Nepal's biggest festival, Dasain, is once again bringing the country to a gentle standstill. Nepali Times is among the many Kathmandu institutions shutting up shop for the holidays — its print edition pauses on 23 October, with the next hardcopy issue out on Friday 30 October. Daily online coverage continues throughout, but the gesture says a lot about how deeply Dasain runs through Nepali life: when the festival arrives, offices empty out and people head home.
For anyone travelling to Nepal during this window, that matters. Dasain (sometimes written Dashain) is the Hindu calendar's headline event in Nepal, a multi-day celebration of the goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura. Families reunite, elders bless younger relatives, kites fill the skies and swings go up in villages. Cities like Kathmandu quiet down as people return to their home districts, while intercity buses and domestic flights run packed in the days before the main festival days.
What does that mean on the ground? Expect closures. Government offices, banks and many private businesses operate on reduced hours or shut entirely across the festival period. Museums and some services may follow suit. On the flip side, it's a rare chance to see the country at its most festive — temple courtyards fill with worshippers, markets buzz with shoppers buying goats, new clothes and rice, and the atmosphere in towns and villages is warm and open. Travellers who time it well often find themselves invited to join family tika blessings, a genuine highlight.
There are practical trade-offs. Long-distance transport is heavily oversubscribed before the festival and again as people return to work, so book buses and flights well ahead. Trekking in October is superb weather-wise — clear skies, stable conditions — and trails generally function as normal, though tea-house staffing can be thin in the busiest festival days. Cash is worth carrying, as ATMs run dry and card payment gets patchy when businesses close.
The 2025 timing — with Dasain falling in late October — lines up neatly with the start of Nepal's peak travel season, which is exactly why it's worth planning around rather than avoiding. If your trip overlaps the festival, build in flexibility: don't schedule must-do errands (permits, SIM cards, visa extensions) on the main holidays, and do schedule a village homestay or a stroll through a festival market.
Who is this for? Anyone heading to Nepal in the coming weeks, and anyone deciding whether to chase the festival or dodge it. If you want Nepal at its liveliest and most personal, travel during Dasain and plan around the closures. If you want uninterrupted logistics, arrive just after — you'll still catch the tail end of celebrations and the clearest mountain views of the year.
Nepal's message this season, echoed by its own media, is simple: kindness, compassion and looking after each other. For travellers, that spirit tends to be contagious — and it's a very good time to be in the country.
