Plan your trip · Leh
What's on in Leh
Most festivals in Leh are held at monasteries and follow the Tibetan lunar calendar, so their dates move by weeks from year to year. Check the current dates before you book around one.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Leh right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Leh
Leh runs on a short season: the festivals that matter cluster into the months the passes and roads are comfortably open, and a lot of the calendar simply stops in deep winter. Broadly, Jul – Sep and Apr – Jun is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Signature to Leh
Hemis and Ladakh Festival
🗓️ June–July, and SeptemberMasked monastic dance at Hemis, and a broader cultural festival in Leh in early autumn.
Planning: Both fall inside the short season when the passes are open.
Across Ladakh
Hemis Festival
🗓️ June–JulyTwo days of masked dance at Hemis monastery, the largest of the Ladakhi monastic festivals.
Planning: Peak season — permits, rooms and cars all need booking well ahead.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Hemis Tsechu
The best-known festival in Ladakh is held at Hemis Monastery, about 40 km from Leh, on the tenth day of the fifth Tibetan month. That usually falls in June or early July. Monks in masks and brocade robes perform the cham dances in the courtyard over two days. Arrive early to find a seat on the steps and bring sun protection, as there is little shade. Once every twelve years, in the Tibetan year of the Monkey, the monastery unveils a huge thangka.
The Ladakh Festival
This is a civic festival rather than a monastic one. It usually opens in the second half of September with a procession of dance troupes through the Leh bazaar, followed by music, archery, polo and cultural shows around town. It is a good reason to come late in the season.
Thiksey Gustor
Thiksey Monastery holds its Gustor festival with masked dances around October or November, late in the ninth Tibetan month. It is smaller than Hemis and falls after the main tourist season, so crowds are light but the mornings are cold.
Winter festivals
Winter is the traditional festival season in Ladakh. Ladakhi Losar, the local new year, is usually celebrated around December or January, earlier than Tibetan Losar. Spituk Gustor, at the monastery next to the airport, usually falls in January. Dosmoche, around February, is held in Leh with masked dances, and ends with a ritual to drive away bad luck for the coming year. Visitors are welcome, but only flights reach Leh then, and temperatures are well below freezing.
Sindhu Darshan
Held on the banks of the Indus near Shey, usually in June, Sindhu Darshan celebrates the river and draws visitors from across India. Accommodation in Leh is tight that week.
Visiting a festival
Stand back from the dancers' path, never use flash, and ask before photographing monks up close. Carry water and a warm layer, and see the best time to visit page for what the season means for travel.
Questions
Leh — FAQ
When is Hemis festival held?
On the tenth day of the fifth Tibetan month, which usually falls in June or early July. The exact dates change each year, so check before you book.
When is the next big thangka unveiling at Hemis?
The giant thangka is shown once every twelve years, in the Tibetan year of the Monkey. The last was in 2016, so the next is expected in 2028.
Are Ladakhi festivals open to tourists?
Yes. Monastery festivals are public and visitors are welcome. Dress modestly, keep out of the dance area and do not use flash.
Is there anything on in Leh in winter?
Yes. Ladakhi Losar, Spituk Gustor and Dosmoche all fall between December and February. It is very cold and only flights reach Leh, but the festivals are uncrowded.