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Dali’s festival calendar runs on the lunar calendar, so dates move by about three weeks each year against the Western calendar. Most events are Bai minority celebrations tied to the farming year, and they cluster in spring and summer. Here are the main events and festivals in Dali with what to expect, plus the best time to visit Dali guide to line them up with good weather.
Events and Festivals in Dali: Spring
Third Month Fair (Sanyuejie)
The Third Month Fair, also called March Street, is Dali’s biggest event, held from the 15th to the 21st day of the third lunar month, which falls in April most years. It takes over the open ground outside the old town’s western gate with market stalls, horse racing, Bai singing and wrestling. Expect the old town’s hotels to sell out, and book rooms through where to stay in Dali well ahead.
Raosanling Pilgrimage
Raosanling is a Bai pilgrimage that runs for three days in the fourth lunar month, usually May. Villagers walk between temples around the Erhai shore carrying willow branches and singing antiphonal folk songs. The procession moves between lakeside villages that the best neighborhoods in Dali guide maps, and respectful visitors are welcome to watch from the roadside.
Events and Festivals in Dali: Summer
Torch Festival
The Torch Festival falls on the 24th and 25th days of the sixth lunar month, which lands in July or early August, and is celebrated by the Bai and Yi peoples. Villages around Dali light pine torches, and young people throw pine-powder sparks for good luck. The main action is in the villages around Xizhou and Zhoucheng rather than the old town. Bring clothes you do not mind getting singed and keep an eye on Dali weather by month because this lands in the wettest part of the year.
Butterfly Feast
The Butterfly Feast at Butterfly Spring, north of Zhoucheng, is held on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, usually May, when the park’s butterfly population peaks. It doubles as a matchmaking day for Bai youth. The spring is a modest park the rest of the year, so time a visit to the festival itself or skip it in favour of things to do in Dali that stay open year-round.
Events and Festivals in Dali: Autumn and Winter
Autumn has no major Dali-specific festival, but the Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of the eighth lunar month, September or October) fills the old town with mooncakes and lanterns, and National Day on 1 October brings the year’s largest domestic travel week. Winter is quiet apart from Chinese New Year, which can fall any time from late January to mid-February and sees transport and hotels booked solid. For how crowds move around these dates, see Dali travel tips and FAQ, or start from the full Dali travel guide.
