Shwedagon Pagoda hosts oil-lamp ceremony on 25 October

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon will host an oil-lamp offering ceremony on 25 October 2026 as part of the Thadingyut observances. The programme will take place on the pagoda platform, where the Board of Trustees has announced a display involving 10,000 oil lamps.

The event gives travellers in Myanmar a specific date for one of the country’s major Buddhist observances. It also links the Thadingyut lighting ceremony directly with the central platform of the 66-metre religious monument.

Oil-lamp offering brings Thadingyut to Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees announced the ceremony in a report published by the Ministry of Information on 7 October 2026. The evening programme on 25 October will include illuminated pagoda-shaped lamps carried around the platform, followed by the lighting and offering of 10,000 oil lamps.

The organiser’s announcement places the lamp lighting at 5pm on 25 October 2026. The following morning, 26 October 2026, is identified as Abhidhamma Day, with a dawn food offering and a further ceremony planned for the same site. The official ceremony announcement names both the venue and the dates.

Shwedagon Pagoda platform connects ritual and history

The pagoda stands on Singuttara Hill in Yangon and is administered by the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees. The custodian’s history page describes the monument as 66 metres high, with dimensions of 44 metres by 20 metres.

The site’s history is presented through the Buddhist tradition of relics associated with four Buddhas. Its principal stupa, surrounding shrines, walkways and halls form a religious complex rather than a single isolated tower. That layout matters for the October ceremony because the announced lamps will be spread across the platform, not confined to an external viewpoint. The custodian’s history and site guide lists the four walkways, adoration halls, pavilions and major bells.

What the October programme adds for visitors

The announcement does not describe a new exhibition or a change to the monument itself. Instead, it sets out a religious programme with a fixed evening date, a named organiser and a defined place within the complex. The ceremony therefore gives visitors a time-specific reason to encounter the platform during Thadingyut.

The next morning has a separate religious focus. Abhidhamma Day is connected to the full moon day in the announcement, while the oil-lamp offering is scheduled for the preceding evening. These are two linked dates, but the publicised lamp programme begins on 25 October 2026.

Visiting Shwedagon Pagoda: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The oil-lamp offering takes place on 25 October 2026 on the pagoda platform in Yangon. Lamp lighting is announced for 5pm.
• The announced programme includes illuminated pagoda-shaped lamps carried around the platform and 10,000 oil lamps offered across it. The notice does not announce a closure or a changed entrance.
• Shwedagon Pagoda is in Yangon, Myanmar, and the ceremony is located within the religious complex rather than at a separate city venue.
• The site includes a raised platform, four walkways, pavilions and adoration halls. Visitors should expect a religious setting with barefoot access customary at Buddhist pagoda sites.
• Myanmar’s official language is Burmese and its national currency is the kyat.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Shwedagon Pagoda

When does the oil-lamp offering take place at Shwedagon Pagoda?

The oil-lamp offering is scheduled for the evening of 25 October 2026. The announcement places lamp lighting at 5pm on the pagoda platform.

What happens at Shwedagon Pagoda on 25 October 2026?

Illuminated pagoda-shaped lamps will be carried around the platform, and 10,000 oil lamps will be lit and offered there.

Where is Shwedagon Pagoda and how do you get there?

Shwedagon Pagoda is in Yangon, Myanmar. The announced ceremony takes place on its central pagoda platform within the religious complex.