Invitation to Nepal’s Year-Round Queer/GSM Festival Calendar (2025/2026)
By MayaKo Pahichan Nepal, Lead Nepal, Inclusive Forum Nepal & Partner GSM/LGBTI Organizations
In recent years, June has been increasingly branded as “Pride Month” — a concept rooted in North American history. While we respect that legacy, we believe that Nepal’s queer and gender-diverse communities have their own ancestral, spiritual, and seasonal ways of celebrating diversity and resistance.
We invite you to reflect on this critical perspective: "Whose Pride Is It, Anyway? (https://76crimes.com/2025/06/03/whose-pride-is-it-anyway/)" — a call to decolonize global Pride and recognize local expressions of queerness.
Pride is not just a month. It’s a lived culture — year-round.Together with fellow organizations like Lead Nepal, Inclusive Forum Nepal, and many other GSM/LGBTI rights groups across the country, we present:
Annual Queer/GSM Calendar – 2082 (2025–2026)2025
29 June – Rice Planting Festival (Dahi Chiura Day)
31 July – Rice Pudding Day (Kheer Khane Din) 
2 August – Ghantakarna Chaturdashi (Transgressive rituals & protection) 
10 August – Gai Jatra 
(Festival of satire, memory, gender-bending celebration)
(Festival of satire, memory, gender-bending celebration)August (TBA) – Rainbow Traditional Festivals (Dhami Day, Maruni & Lakhe Dance) 
August (TBA) – International Beauty Pageant for Non-Binary / Third Gender 
19 September – Constitution Day 
(Advocating constitutional equality)
(Advocating constitutional equality)22 Sept – 24 Oct – Nepal Rainbow Celebration Month (Dashain & Tihar season) 
20 October – Mit/Mitini Vow Day 
(Celebrating chosen queer kinship)
(Celebrating chosen queer kinship)21–24 October – Tantra Tour, Rainbow Hiking & Picnic 
29 November – Marriage Equality Day 
4 December – Yomari Punhi / Udhauli Festival 
10 December – Human Rights Day 
21 December – LGBTI Victory Day 
(Marking the 2007 Supreme Court win: Sunil B. Pant vs Nepal Govt)
(Marking the 2007 Supreme Court win: Sunil B. Pant vs Nepal Govt)2026
1 January – English New Year Celebration 
15 January – Maghi / Makar Sankranti 
(Cleansing, renewal, and blessings)
(Cleansing, renewal, and blessings)15 February – Maha Shivaratri 
(Honoring Shiva’s gender-fluid divine form)
(Honoring Shiva’s gender-fluid divine form)2–3 March – Fagu Purnima / Holi 
(Rituals of color, joy, and gender play)
(Rituals of color, joy, and gender play)April (TBA) – Rainbow Tourism Conference 2026 
April (TBA) – Mr. Gay Nepal 2026
15 May – Nepali New Year Celebration 
A Call for Respectful, Rooted SolidarityIn the past, some embassies and UN missions in Nepal have supported "Pride Month" in June — and while a few have engaged with Gai Jatra, support often comes through Western-style formats.
This year, we invite embassies, international allies, donors, and development agencies to:
Celebrate queer/GSM pride with us — culturally, respectfully, and year-round. Invest in festivals that emerge from Nepali traditions, not imposed templates. Co-create with grassroots groups across Nepal — in Kathmandu and beyond.This calendar is co-hosted and supported by:
MayaKo Pahichan Nepal Lead Nepal Inclusive Forum Nepal Other provincial and national LGBTIQ+/GSM organizations working for equality and justice across NepalLet’s celebrate queerness in Nepal — not just with visibility, but with cultural depth, dignity, and rooted joy.