Kukur Tihar 2026: Nepal's Festival of Dogs — Date, Meaning and How Australians Celebrate
Kukur Tihar — Nepal's famous festival of dogs — is Sunday 8 November 2026. What the day means, and how Nepali Australians celebrate it.
By Nepalese Events Australia Editorial
Published: 2026-10-29T06:14:43.000000Z
Category: Festivals
Every November, one day of Nepal's festival of lights travels further around the internet than all the others. Kukur Tihar 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November — the second day of Tihar — when dogs across Nepal and the diaspora receive red tika on their foreheads, marigold garlands around their necks, and the best meal of their year.
What Kukur Tihar means
In Hindu tradition the dog is the messenger and gatekeeper of Yama, the god of death, and the loyal guardian of the household. On Kukur Tihar (Kukur = dog), families honour that bond directly: a tika on the forehead, a garland of marigolds, and a special meal — pet dogs, community strays and working dogs alike. It is one of the only festivals in the world that formally worships dogs, which is exactly why photographs of garlanded, tika-marked dogs go viral internationally every year.
Kukur Tihar 2026 — the date
This year Kukur Tihar shares Sunday 8 November with Kukur-adjacent Laxmi Puja preparations: the dogs get their ceremony in the morning and daytime, and the festival pivots to lamps, rangoli and the Laxmi invocation at dusk. The five-day sequence then continues through Gai Tihar (Nov 9), Govardhan Puja and Mha Puja — Nepal Sambat 1147 (Nov 10, see our Nepal Sambat guide) — and Bhai Tika on Wednesday 11 November.
How Australians celebrate
The diaspora version is the same ritual at household scale: Nepali families in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and beyond tika and garland their own dogs on the Sunday morning, often before the evening's Laxmi Puja begins. Community groups and Nepali-run vet clinics and groomers mark the day on social media, and some families use the occasion for shelter donations — the modern extension of honouring the stray alongside the pet.
Why the world loves this day
Kukur Tihar has become Nepal's most recognisable cultural export after momo: international outlets cover it annually, and "Nepal dog festival" and "day of the dogs" queries spike every November far beyond the diaspora. For Australians discovering it for the first time — yes, it is real, it is on Sunday 8 November this year, and your dog is eligible for full honours.
For the rest of the festival: Tihar 2026 dates and Australia celebrations, the Bhai Tika sahit worldwide times, and sel roti for the festive table.
Photo: File:Kukur Tihar 2.jpg by rubber bullets via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
Read more Nepali community news and stories. Browse upcoming Nepali events across Australia.
Explore Nepali Events
Nepali concerts | Teej events | Dashain events | Tihar events | Holi events | Festival calendar
Nepali events in Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Perth | Adelaide | Canberra