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Tibet is known as the "Ocean of Dance", the folk dance is of great variety. When you come to Lhasa, it is very common to enjoy the songs and dances of the Tibetan people almost everywhere whether in local hotels or restaurants. You can also join them to dance a Tibetan dance, sing a Tibetan song to experience their joy of life which will definitely makes your trip more colorful!
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There are a lot of entertainment facilities in Lhasa city not only including cinemas, karaoke halls, nightclubs, and bowling alley, but also some tea houses, cabarets, bars which are filled with local Tibetan characteristics.
In addition to the pubs and local dance, it is also a good choice to experience the outdoor hot spring bath or try some adventurous snow mountain climbing. Most of the hot springs in Lhasa are geothermal springs, the cold plateau, boiling hot springs, and fluttering snow all make the experience of soaking in the hot springs become more cozy and comfortable. Some famous hot springs are the Yangbajing Geothermal Hot Springs, Riduo Hot Spring, Dezhong Hot Spring, etc.
There are several snowy peaks in Lhasa which are very suitable for beginners’ mountain climbing training with permanent snow, clear lines and well-developed glaciers. There peaks include the Luzi Peak, Kaizi Peak, Qiongmugangri Peak, and so on. Every April to May and September to October is the best time to do some mountain climbing in Lhasa, it is really worth a try if you have great physical strength and enough courage.
There are many local traditional festivals with strong local characteristics in Tibet:
Tibetan New Year
Time: January 1 (according to the Tibetan calendar)
Location: Jokhang Temple
Tibetan New Year is the most solemn festival in Tibet. During the festival, Tibetan people sing and dance or go to their relatives and friends’ for a drink together to celebrate the New Year. Celebration will last about ten days, however, the time of Tibetan New Year is just the off-season of Tibet tourism, and the aircraft will be suspended to the fifth day from the Tibetan New Year and all the stores will be closed generally.
Butter Sculpture Lamp Festival
Time: January 15 of Tibetan calendar
Location: Jokhang Temple, Eight Gallery Street
Monks and folk artists from various temples knead colorful butter into a variety of butter Sculptures and then hang them up on the shelves on both sides of Jokhang Temple which have been set up beforehand. As the night falls, all the butter sculpture lamps are lit up, the entire Eight Gallery Street will be twinkling like thousands of stars.
Lhasa Shoton Festival
Time: July 1 (Tibetan calendar)
Location: Drepung Monastery, Norbulingka
Shoton in Lhasa means "yogurt banquet". During the festival, Tibetans bring the cheese to greet each other by singing and dancing. Tibetan opera artists from other districts will also be gathered in Norbulingka of Lhasa to perform for a few days.