Gyantse Horse Racing Festival (Dama)
The Gyantse horse racing festival, called Dama in Tibetan, is one of the oldest festivals in Tibet, held for about six hundred years below the old fortress of Gyantse. Riders and their horses come in their finest clothes for racing and archery from the saddle, and the whole farming country of southern Tibet comes to watch, trade and celebrate. In recent years it has been held in early August.
When Is the Gyantse Horse Racing Festival?
In recent years, in early August. In the past the festival followed the Tibetan calendar, in the fourth Tibetan month. Today Gyantse county sets the date each summer: it opened on 6 August in 2017 and ran from 3 to 8 August in 2024. We confirm the 2027 date as soon as it is announced — please ask us to re-confirm before you book your flights.
What Happens at the Gyantse Horse Race?
- Horse racing and archery — the heart of the festival: riders race and shoot arrows at targets at full gallop.
- Yak racing, warrior dances and stone lifting — games of strength and skill, and plenty of laughter.
- A giant thangka and masked dances at the monastery, the old religious side of the festival.
- A barley food fair and a market — the farmers of southern Tibet come to trade after the planting season.
How Can I See the Gyantse Horse Race?
Join our Gyantse Horse Racing Departure on 30 July 2027. Our Everest group tours on this date — 7 days, 8 days at a relaxed pace or the 9-day North Tibet Grassland Loop — reach Gyantse on 3 August.
If the racing day moves, we move with it. Our Everest tours spend two or three nights in the Shigatse area, about an hour and a half from Gyantse. If the races start a day or two earlier or later, we rearrange those nights so you are in Gyantse on the racing day. See the departure.
Our promise. If your trip is in Tibet during both the Gyantse horse race and the Damxung or Nagchu races, we make sure you see at least one of them. We don’t put two horse races in one tour — one is the highlight, two would feel the same.
Gyantse is also worth a visit at any time of year, for the Kumbum stupa and the fortress above the old town. Read about all three horse racing festivals in Tibet, the Nagchu horse racing festival and other festivals in Shigatse. Questions? Send us a free inquiry — we answer within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Gyantse horse racing festival in 2027?
In recent years it has been held in early August — from 3 to 8 August in 2024. Gyantse county sets the date each summer, so please ask us to re-confirm the 2027 date before you book your flights.
What is the Dama festival?
Dama is the Tibetan name of the Gyantse horse racing festival: horse racing and archery from the saddle, yak racing, warrior dances, stone lifting, a market and a giant thangka at the monastery. It has been held for about six hundred years.
Which tour goes to the Gyantse horse race?
Our Gyantse Horse Racing Departure on 30 July 2027. The Everest group tours on this date reach Gyantse on 3 August, and if the racing day moves we rearrange our nights in Shigatse so you are there on the day.
Where is the Gyantse horse race held?
On the racing ground below the old fortress (dzong) of Gyantse, in the Shigatse region, on the road from Lhasa to Shigatse and Everest.
We answer within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday.