Festival Hue and the year's events

The 2026 programme is set out in plan 500/KH-UBND, signed by the city on 31 December 2025. It opened on 1 January 2026 at Ngo Mon square with a reenactment of the Ban Soc ceremony, the court ritual in which the emperor issued the calendar for the coming year, and is due to close on 31 December 2026 with a countdown to 2027. In between, events are grouped into four seasonal festivals, with the international arts festival week in June as the centrepiece.

For visitors this means two things. There is something on in most months, but the scale varies widely: some seasons centre on a handful of evenings, others on a full week of performances. And dates for individual events are announced through the year, so the calendar below is the framework, not a timetable.

The Hue International Arts Festival week ran from 13 to 18 June 2026 under the theme "Cultural heritage with integration and development", with Vietnamese and international troupes performing in restored heritage spaces. The city's plan calls it the backbone of the whole year.

If you plan to be in Hue for the festival week in a future year, book accommodation early and expect the Imperial City and the river to be busy in the evenings. June is also one of the hottest months, with average highs around 33°C.

Some of Hue's most distinctive events follow the lunar calendar, so their Western dates move from year to year.

• Tet, the lunar new year, between late January and mid-February: family time, closed shops, full transport, and court Tet customs recreated in the spring festival.
• Dien Hue Nam festival at Hon Chen temple: on days 8 to 10 of the seventh lunar month, nearly 40 boats, including dragon boats, carry the palanquin of the Holy Mother up the Perfume River from the city to the temple. In 2025 this fell on 30 August to 1 September.
• Mid-Autumn, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month: lanterns, lion dances and a lantern procession; in 2026 the autumn festival included a Hue Lantern Festival.

Festival periods often bring discounts or free entry. On 26 March 2026, the anniversary of Hue's liberation, entry to the monuments was free; Vietnamese visitors have had free entry on 19 August and 2 September; and from 2026 the city can cut fees by up to 50% at some sites during campaigns and festivals. Full details are on the tickets page.