Shangri-La Festivals and Events
Discover traditional ethnic festivals and activities is an important part of Yunnan travel. As the main minority inhabited in Shangri-La, Tibetans created brilliant culture and customs, among which the unique ethnic festivals of Tibetans enjoy high reputation and attract tourists home and abroad to visit. Here below are some festivals and activities in Shangri-la worthing to experience.
Festivals in Shangri-la
Besides some Chinese traditional festivals, like New Year's Day(January 1), Spring Festival(usually in late Jan. or early Feb.; February 5, 2019), Lantern Festival(The fifteenth day of the first lunar month), Tomb Sweeping Day(15 days after the Spring equinox; April 5, 2019), Dragon Boat Festival(The fifth day of the fifth lunar month; June 7, 2019) and Mid-Autumn Day(The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month; September 13, 2019), there are some ethnic festivals in Shangri-la as well.
| Date | Festivals | Notes |
| The 1st of the 1st lunar month in the Tibetan calendar(藏历正月初一) | Tibetan New Year/Losar | Mon, Feb 24, 2020- Wed, Feb 26, 2020; traditional festivals of the Tibetan people |
| The 8th day of the 2nd lunar month | Er Yue Ba(二月八) | Baishuitai of Sanba Township; Naxi festival |
| Around the 5th day of the 5th lunar month | Horse Racing Festival | Shangri-la city racecourse; Lasting 3 days |
| The 7th to 9th day of the 5th lunar month | Xianzi Festival(弦子节) | Traditional festivals of the Tibetan people |
| The 15th day of the 7th lunar month | Dengba Festival(登巴节) | Luoji Township of Shangri-la; Tibetan festival |
| December 26- 29 in Tibetan calendar | Gedong Festival(格冬节)/Tiaoshen Festival(跳神节) | Songzanlin Monastery of Shangri-la; Lasting 4 days |
| Around December 24th every year | Kuoshi Festival(阔时节) | Lisu New Year |
Activities in Shangri-la
| Date | Activities | Notes |
| Every Day | Tibetan Family Daytime Visiting in Shangri-La | Learn Tibetan culture and taste Tibetan food |
| Every Day | Thangka Center in Shangri-La | Visit and learn Thangka making |
| During festival, wedding and assembly | Xianzi Dance(弦子舞) | Traditional dance of Tibetan people; National Intangible Cultural Heritage |
| During festival, wedding and assembly | Guozhuang Dance(锅庄舞) | One of the three major Tibetan folk dances; National Intangible Cultural Heritage |
| During festival, especially horse racing festival | Horse Racing | The highlight of annual horse racing festival |
| 19:30-20:30 | Meet Shangri-La(遇见香格里拉) | An indoor song and dance drama directed by Yang Liping |
| During festival, wedding and assembly | Reba Dance(热巴舞) | A dance form performed by Tibetan Reba artists(藏族热巴艺人) |
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Shangri-la Festival Tours
Our Shangri-la festival tours can bring you the famous festivals in Shangri-la, like Dengba festival and Gedong festival, to learn and know more Shangri-la culture. At present, there is no specific route yet. But if you plan to start a Shangri-la festival tour, please contact our travel consultants, and they will customize an itinerary for you.
