look their best on Laxmi Puja night.
Where to see it
Patan Durbar Square
Lalitpur, Bagmati ProvinceThe finest collection of Newar architecture in the valley: palace courtyards, stone temples and the superb Patan Museum.
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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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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 →Quick answers
- When is Tihar (Deepawali) in 2026?
- 8–10 November 2026.
- What is Tihar (Deepawali)?
- The five-day festival of lights, honouring crows, dogs, cows and the goddess Laxmi, and ending with Bhai Tika between brothers and sisters.
- Where is the best place to see Tihar (Deepawali)?
- Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Durbar Square.
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.