Dashain 2026 starts today: holiday dates, Tika day and how to plan your trip home
Ghatasthapana falls on Sunday 11 October. The seven-day public holiday runs from 17 to 23 October, with Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October.
The jamara seeds go in today. Sunday 11 October is Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, and for millions of families in Nepal and abroad the countdown to Tika has officially begun.
The dates you need
The government’s public holiday list for 2083 gives Ghatasthapana as a holiday, and then a long seven-day break for the main days of the festival:
- Sunday 11 October: Ghatasthapana (public holiday)
- Saturday 17 October: Fulpati, start of the seven-day holiday
- Wednesday 21 October: Vijaya Dashami, the main Tika day
- Friday 23 October: last day of the public holiday
- Sunday 25 October: Kojagrat Purnima, the full moon that closes Dashain
The exact auspicious time (sait) for receiving Tika is announced each year by the national calendar committee, so check your patro or local news a few days before.
Travelling home? Plan around the roads
Late September rains blocked sections of the Prithvi Highway, the Narayangadh to Mugling road and the BP Highway for a time. Most routes reopened after clearing, but conditions can change quickly in the hills. Before you set off, check the latest road updates on Nepal Live, leave early in the day, and give yourself a buffer of a day if you can.
A few tips that save a lot of stress:
- Book long-distance buses and domestic flights as early as possible. The days just before Fulpati are always the busiest.
- Keep some cash on you. Small shops in villages may not take QR payments during the rush.
- If you are flying in from the Gulf or Malaysia, look at Pokhara as well as Kathmandu. flydubai now flies daily between Dubai and Pokhara.
Celebrating from abroad?
If you cannot make it home this year, you are far from alone. Many families now share Tika over video call at the auspicious time, and Nepali community groups in the Gulf, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Australia and the UK hold their own gatherings. We are collecting the best ideas in Nepal Stories this week.
Happy Dashain from all of us at Shoutout Nepal.
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