Pohela Boishakh Procession
পহেলা বৈশাখের শোভাযাত্রা
On Bangla New Year the Charukola art students lead a colourful parade of giant masks and figures.
At a glance
- Where
- Dhaka district, Dhaka division
- Best time
- summer (Apr–May)
On 14 April, Bangla New Year, Dhaka wakes early for Pohela Boishakh. The Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University (Charukola) leads a parade of huge papier-mache animals, masks and folk figures, a tradition inscribed by UNESCO in 2016. Elsewhere, Chhayanaut's dawn concert under the banyan tree at Ramna Park welcomes the year with songs. People wear red and white, eat panta-ilish and fill the streets around Shahbag.
Good to know
Arrive at dawn, expect road closures, and carry water.
Where to stay in Dhaka
Common questions
Where can you see Pohela Boishakh Procession?
In Dhaka district, Dhaka division.
When can you see Pohela Boishakh Procession?
Summer (Apr–May).
More from Dhaka
District guide →
Place Lalbagh Fort
লালবাগ কেল্লাAn unfinished 17th-century Mughal fort with lawns, a tomb and a mosque, a calm green pocket in Old Dhaka.
Place Ahsan Manzil
আহসান মঞ্জিলThe pink riverside palace of the Dhaka Nawabs, now a museum facing the busy Buriganga.
Place Star Mosque (Tara Masjid)
তারা মসজিদA small mosque in Armanitola covered in star-patterned mosaic made from broken china.
Place Sadarghat and the Buriganga
সদরঘাট ও বুড়িগঙ্গাDhaka's chaotic river port, where multi-deck launches leave for the south and wooden boats ferry people across.
Nearby
Place Bangladesh National Museum
Dhaka · বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় জাদুঘরThe country's main museum at Shahbag, with galleries on history, art, natural history and the Liberation War.
Representative photo Place Hussaini Dalan
Dhaka · হোসেনি দালানDhaka's main Shia imambara from the Mughal era, white-walled beside a large tank, the heart of the city's Muharram.
Place Dhakeshwari National Temple
Dhaka · ঢাকেশ্বরী জাতীয় মন্দিরBangladesh's national Hindu temple, said to give Dhaka its name, busiest during Durga Puja.
Food Bakarkhani
Dhaka · বাকরখানিFlaky, crisp layered bread baked in clay ovens, Old Dhaka's breakfast with tea.