Nepal's festival calendar is extraordinarily rich — Kathmandu Valley alone celebrates more than 50 named festivals each year. Timing your visit to coincide with a major celebration adds an unforgettable dimension to any Nepal trip. **Dashain (September/October)** Nepal's biggest festival, celebrated for 15 days. Family reunions, kite flying, swings erected in public spaces, animal sacrifices, and the blessing of the tika (red mark) from elders to juniors. The atmosphere across the country is joyful and celebratory. **Tihar (October/November)** Often called Nepal's Festival of Lights, Tihar is a 5-day celebration during which different animals (crows, dogs, cows, oxen) are honoured on successive days. On the fourth night, sisters perform the Bhai Tika ceremony, tying sacred threads around their brothers' wrists. **Indra Jatra (August/September)** Kathmandu's most spectacular street festival: giant bamboo poles are erected, the living goddess Kumari is paraded through the city in a chariot, and masked dancers representing deities perform through the night. **Holi (February/March)** Nepal's wildest street festival — prepare to be thoroughly doused in coloured powder and water. Kathmandu's Durbar Squares are the epicentre of celebrations. **Maha Shivaratri (February/March)** Pashupatinath Temple draws hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims and sadhus (holy men) from across South Asia. An extraordinary and surreal spectacle. Plan your itinerary around these festivals and you'll leave Nepal with memories that last a lifetime.