This site is in test mode — some information may contain errors.
ReportEvents
Festivals, holidays and major happenings in Samarkand.
A plov festival first held in 2025: more than 200 cooks, guests from over a dozen countries and 7 tonnes of plov from a single cauldron at the Eternal City.
1–3 August 2025 (first edition); no further edition officially announced yetThe Samarkand Plov festival, initiated by Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee to promote gastronomic tourism and Samarkand’s cuisine, was held on a grand scale for the first time on 1–3 August 2025. On day one, at the Sultan Hovand Beka – Ishratkhona complex, master cooks from across Uzbekistan prepared their signature 5-kilogram plovs. On day two more than 20 foreign chefs showcased their national dishes on Alisher Navoi Street.
The finale came on day three at the Eternal City in the Silk Road Samarkand complex, where 50 local and 5 foreign cooks prepared more than 7 tonnes of plov in a specially built cauldron. Over the festival more than 200 cooks competed, more than 20 kinds of plov were made and a 30-metre shashlik was grilled. Chefs came from Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Tajikistan, Indonesia, China, India, Poland and elsewhere, and the plov was distributed to orphanages, boarding schools and care homes.
No further edition has been officially announced; watch the Tourism Committee and the Samarkand regional administration for news. Meanwhile, Samarkand plov is served in the city’s teahouses, and Konigil runs plov-making masterclasses.
18 October, the day Samarkand received the Order of Amir Temur — a city festival of concerts, feasts, fairs and street celebrations.
Every year on 18 October; the programme is announced annuallyOn 18 October 1996, during celebrations of the 660th anniversary of Amir Temur’s birth, Samarkand was awarded the Order of Amir Temur, and the date was proposed as Samarkand City Day. The city’s statue of Amir Temur was unveiled the same day. Since then 18 October has been celebrated every year as the city’s own festival.
By tradition the day opens with a recitation of the Qur’an at the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum. Folk and national music programmes, concerts, cookery displays, neighbourhood fairs and sports events then fill the central streets and squares. In 2019, for example, entry to all historic monuments and museums was free on City Day and thousands of residents ran an eco-marathon. Some central streets are closed to traffic — a perfect excuse to explore on foot.
An international charity race starting by the Registan every autumn: marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K, plus inclusive and children’s runs.
Every year in early November; in 2026 — 7–8 NovemberThe Samarkand Marathon was launched in 2019 by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation as the country’s first international charity race. The inaugural event, a half marathon, drew 1,176 runners from 25 countries over 21, 10 and 2 km. Its guiding idea is inclusion — drawing attention to the accessibility of cultural sites for people with disabilities. A full 42.2 km marathon was added in 2022, and the race is a member of AIMS, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
Start and finish are beside Registan Square, and the course heads towards Shah-i-Zinda, through old mahallas and city streets to the Silk Road Samarkand complex. The 2025 edition attracted more than 8,000 runners from over 50 countries.
The 2026 race takes place on 7–8 November: a 5K and a free inclusive 5K for people with disabilities on the evening of the 7th, then the marathon at 8:00 and the half marathon at 8:10 on the morning of the 8th, plus 10K, 2K and children’s races. Registration and fees are on the official website; expect road closures in the centre on race days.
21 March, the spring equinox: sumalak feasts, concerts and folk games in Samarkand’s neighbourhoods and parks.
Every year on 21 March (public holiday)Navruz is one of Uzbekistan’s best-loved festivals, and 21 March is a public holiday. In the days beforehand mahallas hold hashar clean-ups, and concerts and street festivities run throughout March. On the eve of the holiday women stay up all night stirring sumalak, while halim and green samsa are prepared; on the morning of the 21st the sumalak is shared with neighbours and guests.
Samarkand marks the holiday with concerts, folk games, kurash wrestling bouts and craft fairs in parks, mahallas and cultural venues, and in recent years with a programme at the Eternal City in the Silk Road Samarkand complex. Navruz has been on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2009.
Plenty of domestic tourists head to Samarkand for the holiday, so book hotels and train tickets early. If someone offers you a taste of sumalak, accept — it is a gesture of goodwill.
A celebration of embroidery in Samarkand’s historic centre: suzani exhibitions, masterclasses, a souvenir fair and folk performances.
In spring, in April (17–19 April in 2026); next edition’s dates not yet announcedThe 4th International Embroidery Festival was held on 17–19 April 2026 in Samarkand’s historic centre, with its main fair on Islam Karimov Street. More than 110 artisans took part, from across Uzbekistan as well as Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan; the event was organised by the national Tourism Committee.
The programme featured exhibitions of suzani and embroidery, masterclasses, a fair of national souvenirs and folk ensembles, and visitors could see and buy the ethnic dress of Central Asia’s peoples. Shahrisabz iroqi cross-stitch and Turkish and Tajik floral embroidery drew particular attention, alongside Karakalpak pottery and Margilan silks.
It is a good chance to buy suzanis, embroidered skullcaps and cushion covers directly from their makers and to watch the needlework up close. The next festival’s dates will be announced by the Tourism Committee.
An international paragliding festival in the Andak area of the Urgut mountains — colourful wings overhead, competitions and plenty of food.
Every year in May (10–11 May 2025; 6–10 May 2026); next date not yet announcedUzbekistan’s first international paragliding festival took place on 10–11 May 2025 in the Andak area of Urgut district, Samarkand Region, drawing more than 100 pilots from over 15 countries. A food programme for spectators included a 20-metre kebab.
In 2026 the festival returned to Urgut on 6–10 May, with competitions in women’s, national and open individual categories and pilots from Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan, with entrants from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also expected.
The launch site is on a mountainside; in 2025 cars were kept away and spectators walked about 2 km to reach it, so bring good shoes, a hat and water. While you are in Urgut, take in the Chor-Chinor plane-tree grove and the Urgut bazaar.
1 September, Uzbekistan’s main national holiday: concerts in Samarkand’s squares, festive decorations and evening fireworks.
Every year on 1 September (public holiday)On 31 August 1991 Uzbekistan’s Supreme Council proclaimed the country’s independence, and 1 September has been celebrated as Independence Day — a public holiday — ever since; 2026 marked the 35th anniversary. In the run-up, mahallas hold hashar clean-ups and streets and avenues are dressed in flags and lights.
Samarkand usually celebrates with concerts in its squares and parks, sports events and street festivities, rounded off by evening fireworks. The main official ceremonies take place in Tashkent, but an evening stroll past the illuminated monuments among festive crowds is memorable in its own right. Programmes are announced each year, and some streets may be closed to traffic during the celebrations.
An international triathlon in the Challenge Family series: a swim in a rowing canal, a bike leg past the Registan and a run around the Silk Road Samarkand complex.
Every year in late summer or early autumn (24 August 2025; 12–13 September 2026); next date not yet announcedChallenge Samarkand is a stop on the Challenge Family series of triathlons worldwide. The first edition, on 24 August 2025, was won by Britain’s Will Draper and Spain’s Sara Pérez Sala; at the second, on 13 September 2026, victory went to France’s Sam Laidlow and Australia’s Natalie van Coevorden.
The main event is a middle-distance race: a 1.9 km swim in the canal of one of the world’s largest purpose-built rowing centres at Silk Road Samarkand, a bike leg of roughly 90 km over two laps of the city — past the Registan, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Amir Temur statue and Afrasiyab — and a 21.1 km run inside the complex. Sprint and relay races, a women’s run and children’s events complete the weekend.
Because the bike course crosses the historic centre, the Registan area is a good place to watch, with the finish at Silk Road Samarkand. Expect road closures in the centre on race days; the next date will be published on the organisers’ website.
A traditional harvest festival in Bulungur district of Samarkand Region: tomato varieties, a farm-produce fair, tastings and a concert.
Every year at harvest time in September (19 September in 2026)Bulungur is one of Samarkand Region’s main tomato districts: farms of every size plant more than 1,000 hectares of tomatoes each year, with average yields of 35–40 tonnes per hectare. The traditional Pomidor sayli (‘tomato fair’) celebrates that harvest.
The 2026 festival, held on 19 September, featured a show of produce from the district’s farms and processing plants, tastings of local products for foreign visitors and a forum for farmers, entrepreneurs and logistics firms, followed by awards in several categories and a concert. Three local products — Bulungur potatoes, Bulungur tomato paste and Bulungur kulchatoy bread — are registered as geographical indications.
The festival offers a taste of rural life and farmers’-market flavours in Samarkand Region. Bulungur lies north-east of Samarkand city; the next date will be announced by the district administration.
A UNESCO-backed festival of traditional music from around the world, held in Samarkand every two years since 1997.
Every two years, usually in late August; the next edition’s dates have not yet been officially announcedSharq Taronalari (‘Melodies of the East’) was established by a government resolution of 11 March 1997 and first held that same year, with performers from more than 30 countries; by the 12th edition in 2019 the number of participating countries had reached 75. Held under the auspices of UNESCO, it aims to showcase national musical traditions and build creative ties between peoples. Its traditional home is the Registan, where musicians performed on an open-air stage facing the three madrasas.
After a five-year pause caused by the pandemic, the 13th festival took place on 26–30 August 2024 at the Eternal City complex, with more than 300 performers from over 70 countries. The programme combines an opening ceremony, competition evenings judged by an international jury, an academic conference on the musical cultures of the East and a closing gala; the Grand Prix is worth US$10,000.
The festival normally falls at the end of August. The dates and venue of each edition are announced separately by the Ministry of Culture, so check official news before planning a trip — hotels fill up quickly during festival week.
The end of the month of fasting, on the first day of Shawwal: festive prayers, family visits and a table full of sweets. The date changes every year.
Every year on 1 Shawwal of the Islamic calendar; in 2027 it falls in early March, with the exact date announced officiallyRamazon hayiti — Eid al-Fitr — marks the end of a month of fasting. Throughout Ramadan, Samarkand families gather for iftar each evening, and teahouses and canteens fill up as soon as the sun sets. On the morning of the Eid men attend the festive prayer at the mosque; families then visit relatives, neighbours and anyone recently bereaved, while children go from door to door with greetings and collect sweets.
Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday in Uzbekistan. Its date follows the lunar calendar, moving about eleven days earlier each year, and is announced officially. Monuments generally stay open, though some offices and shops may close. Restaurants and cafés serving visitors stay open during Ramadan, but it is courteous to be discreet around people who are fasting.
The feast of sacrifice on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah: festive prayers, sharing of sacrificial meat and open-house hospitality. The date changes every year.
Every year on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah of the Islamic calendar; in 2027 it falls in mid-May, with the exact date announced officiallyQurbon hayiti — Eid al-Adha — comes about seventy days after Eid al-Fitr, at the climax of the hajj, and honours the devotion of the prophet Ibrahim. Festive prayers are held in the mosques in the morning; families who can afford it sacrifice a sheep or other animal and share part of the meat with the needy, relatives and neighbours. Over the holiday, homes lay a generous table, receive guests and visit the graves of loved ones.
Eid al-Adha is a public holiday in Uzbekistan. Following the lunar calendar, it moves about eleven days earlier each year and is announced officially. Mosques and shrines are busy over the holiday, so if you plan to visit Samarkand’s sacred sites, bear prayer times in mind and dress modestly.
For example: Registan, Ulugh Beg, plov, Urgut