Public holidays in Bhutan

17 days in 2026 · 12 in 2027

Next public holiday

Dashain

After it: Coronation of His Majesty the King, Sunday 1 November

Bhutan's public holidays fall on two calendars at once. The royal and national days keep fixed Gregorian dates, while the Buddhist days and the Hindu festival of Dashain follow the Bhutanese lunisolar calendar, a variant of the Tibetan one, and move from year to year. The 2026 list on file gives 18 holidays on 17 dates, because the coronation anniversary and the Descending Day of Lord Buddha both fall on Sunday 1 November. Wikipedia, working from the Royal Civil Service Commission's list of 2011, counts sixteen.

Several of the days are about the state's own history. National Day on 17 December marks the crowning of Ugyen Wangchuck, the first king, in 1907; Zhabdrung Kuchoe mourns the founder of the state, Ngawang Namgyal; and the birth anniversaries of three kings are kept, the present one for three days running in February. Dashain, the main festival of the Nepali-speaking south, is the one Hindu day on the national list.

The 2027 dates on file run only to the First Sermon of Lord Buddha on Friday 6 August. The lunar dates of the Blessed Rainy Day, Dashain and the Descending Day of Lord Buddha for later in 2027 were not in the sources on 30 September 2026, and the fixed days of November and December 2027 are left out with them so that the year is not counted half complete.

Days off in 2026: 17Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday: 10Monday to Friday
On a weekend: 7Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends: 3and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Bhutan in 2026

2 January: Winter SolsticeNyiloThe winter solstice, the return of the sun, kept with archery and feasting, more so in the centre and east. In some western communities it is celebrated like a new year.Friday
19 January: Traditional Day of OfferingBuelwa Phuewi NyimThe Traditional Day of Offering, on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, gives thanks to the Zhabdrung, the founder of Bhutan, and is marked with feasting, charity and traditional sports.MondayDate moves
18 February: Losar, Bhutanese New YearDawa Dangpa LosarThe Bhutanese New Year, on the first day of the first lunar month, usually in February or March. Houses are cleaned and food and drink prepared beforehand, and the greeting is Losar Tashi Delek.WednesdayDate moves
19 February: Losar holidayLosarThe second day off for the new year.ThursdayDate moves
21 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingThree days, 21 to 23 February, for the birthday of the reigning king.Saturday
22 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingThree days, 21 to 23 February, for the birthday of the reigning king.Sunday
23 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingThree days, 21 to 23 February, for the birthday of the reigning king.Monday
26 April: Death anniversary of the ZhabdrungZhabdrung KuchoeA national day of mourning for Ngawang Namgyal, who died in 1651, kept on the tenth day of the third lunar month.SundayDate moves
2 May: Birth Anniversary of the Third Druk GyalpoThe birthday on 2 May of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, born in 1928, who began Bhutan's modernisation. It is also Teachers' Day in schools.Saturday
31 May: Lord Buddha's ParinirvanaDuechen Nga ZomLord Buddha's Parinirvana, on the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month, marking his birth, enlightenment and passing into nirvana.SundayDate moves
24 June: Birth Anniversary of Guru RinpocheThe birth of Padmasambhava, known in Bhutan as Guru Rinpoche, on the tenth day of the fifth lunar month.WednesdayDate moves
18 July: First Sermon of Lord BuddhaDrugpa TshezhiThe First Sermon of Lord Buddha at Sarnath, on the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, also called Chokhor Duechen.SaturdayDate moves
23 September: Blessed Rainy DayThruebabThe Blessed Rainy Day, an auspicious day in the monsoon season kept with feasting and ritual washing. It was not always a public holiday and was reinstated.WednesdayDate moves
21 October: DashainThe main Hindu festival of the Nepali-speaking community, when houses are cleaned and replastered, gifts exchanged and families gather.WednesdayDate moves
1 November: Coronation of His Majesty the KingThe anniversary of the coronation of the reigning king in 2008.SundayDate moves
11 November: Birth Anniversary of the Fourth Druk GyalpoThe birthday on 11 November of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, born in 1955, under whom the constitution was prepared. It is also called Constitution Day.WednesdayDate moves
17 December: National DayGyalyong DuechenNational Day, 17 December, the anniversary of Ugyen Wangchuck's coronation as first king in 1907, celebrated at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.ThursdayDate moves

Long weekends

Long weekends in Bhutan in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

3daysFri 2 Jan to Sun 4 JanWinter Solstice
3daysSat 17 Jan to Mon 19 JanTraditional Day of Offering
6daysWed 18 Feb to Mon 23 FebWith Fri 20 Feb taken as leave · Losar, Bhutanese New Year, Losar holiday, Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King
3daysSat 21 Feb to Mon 23 FebBirth Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King, Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King
4daysThu 17 Dec to Sun 20 DecWith Fri 18 Dec taken as leave · National Day

2027

Public holidays in Bhutan in 2027

2 January: Winter SolsticeNyiloSaturday
8 January: Traditional Day of OfferingBuelwa Phuewi NyimFridayDate moves
7 February: Losar, Bhutanese New YearDawa Dangpa LosarSundayDate moves
8 February: Losar holidayLosarMondayDate moves
21 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingSunday
22 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingMonday
23 February: Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the KingTuesday
16 April: Death anniversary of the ZhabdrungZhabdrung KuchoeFridayDate moves
2 May: Birth Anniversary of the Third Druk GyalpoSunday
20 May: Lord Buddha's ParinirvanaDuechen Nga ZomThursdayDate moves
13 June: Birth Anniversary of Guru RinpocheSundayDate moves
6 August: First Sermon of Lord BuddhaDrugpa TshezhiFridayDate moves

No official list for 2026 was found on file. The dates here follow two calendar publishers, calendarlabs for all of 2026 and qppstudio for September 2026 to August 2027, which agree on every day they share, and timeanddate's published list agrees on the dates of January and February. One travel publisher gave other dates, 28 January for the Traditional Day of Offering and 17 February for Losar, and is not followed.

Wikipedia's list also names the coronation anniversary of the fourth king on 2 June, kept as Social Forestry Day, but neither 2026 list includes it, and it is left out.

Seven of the 2026 dates fall on a Saturday or Sunday: the first two days of the king's birthday on 21 and 22 February, Zhabdrung Kuchoe on 26 April, the third king's birthday on 2 May, the Parinirvana on 31 May, the First Sermon on 18 July and the double holiday of 1 November. The sources on file say nothing about a substitute day.

Thimphu district adds its own days: the Thimphu Drubchoe on 17 September 2026 and the Thimphu Tshechu from 21 to 23 September. Every district holds a tshechu, and the days off for it apply only there. Ngenpa Gudzom, the meeting of nine evils, was removed from the national list in 2007.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Bhutan

How many public holidays does Bhutan have in 2026?

Eighteen holidays on 17 dates, because two fall on Sunday 1 November. Ten of the dates are weekdays and seven fall at a weekend. Wikipedia, using the civil service commission's list of 2011, gives sixteen. District festivals such as the Thimphu Tshechu come on top, but only for the district concerned, and the lunar days move to new dates in 2027.

When is Losar in Bhutan?

In 2026 Losar fell on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 February, and in 2027 it falls on Sunday 7 and Monday 8 February. It is the first day of the first month of the Bhutanese lunar calendar, so it moves each year, usually landing in February or March.

Why do Bhutan's holiday dates change every year?

Most of them follow the Bhutanese calendar, a lunisolar variant of the Tibetan one. Losar, Zhabdrung Kuchoe, the Buddhist days, the Blessed Rainy Day and Dashain are fixed to a lunar month and day, so their Gregorian dates shift by weeks from one year to the next. Zhabdrung Kuchoe, for example, fell on 26 April in 2026 and falls on 16 April in 2027. The royal anniversaries and National Day keep the same date.

What is Zhabdrung Kuchoe?

A national day of mourning for Ngawang Namgyal, the Tibetan lama who founded the Bhutanese state and died in 1651. It is kept on the tenth day of the third lunar month with religious ceremonies in the major dzongs and monasteries.

What does Bhutan's National Day commemorate?

The crowning of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first hereditary king on 17 December 1907. The main celebration is held at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, with a public address by the king and a procession carrying a statue of Ugyen Wangchuck. It is the only day the flag rules of 1972 prescribe as a flag day, and in 2026 it falls on a Thursday.

Is Dashain a holiday in Bhutan?

Yes, one day, which fell on Wednesday 21 October in 2026. Dashain is the main festival of the Hindu, Nepali-speaking community of southern Bhutan, and it is the only Hindu festival on the national list. Houses are cleaned and replastered, gifts are exchanged and families gather.

Are the tshechu festivals public holidays?

Only locally. Each district holds a tshechu, a festival of masked dances, on the tenth day of a lunar month that varies by district, and the days off apply there. In 2026 Thimphu kept the Thimphu Drubchoe on 17 September and the Tshechu from 21 to 23 September, the last day coinciding with the national Blessed Rainy Day.

Dates from Written from the sources, read 2026-10-01. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.