- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan festivals · 2027 guide
Mongar Tshechu 2027: masked dances in the gateway to the east
Three days of masked dances at Mongar Dzong, one of Bhutan’s newer dzongs, built without drawings or nails. Expected on 6 to 8 December 2027.
- 6 to 8 December 2027
- Mongar Dzong
- Eastern Bhutan
6 to 8 Dec
Expected dates in 2027
1953
Year Mongar Dzong was built
1,600 m
Approximate altitude of Mongar
3 h
Drive to Trashigang
About the festival
The first stop in the east
Mongar is the first major town you reach in eastern Bhutan after the long drive from Bumthang over the Thrumshing La pass. It sits on a hillside rather than a valley floor, and its dzong, built in 1953, is one of the newer dzongs in the country. Like its older cousins, it was built in the traditional way, without written plans or nails.
The Mongar Tshechu fills the dzong courtyard for three days each December with masked dances, atsaras and a crowd from across the district. Eastern Bhutan sees only a small share of foreign visitors, so the festival is an authentic local gathering. Mongar is also a good base for Lhuentse and the weaving village of Khoma, home of the finest kishuthara cloth.
- A dzong built in 1953 in the old way
- Eastern Bhutan's local crowd
- Base for Lhuentse and Khoma
Festival facts
Mongar Tshechu 2027 at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates in 2027 | 6 to 8 December 2027 |
| Venue | Mongar Dzong |
| District | Mongar (eastern Bhutan) |
| Altitude | About 1,600 m |
| Getting there | About 7 to 8 hours from Bumthang over Thrumshing La, or 3 hours from Trashigang; Yonphula airport is near Trashigang |
| Weather | Cool, clear December days |
| Nearby | Lhuentse and Khoma village, Drametse monastery |
| Entry | Free and open to visitors with a licensed guide; the SDF and visa rules apply as on any day |
Dates follow the Department of Tourism’s tentative festival list for 2027 and the lunar calendar. They can shift by a day or two, so we confirm them before you book flights.
What you will see
Highlights of Mongar Tshechu
Masked dances
Cham in the courtyard of Mongar Dzong.
Mongar Dzong
Built in 1953 without drawings or nails.
Eastern crowd
Families from across Mongar district.
Kishuthara weaving
The fine silk kira of nearby Khoma village.
Thrumshing La
One of the great mountain drives of Bhutan.
Atsaras
Masked jesters keeping the crowd laughing.
History and meaning
About Mongar
Mongar Dzong
The present dzong was built in 1953, replacing an older fort at Zhongar. It follows the traditional design of courtyards, towers and temples, and it houses the district administration and monk body.
The road east
The Lateral Road from Bumthang to Mongar crosses Thrumshing La at about 3,750 metres and then drops through forest for thousands of metres. It is one of the longest and most dramatic drives in Bhutan, and the main reason most visitors fly east instead.
Planning
How to plan your visit
Planning an eastern December
The Trashigang Tshechu starts on 7 December, a day after Mongar’s festival begins. With a flight to Yonphula and a few days in the east, you can see both, then fly or drive back west.
Etiquette
How to behave at a Bhutanese festival
Festivals are religious events first, so dress as you would for a temple: long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, and no hats inside the dzong or temple. Never walk across the dance ground, even when it looks empty between dances. Photography is usually allowed from the edges without flash, but some rituals and inner temples are off limits; your guide will tell you when to put the camera away. Ask before taking close-up portraits.
Arrive early for a good spot, bring water, a hat and a cushion or mat, and expect to be teased by the atsaras, the masked clowns who keep the crowd in order. If someone offers you food or a cup of tea, it is polite to accept. Our guide to Bhutanese festivals explains the dances in more detail.
Trips
Build a trip around Mongar Tshechu
Every trip is private, so we can time it to the festival dates and add the places nearby.
Before you go
Travel rules for 2027
Every visitor except Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals needs a visa, which costs USD 40 and is arranged by your tour operator. The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027; children under 6 pay nothing and children aged 6 to 12 pay half. Indian visitors pay INR 1,200 per night. Tourists travel with a licensed guide beyond the first checkpoint and stay in certified hotels or homestays.
The SDF does not change during festival weeks, but hotel rooms near popular festivals fill early. See our visa and SDF guide and Bhutan travel rules.
Mongar Tshechu: questions
Expected on 6 to 8 December 2027 at Mongar Dzong.
By road from Bumthang over Thrumshing La, or from Trashigang; Yonphula airport is near Trashigang.
Yes. Trashigang Tshechu is on 7 to 9 December 2027, about 3 hours away.
No. Bhutanese festivals are free. You attend with your licensed guide, who also explains the dances.
The Department of Tourism lists 6 to 8 December 2027 as the tentative 2027 dates. Lunar dates are occasionally adjusted, so we reconfirm before you book flights.
See Mongar Tshechu in 2027
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check the festival date, hold hotels nearby and send a day-by-day plan with one price that includes the SDF, visa, guide and car.
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: A chorten in Mongar town (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 3.0); Trashigang Dzong above the river (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 3.0); Trongsa Dzong on its ridge above the Mangde Chhu (Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0); Kharbandi Goemba above Phuentsholing (Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0).
