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Buddhist Festivals

Buddhist Festivals

Immerse yourself in the rich cultural diversity of Buddhist festivals. Explore unique traditions, vibrant rituals, and the shared wisdom of centuries-old practices from around the world.

Australia is blessed with a rich diversity of our multicultural communities, creating an abundant calendar of religious and cultural festivals that represent all the major Buddhist traditions:

  • Theravada:  Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam
  • Mahayana:  China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam
  • Vajrayana:  Himalayan Buddhism, found in Bhutan, China, India, and Tibet.

Buddhist festivals vary across traditions due to regional and cultural factors, as each adapted practices to local customs, history, and social structures. These differences reflect local interpretations, calendar systems, and indigenous beliefs, resulting in diverse celebrations.

Buddhist holy days are usually based on the lunar calendar, with some variations between schools due to different calculation methods. In Australia, temples and monasteries often hold festivals on weekends near the lunar date to allow more people to attend.

Discover an event near you using our Event Finder tool below.

Event Finder

Calendar of Buddhist Festivals

 

Tibetan Buddha’s Parinirvana Day

Tradition: Vajrayana
Commemorates the day when the Buddha passed away into parinirvana, which is celebrated as a day to reflect on the Buddha’s teachings.

    • 2025: February 15
    • 2026: February 4

Losar (Tibetan New Year)

Tradition: Vajrayana
Tibetan New Year marks the beginning of the new year according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, with celebrations that include offerings, prayers, and rituals for a prosperous and peaceful year.

  • 2025: February 25
  • 2026: February 17 

Lunar New Year

Tradition: Mahayana
Celebrated predominantly in East Asia (China, Korea, Vietnam), this day marks the beginning of the new lunar calendar and is an occasion for honouring ancestors, reflecting on the past year, and making offerings to the Buddha.

  • 2025: February 17
  • 2026: February 8


Magha Puja (Sangha Day)

Tradition: Theravada
Celebrates the gathering of 1,250 enlightened monks who spontaneously came together to hear the Buddha’s teachings, and the Buddha’s proclamation of the core tenets of his teachings known as the Ovada Patimokkha.

  • 2025: March 5
  • 2026: February 23

Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) Day

Tradition: Mahayana
This festival honours Avalokiteshvara (known as Guanyin in Chinese) the bodhisattva of compassion and is a significant day in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.

  • 2025: April 10
  • 2026: April 30

Solar New Year (Southeast Asia)
Tradition: Theravada
Southeast Asian countries celebrate the beginning of a new solar new year with several days of festivities in mid-April centred around water and its cleansing power. Whilst not an actual Buddhist holy day, activities often include visiting temples and religious observances, such as washing Buddha statues, or pouring water over the hands of monastics.
This festival has various names:

  • Cambodia: Choul Chnam Thmey
  • Laos: Pi Mai Lao
  • Myanmar: Thingya
  • Thailand: Songkran

2025:  April 13–15
2026:  April 13–5

Vesak (Buddha Day)

The most important holy day, celebrated by all traditions, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the the Buddha.

  • 2025: May 15
  • 2026: May 4 

Saga Dawa

Tradition: Vajrayana
Saga Dawa is the Tibetan celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. It is considered one of the holiest months in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar.

  • 2025: May 25
  • 2026: May 14

Asalha Puja (Dharma Day)
Tradition: Theravda

Marks the day when the Buddha delivered his first sermon at Deer Park, setting in motion the wheel of Dharma. It is the beginning of the Buddhist rainy season retreat.

  • 2025: July 13
  • 2026: July 1 

Dharma Day (Chokhor Duchen)

Tradition: Vajrayana
Celebrates the Buddha’s first teaching at Deer Park after his enlightenment, similar to the Theravada Asalha Puja, and is celebrated by Tibetan Buddhists with prayers and rituals.

  • 2025: July 14
  • 2026: July 2 

Ullambana (Hungry Ghost Festival)

Tradition: Mahayana
Ullambana, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, is a significant Mahayana Buddhist festival that commemorates the liberation of suffering beings, particularly the hungry ghosts (preta) — spirits suffering from insatiable hunger due to past negative karma. The festival is rooted in the Ullambana Sutra, which tells the story of one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, Maudgalyayana, who offered food and prayers for the benefit of his mother’s spirit, which freed her from her suffering as a hungry ghost.

The festival is primarily celebrated in East Asia, particularly in China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam. During Ullambana, Buddhists engage in rituals, including making offerings to the spirits, honoring ancestors, and participating in ceremonies to ease the suffering of the deceased. 

  • 2025: August 15
  • 2026: August 15

Pavarana (End of the Rains Retreat)
Tradition: Theravda
Pavarana marks the end of the Vassa (the Buddhist rains retreat), a three-month period during which monks remain in monasteries for intensive meditation, study, and reflection. The period ends with the Pavarana ceremony, where monks formally invite one another to offer any admonishments or guidance on their behavior during the retreat. The celebration signifies the completion of the monastic retreat and a time for lay followers to offer gratitude to monastics.

  • 2025: October 5
  • 2026: September 24


Kathina (Offering Ceremony)

Tradition: Theravda
Kathina is a significant annual festival held shortly after the end of the Rains Retreat (Vassa). It is a time when lay followers make special offerings to the monks, usually in the form of new robes, food, or other necessities. The offering of a Kathina robe is seen as a meritorious act, and it is believed to bring great spiritual benefit. The Kathina ceremony is a time for lay people and monastics to come together in mutual respect as a community. 

  • 2025: October 19
  • 2026: October 8


Bodhi Day

Tradition: Mahayana
Marks the day when Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, celebrated on a different day to the Theravada tradition. 

  • 2025: December 8
  • 2026: December 8

 

 

Monthly Celebrations

Uposatha Days

Tradition: Theravda
Observed fortnightly, every full moon and new moon it is a day of intensified meditation and devotion, and monks and lay followers renew their commitment to the precepts.

The full moon days are below.

  • 2025: January 6, February 4, March 6, April 5, May 4, June 3, July 3, August 1, August 30, September 29, October 28, November 27, December 26
  • 2026: January 4, February 3, March 4, April 3, May 3, June 2, July 1, July 30, August 29, September 27, October 27, November 25, December 24


Guru Rinpoche Day

Tradition: Vajrayana
A day to honour Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the Indian master who helped bring Buddhism to Tibet. It is celebrated on the 10th day of every lunar month in Tibet.

  • 2025: February 17, March 19, April 17, May 18, June 17, July 17, August 15, September 14, October 14, November 13, December 13
  • 2026: February 6, March 8, April 6, May 6, June 5, July 5, August 4, September 3, October 2, November 1, December 1