Royal Highland Festival

The Royal Highland Festival is one of Bhutan’s most unique and vibrant celebrations, held every year in Laya, a remote highland village in the Gasa district. Introduced in 2016 under the command of His Majesty the King, the festival was created to celebrate and preserve the rich culture, traditions, and resilience of Bhutan’s highland communities.

The festival showcases the life of the Layaps, the nomadic yak-herding people who live in the rugged mountains at altitudes above 3,800 meters. Visitors get to experience their distinct culture, traditional songs and dances, unique highland attire, and way of life closely tied to yaks.

he Royal Highland Festival is not just a cultural showcase; it also emphasizes sustainability, environmental conservation, and the importance of protecting highland heritage in the face of modernization and climate change.

For travelers, the festival offers a rare opportunity to journey into one of Bhutan’s most isolated regions and witness a way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries, all while celebrating under the backdrop of Bhutan’s majestic snow-capped peaks.