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Malaysia offers major cultural and religious celebrations in almost every month of the year. Its population is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous Borneo communities, and each brings its own calendar—which means the festivals in Malaysia range from a pre-dawn chariot procession to Batu Caves to lion dances in a Penang shopping mall to rice-harvest celebrations in Sabah longhouse country. Many of these are public holidays, and most share a Malaysian tradition of the open house, where hosts invite visitors of every background to eat. This guide covers the headline festivals, goes deep on Thaipusam, Holi, and the Chinese festivals, explains the other major celebrations, and ends with a dated events calendar so you can plan around what is coming next.
Best Festivals in Malaysia
These five are the festivals that most define the Malaysian calendar. The dates below are the 2026 and 2027 dates most relevant to a traveller reading this in October 2026.
Thaipusam: Batu Caves and the Kavadi Procession
Held by the Hindu Tamil community, Thaipusam is the most visually dramatic festival in Malaysia. The best-known celebration is at Batu Caves in Selangor, where devotees climb 272 steps to the temple cave, many carrying kavadi or pots of milk as offerings. The next one falls on January 22, 2027. A full guide appears below.
Chinese New Year: Reunion Dinners and Lion Dances
The biggest festival for Malaysia’s Chinese community, Chinese New Year, brings reunion dinners, ang pau (red packets), lion dances, and open houses. The 2026 celebration was February 17-18; the next falls on February 6-8, 2027, with decorations and events running for about two weeks.
Malaysia Day
Malaysia Day, observed on September 16, commemorates the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Public celebrations, cultural performances, and patriotic events take place across the country, with particular significance in Sabah and Sarawak.
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Hari Raya Aidilfitri: The End of Ramadan
Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the festival marking the end of Ramadan, is the main celebration for Malaysia’s Muslim majority and the occasion of the balik kampung (return to the home village) migration. Expect family visits, traditional dishes such as rendang, lemang, and ketupat, and open houses. The 2026 holiday fell in March, and the 2027 dates will depend on moon sightings.
Deepavali: The Festival of Lights
Deepavali is celebrated on Sunday, November 8, 2026, with a replacement holiday on November 9 in most states. Expect oil lamps, kolam floor designs made from rice and coloured powder, open houses, and festive lighting in Kuala Lumpur’s Little India districts. It is the next major national festival on the calendar from today.
Pesta Kaamatan and Gawai Dayak: Borneo’s Harvest Festivals
In East Malaysia, the Kadazan-Dusun harvest festival Pesta Kaamatan (May 30-31 in Sabah) features the Unduk Ngadau harvest queen pageant and the Sumazau dance, while Sarawak’s Gawai Dayak (June 1-2) is celebrated in Iban, Bidayuh and other Dayak longhouses with ngajat dances, tuak rice wine, and open houses.
Festivals in Malaysia: A Dated Events Calendar
Festivals are only part of the picture. If your search is for events in Malaysia more broadly—including concerts, sports, and national days—here is a calendar built around confirmed dates, starting with what is coming up soonest from October 2026.
Coming Up Soon
- October 30 – November 1, 2026—Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia (MotoGP): Held at Sepang International Circuit in Selangor. The circuit says Friday, October 30, is free entry to all seat zones, with ticketed racing on Saturday and Sunday. The 2025 edition drew a record 190,977 fans.
- November 8-9, 2026—Deepavali: A national holiday on the 8th (except in Sarawak), with a replacement holiday observed on the 9th in most states.
- January 22, 2027 — Thaipusam: Batu Caves and Penang’s Waterfall Temple.
- February 6-8, 2027 — Chinese New Year: A three-day public holiday in most states (the third day is not observed in Kedah), with celebrations continuing to Chap Goh Mei.
- Around March 22, 2027—Holi: Celebrated by Malaysia’s Hindu community, mostly in the Klang Valley (see below).
Earlier in the 2026 Calendar
For context, the main events earlier in 2026 were Thaipusam (February 1-2), Chinese New Year (February 17-18), Holi (March 3-4, with larger public events the following weekend), Hari Raya Aidilfitri (March), Pesta Kaamatan (May 30-31), Gawai Dayak (June 1-2), and the three-day Rainforest World Music Festival (June 26-28), held at the Sarawak Cultural Village against the backdrop of Mount Santubong. The 29th edition featured over 200 performers from 12 countries and more than 50 daytime workshops. National Day (Merdeka) falls on August 31 and Malaysia Day on September 16.
Thaipusam Festival in Malaysia: A Practical Guide
The Thaipusam festival in Malaysia draws well over a million pilgrims and visitors, making it one of the largest Thaipusam celebrations outside India. It is a state public holiday in Johor, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya, and the dates are February 1 (with February 2 observed) in 2026 and January 22 in 2027.
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What Happens
The festival is built around two devotional practices: the kavadi, ornate decorated frameworks carried as acts of devotion and the fulfilment of vows (some devotees pierce their skin with hooks and skewers), and the paal kudam, pots of milk carried on the head and poured over the deity. The celebration spans two connected days. On the first night, a silver chariot leaves the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown and travels roughly 15 km through the night to Batu Caves. The main day follows at the caves themselves.
Visitor Tips
- Dress modestly: Cover shoulders and knees; avoid sleeveless tops and short skirts.
- Take the train: On the main day, the KTM Komuter train to Batu Caves station is the practical way to arrive because of road closures.
- Consider going earlier: visiting a day or two before offers some of the atmosphere without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of the main day.
- Penang alternative: The Waterfall Temple in Penang is another major Thaipusam site.
Holi: Festivals in Malaysia and Colourful Celebrations
Anyone searching for Malaysia Holi will find that the festival is celebrated mainly by the Hindu and wider Indian-heritage community, with most events concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley rather than staged as a nationwide holiday. It does not appear on the 2026 national or state public holiday lists consulted for this article, so treat it as a community celebration rather than a day off.
Dates
In 2026, Holika Dahan (the bonfire ritual) was on March 3, and Rangwali Holi, the color-throwing day, on March 4, with larger public events held on Saturday, March 7. In 2027, Holi falls around March 22 (sources differ slightly between March 21 and 22).
Where
Brickfields—Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, home to Sri Kandaswamy Kovil—is the best-known focus for community celebrations, with temples such as Maha Mariamman also involved. Organized events are held at venues across the Klang Valley, from Subang Jaya to Puchong. Commercial Holi parties are also common: in 2025, for example, one was held on March 15 at Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on Jalan Kasipillay, and a ticketed music festival on May 3 at the National Stadium car park in Bukit Jalil—a reminder that some “Holi” events do not fall on the traditional date.
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Tips
Wear white or old clothes, bring a towel and sunscreen, choose eco-friendly gulal (coloured powder), stay hydrated in temperatures that can reach 28-33°C, and take public transport because parking in Brickfields is limited.
Chinese Festivals in Malaysia: Beyond the New Year
A Chinese festival in Malaysia is rarely confined to one weekend: the Chinese lunar calendar spreads celebrations across the year. The best-known Chinese celebration in Malaysia is, of course, Chinese New Year, but several others are worth planning around.
Chinese New Year: What About 2026?
Anyone typing “Chinese New Year 2026 Malaysia” today is looking at a date that has already passed: the 2026 public holiday was February 17-18. The next Chinese New Year is February 6-8, 2027, a three-day holiday in most states, with decorations, lion dances, and food stalls appearing across Kuala Lumpur and Penang in the weeks around it. Traditions include the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve (with yee sang and sticky cake), ang pau given by married adults to children, lion dances in homes, condominiums, and shopping malls, and open houses. The season ends with Chap Goh Mei, the 15th and final day, when houses are decorated with bright lights.
Other Chinese Festivals
- Hungry Ghost Festival: Listed for August 27, 2026, with getai stage performances and temple worship; Penang is noted for grand processions.
- Dragon Boat Festival: Listed for June 19, 2026, with races across the country, including Teluk Bahang Dam in Penang, and zongzi rice dumplings.
- Wesak Day: A Buddhist observance on May 31, 2026, celebrated nationwide with temple prayers and processions.
Hari Raya, Deepavali, and Borneo Harvests: Festivals in Malaysia
Beyond the headline Chinese and Hindu festivals, the celebrations in the Malaysian calendar are anchored by Muslim, Hindu, and Indigenous observances, and the open house tradition ties them together.
Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Haji
Hari Raya Aidilfitri closes the fasting month of Ramadan with prayers, family visits, and food, while Hari Raya Haji (listed for May 27, 2026) is marked by communal feasts of dishes such as rendang, lemang, and satay. Because Islamic dates are set by moon sighting, confirm the exact days shortly before travel.
Deepavali in Little India
Beyond temple prayers, Deepavali is best experienced in Kuala Lumpur’s two Little India districts: Brickfields, an easy walk from KL Sentral, and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, both with lights and celebrations. Traditions include a ritual herbal oil bath, kolam floor designs, and open houses. In 2027, Deepavali falls on October 28.
Kaamatan and Gawai in East Malaysia
The Kadazan-Dusun harvest festival is centred on the KDCA grounds in Penampang near Kota Kinabalu, with a bobohizan (high priestess) leading spiritual rites, the Unduk Ngadau pageant, and Sumazau dancing. Sarawak’s Gawai Dayak is best experienced in longhouses, with ngajat warrior dances and a miring ceremony to honour the spirits.
Conclusion: Festivals in Malaysia
The strongest advice for anyone exploring the festivals in malaysia is to pick one or two dates and build the trip around them: Thaipusam on January 22, 2027 or Chinese New Year on February 6-8, 2027 for spectacle; Holi in late March for colour; or Pesta Kaamatan and Gawai in Borneo for a more intimate cultural experience. Whatever you choose, accept an open house invitation if one comes your way — it is the most Malaysian way to experience any of them.
Planning to be in Malaysia for a festival? Use the Explurger app to plan around the dates and meet fellow travelers heading to Batu Caves, Brickfields, or Kuching.
FAQs About Festivals in Malaysia
2. When is Thaipusam in Malaysia?
Thaipusam was on February 1, 2026 (with February 2 observed), and the next is January 22, 2027. It is a public holiday in Johor, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
3. When is Chinese New Year in Malaysia?
Chinese New Year 2026 was on February 17-18. The next is February 6-8, 2027, with the celebrations running for about two weeks until Chap Goh Mei.
4. Is Holi celebrated in Malaysia?
Yes, mainly by the Hindu and Indian-heritage community, with events in Kuala Lumpur's Brickfields and across the Klang Valley. It is not on the 2026 public holiday lists consulted, so it is a community celebration rather than a day off. Holi 2027 falls around March 22.
5. When is Deepavali in Malaysia?
Deepavali is on Sunday, November 8, 2026, with a replacement holiday on November 9 in most states, and on October 28 in 2027. It is not a public holiday in Sarawak.
6. What should I wear to Thaipusam at Batu Caves?
Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and avoid sleeveless tops and short skirts. Wear comfortable shoes for the 272 steps and expect heavy crowds on the main day.
