People board buses at Koteshwar, Kathmandu, as they head to their hometowns for Dashain.
KATHMANDU: A few days ago, acclaimed writer Rajan Mukarung posted a touching note on his social media page: “Friends are around in Kathmandu at other times, but as soon as the festivals arrive, they rush off in droves. They don’t even think of us.”
Mukarung, a long-time Kathmandu resident who has celebrated Dashain in the capital for years, admits to feeling lonely as his circle empties out for their hometowns. “This time, some of them left without even calling me,” he lamented.
Having lived in the capital long enough to feel like a native, Mukarung says festival season has always felt somewhat lackluster in Kathmandu. “Within a day or two, you can’t even buy fresh vegetables. You have to make do with whatever old fruit is left,” he added.
For Mukarung, the loneliness of being left behind is compounded by the scarcity of everyday supplies. “It has been about two years since I gave up drinking, too. What am I supposed to live on?” he quipped.
Mukarung’s experience captures a recurring transformation of a metropolis that hustles year-round but turns nearly deserted almost overnight. Streets grow quiet, neighborhood markets shut down, and Kathmandu resembles a city populated largely by those who reside here only part of the year.
The exodus dramatically reshapes local transit. Local public transport operators struggle to find passengers, while long-distance buses traveling out of the valley are packed like sardines. Conversely, buses arriving from outside the valley enter nearly empty, only to quickly fill up again for outbound trips.
“I will drive for three more days in Kathmandu. After that, there won’t be a soul left,” said a driver operating on the Kathmandu–Bhaktapur route for 35 years. “It seems people come here only to earn money.”
He added that the number of people leaving Kathmandu Valley during festive seasons is growing with every passing year. “Understandably, people from outside leave for their hometowns, but even those who live here go elsewhere,” he said. “They travel to places like Pokhara, Muktinath and Lumbini.”
With government offices and private institutions closed for the extended holidays, people with free time either return home or plan long trips. Both temporary residents and locals leave Kathmandu during this period. The steady migration of young Nepalis abroad has further thinned out festival crowds in the capital.
Kathmandu becomes eerily quieter during festivals. According to the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE), roughly 3 to 4 million people leave the Valley during the peak festive season.
“This time, people may be slightly less inclined to travel because roads have been damaged,” said FNNTE President Punya Prasad Sitaula. “Even so, 800,000 to 900,000 people have already left. More will leave until Monday.”
Employment and education are the primary drivers pulling people from all over the country to the capital. According to the 2021 national census, 18.9% of internal migrants in the Kathmandu Valley moved for job opportunities, while 13.7% migrated for education.
Nepal’s overall population has progressively shifted toward urban hubs, district headquarters and the Tarai plains. However, because a substantial portion of Kathmandu’s populace consists of temporary residents—students, daily-wage laborers, and civil servants—festivals trigger a temporary reverse migration as people return home to celebrate with family.
