What's on in Dharamshala, India through the year

Busy — Winter break in India, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Busy — Dalai Lama spring teachings, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Tibetan New Year (Losar)

  5 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyLunar New YearClosures

  Three days that matter more in this settlement than in most: monastery dances at the main temple, families in new clothes, and half the Bhagsu cafes shut because their staff are off. Source ↗

• Festival

  Dalai Lama spring teachings

  20 Feb – 20 Mar · usuallyReligious feastCrowdedBook early

  Several days of public teaching at Tsuglagkhang, announced only weeks ahead and free once you register in person. McLeod Ganj is full and the road up from Kangra is one long queue. Source ↗

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Dalai Lama spring teachings

• Nature

  Rhododendron on the Dhauladhar

  20 Mar – 5 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The forest above Naddi and on the climb to Triund goes red from around 2,000 metres up. It is the argument for walking the ridge in April rather than October.

Still on: Tibetan New Year (Losar) (5 Feb – 10 Mar (usually)), Dalai Lama spring teachings (20 Feb – 20 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Dhauladhar trekking season

• Season

  Dhauladhar trekking season

  15 Apr – 20 JunTrail seasonCrowded

  Indrahar Pass and the Triund ridge clear of snow, and the Gaddi shepherds moving flocks up through the same gaps. The window shuts the week the rain arrives.

Still on: Rhododendron on the Dhauladhar (20 Mar – 5 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Dhauladhar trekking season, Summer vacation (north & east) in India

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Rhododendron on the Dhauladhar (20 Mar – 5 May (usually)), Dhauladhar trekking season (15 Apr – 20 Jun)

Peak crowds — Dhauladhar trekking season, Summer vacation (north & east) in India

• Season

  Monsoon on the Kangra slope

  25 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyRisk

  One of the wettest corners of India: the Dhauladhar wrings out the cloud directly over the town for ten weeks. Landslides shut the hill roads for a day at a time and the mountains are simply not there.

Still on: Dhauladhar trekking season (15 Apr – 20 Jun)

Busy — The Dalai Lama's birthday, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  The Dalai Lama's birthday

  6 JulReligious feastCrowded

  The sixth of July, marked with prayers and dances at the temple and in the settlements below. A small, local, genuinely happy day, dropped into the wettest month of the year. Source ↗

Still on: Monsoon on the Kangra slope (25 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Monsoon on the Kangra slope (25 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Monsoon on the Kangra slope (25 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Dharamshala International Film Fest, Autumn break (Dussehra / Diwali) in India

• Season

  Clear season on the Dhauladhar

  1 Oct – 25 NovDry season

  The rain stops and the wall of rock behind the town is sharp from the terrace of every cafe. The best six weeks for walking, and the last before the pipes start freezing at night.

• Festival

  Dharamshala International Film Fest

  25 Oct – 5 Nov · usuallyFilm festivalCrowdedBook early

  An independent film festival in McLeod Ganj since 2012, with documentaries and dramas from around the world screening as the autumn air clears and trekking peaks. Source ↗

Busy — Dharamshala International Film Fest

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Clear season on the Dhauladhar (1 Oct – 25 Nov), Dharamshala International Film Fest (25 Oct – 5 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — International Himalayan Festival, Winter break in India

• Festival

  International Himalayan Festival

  8–13 Dec · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A two-day festival in McLeod Ganj marking the Dalai Lama's Nobel Peace Prize, with Himalayan handicrafts, food stalls and cultural performances celebrating Tibetan-Himachali ties. Source ↗