Dalat Flower Festival 2026: Dates, Highlights and How to Visit

Share with:

Every two years, Dalat turns its own climate into a festival. The Dalat Flower Festival has run since 2005, and the 2026 edition, the 11th, carries the theme “Da Lat – A Harmony of Flowers and Music,” pairing the city’s floral displays with a music programme that’s new to this edition. This guide covers the confirmed dates, what’s actually on, and how to plan a visit around it.

Programme details below were current as of September 2026. Provincial event schedules can still shift closer to December, so it’s worth checking the latest official listing before finalising plans.

If you are visiting for the first time, our Dalat travel guide can help you plan the rest of your stay around the festival programmes.

Quick Fact Detail
Main festival dates 19–31 December 2026
Opening ceremony Evening of 19 December, Lam Vien Square
Closing ceremony Evening of 31 December
Theme “Da Lat – A Harmony of Flowers and Music”
Edition 11th Dalat Flower Festival, held biennially since 2005
Location Dalat city and other localities across Lam Dong province
Programmes Around 36 events, both main and supporting
Best suited for Families, couples, flower and culture enthusiasts, photographers

What Is the Dalat Flower Festival?

The Dalat Flower Festival began in 2005 and has run every two years since, making 2026 its 11th edition. Past editions have drawn well over a million visitors each, built around Dalat’s cool-climate flower industry and its reputation as Vietnam’s “City of a Thousand Flowers.”

Each edition is organised by Lam Dong provincial authorities as one of the region’s largest cultural and tourism events, with floral displays, exhibitions and cultural programmes running for several weeks around December. The 2026 Dalat Flower Festival keeps that same structure while pushing programming further beyond Dalat city itself.

Where Is the Dalat Flower Festival Held?

The festival is centred on two main hubs in Dalat city. The opening and closing ceremonies take place at Lam Vien Square, while the floral displays line the shoreline of Xuan Huong Lake close by. The Flower and Heritage Street Carnival then runs through the central streets connecting the two.

lam vien square in dalat

For 2026, the festival also expands beyond Dalat city itself, with related programmes reaching other localities across Lam Dong province, part of the province’s move toward a broader, year-round flower festival model rather than a single city-bound event.

When Is the Dalat Flower Festival 2026?

The core, concentrated festival window runs from 19 to 31 December 2026, with the opening ceremony on the evening of 19 December at Lam Vien Square and the closing ceremony on the evening of 31 December. These two dates are the ones to plan a trip around.

Some official material also frames 2026 as a longer, provincial-wide flower celebration, with related activities continuing into early January 2027 and smaller events spread across the year. For a visitor, though, the 19–31 December window is where the festival’s main programmes, displays and ceremonies actually happen.

What’s New in the 2026 Dalat Flower Festival

The 2024 festival ran for 27 days, from 5 to 31 December, concentrated in Dalat city and built around a flower and heritage street carnival, an Ao Dai-themed cultural programme, and an international cultural exchange with Chuncheon, South Korea.

The 2026 Dalat Flower Festival schedule dates for the concentrated programme, are shorter on paper but expand geographically, with events reaching other localities across Lam Dong province rather than staying inside Dalat city alone. It also introduces the Vietnam Jazz Festival as part of the lineup for the first time, alongside a scientific seminar on the flower value chain aimed at industry visitors rather than tourists.

Top Things to Do at the Dalat Flower Festival

Each of these things to do at Dalat Flower Festival draws on the confirmed 2026 programme, though exact single-day schedules are still being finalised at the time of writing.

Watch the Floral Displays Light Up Xuan Huong Lake

Xuan Huong Lake becomes one of the festival’s main display areas, with flower arrangements set up along the shoreline and lit after dark. Xuan Huong Lake sits within easy walking distance of most central hotels, which makes it the simplest place to start a festival evening before moving on to the other displays nearby.

Watch the Floral Displays Light Up Xuan Huong Lake

For couples, the lakeside displays can be the evening highlight of a day spent exploring together. Our guide to romantic things to do in Dalat offers ideas for the quieter hours before the festival programmes begin.

Browse the Da Lat Vegetable and Flower Market

  • Suggested time: Daytime, dates to confirm closer to the festival
  • Best for: Seeing the produce side of Dalat’s flower industry

The Da Lat Vegetable and Flower Market showcases the vegetables and flowers Lam Dong’s growers are known for, alongside other local agricultural products, giving the festival a working, produce-based counterpart to its more decorative displays. The market’s exact venue and opening dates hadn’t been published at the time of writing, so it’s worth checking closer to December for the confirmed schedule.

Explore the International Flower and Ornamental Plant Exhibition

  • Suggested time: Daytime, runs across multiple days
  • Best for: Serious flower and horticulture interest

The International Flower and Ornamental Plant Exhibition brings in flower and ornamental plant displays with an international dimension, a step up in scale from the street-level displays found elsewhere in the festival. Confirmed details on the exhibition’s venue and running dates were still pending at the time of writing, so treat this as a highlight to watch for rather than a fixed plan.

To see more of Dalat’s flower-growing landscape outside the festival venues, consider a daytime visit to Van Thanh Flower Village, leaving the evening free for the central displays.

Pink Daisies Field in Van Thanh Flower Village in Dalat

Watch the Flower and Heritage Street Carnival Parade

  • Location: Central Dalat streets, exact route to confirm
  • Suggested time: Evening
  • Best for: The festival’s biggest single spectacle

The Flower and Heritage Street Carnival combines floral floats with performers moving through central Dalat, and it was one of the standout programmes at the 2024 festival too. Arrive early to get a spot along the route, since the carnival draws the festival’s largest crowds of any single event.

Catch a Show at the Vietnam Jazz Festival 2026

  • Suggested time: Evening
  • Best for: A quieter, seated alternative to the street events

The Vietnam Jazz Festival is new to the 2026 programme, adding a music dimension the Dalat Flower Festival hasn’t included in past editions. Venue, performers and exact dates hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing, so this is one to watch for an official announcement closer to December.

Catch a Show at the Vietnam Jazz Festival in dalat

Sip Your Way Down the Wine, Tea and Coffee Street

  • Suggested time: Evening
  • Best for: A relaxed pace between the bigger events

The Wine, Tea and Coffee Street brings together Lam Dong’s wine, tea, coffee and OCOP producers in one walkable stretch, alongside the province’s other agricultural products. It’s a good way to slow the evening down between the carnival and the exhibitions, though its exact location within the festival area is still to be confirmed.

If you would prefer a sit-down meal before joining the evening programmes, browse our guide to the best restaurants in Dalat and reserve a table ahead of the busiest festival nights.

Best Spots to Photograph the Dalat Flower Festival

Between the lakeside displays, the ceremony square and the carnival route, the festival gives photographers a few genuinely distinct backdrops within walking distance of each other.

  • Xuan Huong Lake shoreline: The lakeside displays photograph best around golden hour, just before the evening lighting comes on.
  • Lam Vien Square: Home to the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies, and to Dalat’s two glass landmark structures, the Wild Sunflower and the Artichoke Bud, both popular backdrops even outside festival dates.
  • The Heritage Street Carnival route: Arrive before the parade starts for a clear view of the floats before the crowd fills in.

Best Spots to Photograph the Dalat Flower Festival

Families can balance the busier festival evenings with a shorter daytime outing. Our guide to things to do in Dalat with kids can help you choose activities around your children’s energy levels and leave time to rest before heading out again.

Practical Tips for Visiting the Dalat Flower Festival

The festival is Dalat’s busiest period of the year, and a little planning goes further here than at almost any other time to visit.

  • Book accommodation months ahead: Rooms in central Dalat fill up well before December during festival years.
  • Expect heavier evening traffic around Xuan Huong Lake and Lam Vien Square: Walking is often faster than driving once the evening programmes start.
  • Pack for cool December weather: Evenings during the festival window typically sit in the low teens Celsius.
  • Don’t assume every programme is free: Street displays and the carnival are free to watch, but some exhibitions and concerts may charge separately, worth confirming as dates are finalised.

When choosing accommodation, compare the best hotels in Dalat with your planned festival stops in mind, particularly how you will return after the evening programmes.

Base Your Festival Trip at Grand Mercure Dalat

A festival built around flowers and evening displays works best from a base you can walk back to easily, and Grand Mercure Dalat sits about 1.3 kilometres from Xuan Huong Lake, one of the festival’s main display areas this year. With 131 rooms and suites across 12 villas, it’s a practical option for a stay built entirely around the Dalat Flower Festival schedule.

The resort also has five dining outlets, so an evening out does not depend on finding a table in the busy centre. Deux Amants serves all-day dining and the daily buffet breakfast, Moon Lounge offers Buy 1 Get 1 cocktails from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Thursday to Sunday, and BAO Eatery Dalat serves dinner from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Wednesday to Sunday. For coffee and pastries between programmes, Fleurie Café has an outdoor courtyard, and 1929 Lobby Bar serves tea and high tea.

Given how far ahead festival accommodation typically books out, these two offers are worth reserving early:

  • Plan Early, Stay More, Save 30%: Save up to 30% when you book at least 90 days ahead, valid for stays through 31 December 2026, covering the entire festival window.
  • Stay Longer, Save More: Save when you book 3 nights or more, a natural fit if you’re planning to catch both the opening and closing ceremonies.

If the Dalat Flower Festival 2026 is on your calendar, book your stay at Grand Mercure Dalat before the festival dates fill up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Dalat Flower Festival free to attend?

Most of the festival, including the street displays, the carnival and the floral arrangements around Xuan Huong Lake, is free to view. Some ticketed programmes, such as exhibitions or concerts, may charge separately, so it’s worth checking individual event listings closer to December.

How long does the Dalat Flower Festival last?

The concentrated 2026 programme runs 19 to 31 December, 13 days in total. Some related activities extend beyond that into early January 2027, though the core festival experience sits within that December window.

Is 2026 the 11th Dalat Flower Festival?

Yes. The festival began in 2005 and has run every two years since, making the 2026 edition the 11th. Only a small number of years have seen it postponed or adjusted from the usual biennial schedule.

What is the best time to see the flowers during the festival?

Evenings tend to offer the best experience, since the main displays around Xuan Huong Lake are lit after dark and the street carnival runs in the evening too. Arriving in the late afternoon before the crowds build up is a good compromise between daylight photos and the evening atmosphere.

How do I get to Dalat during the festival?

Lien Khuong Airport, Dalat’s main airport, is fully operational and the most direct option from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and several other cities. Given the volume of visitors during festival dates, booking flights and any airport transfers well in advance is worth doing alongside your accommodation.

Is Dalat crowded during the Flower Festival?

Yes, particularly in the evenings around Xuan Huong Lake, Lam Vien Square and the carnival route, since this is the festival’s busiest stretch of the year. Daytime visits to the exhibitions and markets tend to be noticeably calmer than the evening programmes.