Lori Calendar
Festivals, ceremonies, trail days and cultural events — listed as they’re confirmed.
The first guided foraging walk of the season. A half-day identifying edible spring plants — wood sorrel, ramsons, nettles, and the first wild strawberries. Led by Narine Avetisyan.
Free guided hikes on 6 trails simultaneously — groups set off from Stepanavan, Alaverdi, Vanadzor, and Tashir at sunrise. No booking required, just show up.
Armenia's ancient water festival, 14 weeks after Easter. At Haghpat, the tradition includes blessing of water at the monastery spring and village festivities in the settlement below.
A two-day celebration of 3,000 years of copper heritage — live metalsmith demonstrations, a street market of copper crafts, and a walk through the Soviet-era smelter district.
Two evenings of sacred polyphonic music performed inside the monastery churches. The acoustics of 10th-century stone are unlike any concert hall. Haghpat on Friday, Sanahin on Saturday.
Beekeepers from seven villages bring their season's jars to Akner. Tasting tables, hive walks, and a lunch using honey in every course. Held in the meadow above the village.
A guided walk through the Sanahin complex after dark, lit only by handheld lanterns, with a local historian. Limited to 20 people — registration required.
Peak mushroom season in Lori's forests. A morning walk with a local guide identifying porcini, chanterelles, and saffron milk caps in the beech and oak forest above Gyulagarak.
A two-day local producers market — Lori preserves, smoked meats, wild honeys, and the region's first small-batch mulberry and grape distilleries. Free entry.
Contemporary and traditional Lori carpets alongside a live demonstration of the vordan karmir natural dyeing process. Works available to buy directly from the weavers.
A bonfire on the fortress plateau at midnight, the Stepanavan valley spread below. Warm clothes, headlamp, your own food. A local tradition that's grown every year for the past decade.
Annual birthday celebration for Armenia's most beloved poet at his birthplace. Poetry, folk music, and village feasts. Visitors are welcome and fed by the village council.
The Easter liturgy at Haghpat begins at midnight on Holy Saturday. The candlelit procession around the monastery at 3am, in total darkness, is one of the most remarkable things you can witness in Armenia.
The second annual free guided hike day across Lori — six simultaneous trails, sunrise starts, no registration needed. Guides from the region donate their time.
The second edition of the monastery polyphony concerts. Two evenings, two churches, the same extraordinary acoustics.
Tell us about it — festivals, markets, workshops, trail days. If it’s happening in Lori and worth knowing about, we’ll list it.