Plan your trip · Pelling
What's on in Pelling
Pelling's festivals follow the Tibetan lunar calendar and the Nepali Hindu one, so dates move every year. The monastery dances are the ones worth planning a trip around.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Pelling 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 Pelling
Pelling's calendar runs through most of the year, with the busiest weeks in the clear, comfortable months and a quieter stretch in the heaviest rain. Broadly, Oct – Mar 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.
Across Sikkim
Losar and monastery cham dances
🗓️ February–March, and by monasteryTibetan new year, plus masked cham dances at Rumtek, Pemayangtse and Enchey through the year.
Planning: Monastery dates follow the lunar calendar — confirm before travelling for one.
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.
Cham dances at Pemayangtse (February)
At the end of the Tibetan year, usually in February, the monks of Pemayangtse perform masked cham dances in the courtyard over two days. Dancers appear as Mahakala and other protector figures. On the last day a large embroidered scroll is shown, and the dances close with fireworks to drive away evil before Losar. Pilgrims come from across Sikkim, so arrive early for a place.
Losar (February or March)
The Tibetan new year follows. Families visit monasteries, hang new prayer flags and share food. Some shops and offices close for a few days.
Bumchu at Tashiding (February or March)
At Tashiding Monastery, about 40 km from Pelling, a sacred vase of water is opened once a year, and the level of the water is read as a sign for the year ahead. It draws big crowds of pilgrims.
Saga Dawa (May or June)
The month that marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. Processions carry scriptures around towns and monasteries.
Pang Lhabsol (August or September)
A festival found only in Sikkim. It honours Kanchenjunga as the guardian deity of the land and recalls a pact of brotherhood between the Lepcha and Bhutia people. The biggest celebrations are in Gangtok and Ravangla, with warrior dances. It falls in the monsoon, so plan for rain.
Dashain and Tihar (October and November)
Most of Sikkim's people are of Nepali origin, and these are their biggest festivals. Dashain brings family visits and blessings; Tihar brings lamps, garlands and sel roti. Travel and rooms are busy.
Losoong (December)
The Sikkimese farmers' new year, kept by the Bhutia and Lepcha communities, with cham dances at several monasteries.
Confirm each year's dates before you book, and see the best time to visit page for weather.
Questions
Pelling — FAQ
When are the Pemayangtse cham dances?
On the 28th and 29th days of the twelfth Tibetan month, which usually falls in February. Check the date with the monastery or a local operator each year.
What is Pang Lhabsol?
A Sikkim-only festival honouring Kanchenjunga as the land's protector deity. It is held in the seventh Tibetan month, usually August or September, with dances at Gangtok and Ravangla.
Is Diwali celebrated in Pelling?
Yes, as Tihar, the Nepali festival of lights. It runs over five days with lamps, marigold garlands and songs, and sel roti is made in most homes.