Skip to content
Naksh.iq

FESTIVALS · HIMACHAL PRADESH · FEBRUARY

Himachal Pradesh festivals in February.

5 festivals this month — dates, locations, and travel tips.

Fagli Festival

Spiti Valley

Ancient demon-chasing festival. Masked dancers, bonfires, local chang beer. Zero tourists.

February

Losar (Tibetan New Year / Halda)

Lahaul Valley

Buddhist new year celebration in Lahaul known locally as 'Halda', marking the end of harvest season. Monasteries perform ritual 'Cham dances' (masked devil dances) in colorful costumes depicting triumph of good over evil. Includes traditional Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies.

February (lunar calendar)

Losar (Tibetan New Year)

Dharamshala

Dalai Lama often gives public teaching. Tibetan opera, mask dances, butter sculptures.

February / March

Losar (Tibetan New Year)

McLeod Ganj

Three-day Tibetan New Year celebration marking the Fire Horse Year (2026). Families prepare khapse (traditional Tibetan sweets), monasteries conduct prayers, and thousands gather at Tsuglagkhang temple. Dalai Lama participates in celebrations.

February 18-20

Mandi Shivaratri Fair

Mandi

Over 200 village deities are carried in decorated palanquins to Mandi's Paddal Ground for a week-long International Maha Shivaratri Fair with cultural programs.

February-March (Maha Shivaratri)

ALSO ON NAKSHIQ

Eight more rooms in the magazine.

Guides

Visa, scams, food, packing.

Everything the guidebook won't tell you — written for India in 2026.

Blog

Field notes from the road.

Long-form reads on regions, festivals, and the offbeat circuit.

Road trips

Curated multi-day routes.

Driving itineraries with day-by-day stops, distance, and difficulty.

Collections

Themed reading lists.

Wettest places. Sacred lakes. Solo-female-safe. Curated cuts.

NakshIQ 100

The 100 best destination-months.

India's highest-scoring places, ranked across all 12 months.

The Window

Our weekly newsletter, archived.

One honest spread, every Sunday. The full back catalogue.

Skip list

What we'd skip — and what we'd do instead.

Overhyped places with honest alternatives.

First trip

Planning your first time in India.

Safety, scams, what to wear, food survival, solo female travel.