Venue
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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National Tree Fair, Dhaka (Jatiya Brikkha Mela) guide
Saplings and orchids in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
In short
Gardeners and anyone curious about Dhaka's rooftop greening can browse the National Tree Fair, which usually opens in June or early July for about a month; the 2027 dates are estimated at 25 June to 24 July. Nurseries from across Bangladesh sell grafted mangoes, orchids, bamboo and native species. Confirm the opening with the environment ministry.
Every summer a stretch of open ground in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar turns into Dhaka's biggest plant market. The National Tree Fair, or Jatiya Brikkha Mela, gathers nurseries from across Bangladesh for a month of selling saplings, seeds, pots and advice to a city that gardens mostly on rooftops and balconies.
It is a government event with a practical purpose. The fair anchors the National Tree Plantation Campaign, and officials use it to push households, schools and offices to plant. For visitors the appeal is simpler: rows of grafted mango trees, orchids, bamboo and rare native species, and a crowd of Dhaka residents comparing notes on what will survive a hot roof.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Saturday, 24 July 2027
Where: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Venue: Former Dhaka International Trade Fair ground
Held: Every year
Type of event: Community Events, Exhibition, Fair
Nearest airport: Dhaka (DAC) · 43 flight routes
Currency: Taka (৳ BDT)
Time zone: UTC+6, no daylight saving
Language: Bengali (Bangla)
Map
Close to the venue
- Zia Udyan (Chandrima Udyan) (জিয়া উদ্যান) Attraction · 450 m
- Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament House) Attraction · 850 m
- Bashundhara City (বসুন্ধরা সিটি) Attraction · 2.2 km
- Sufia Kamal National Public Library (সুফিয়া কামাল জাতীয় গণগ্রন্থাগার) Attraction · 3.9 km
- Hotel Nandini Hotel · 1.8 km
- Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka Hotel · 2.3 km
- Amari Dhaka Hotel · 4.3 km
- Six Seasons Hotel Hotel · 4.6 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Footwear and clothing for wet, humid weather
The fair takes place in Dhaka's wettest and stickiest weeks, with humidity above 80 percent on average. Dress for it.
- Wear sandals or shoes you do not mind getting muddy; the ground is open land, not a paved hall.
- Carry a compact umbrella, which doubles as shade at midday.
- Loose, light cotton dries fastest after a downpour.
- Bring water and a small towel. Food and drink stalls cannot be guaranteed in every corner of the site.
Carrying saplings home safely
Saplings travel badly in a loose carrier. Bring a strong shopping bag or a cardboard box so roots and soil stay together on the trip back.
- Buy heavy items such as compost and clay pots last, after you have finished browsing.
- Ask the seller how much sun and water the plant needs. Several nurseries and expert desks give this advice free.
- For grafted fruit trees, check that the graft joint is firm and the leaves are clean on both sides.
- Keep bought plants out of a hot car boot and water them on the day you get home.
Cash and bargaining at the nursery stalls
Entry costs nothing, so all your spending happens at the stalls. Carry taka in small notes to keep each purchase quick. If you plan to buy several plants from one nursery, agree the total before the seller starts bagging them.
Opening day is an official occasion led by the head of government, so leave it to the dignitaries and come later in the week. Weekday mornings are the calmest window for families with small children or anyone who wants an unhurried chat with a nurseryman.
Planning a morning at the Agargaon fairground
Treat the fair as a full morning out. Around 120 stalls filled the 2026 ground, selling everything from grafted fruit trees and bonsai to orchids, indoor foliage, pots and bags of vermicompost. Walk the full loop once before buying anything. Compare a few mango grafts side by side, ask where each one came from, and only then start carrying things.
Budget honestly. A banana sapling cost Tk150 in 2026 while a guava tree ran to Tk600, and one Mirpur father spent close to Tk15,000 kitting out a rooftop with his daughter. Not everyone buys. A Motijheel visitor told reporters he brought his two children and left empty-handed because of the prices. If you are only browsing, the conservation displays and the free plant-care advice justify the trip on their own.
The National Tree Plantation Campaign behind the fair
The fair is the public face of Bangladesh's National Tree Plantation Campaign. Each year the government pairs it with a shorter Environment Fair and gives it a slogan; 2025 urged people to plant in a planned way, while 2026 asked the country to beautify itself through tree planting. The current government has set a five-year target of 25 crore trees, and the Dhaka fair is where that goal meets ordinary buyers. Smaller versions run in parallel, for 15 days at divisional headquarters and seven days in the districts.
The ground has its own story. Sher-e-Bangla Nagar hosted the Dhaka International Trade Fair from 1996 until 2021, before that event moved out to Purbachal. Tree fairs were already filling Agargaon each summer by 2019, when more than 100 stalls offered bonsai mangoes and potted olives.
What people buy says a lot about the city. Dhaka has little garden space, so the stalls cater to rooftops and balconies. Grafted mangoes lead sales, with names like Miyazaki, Chiang Mai and Brunei King, while seedless jackfruit and dragon fruit sell well too. Some stock is flown or trucked in from abroad, as far afield as the United States. In 2026 the Quantum Bamburian display brought around 500 species, among them nearly 60 kinds of bamboo and native forest trees such as Bailam.
Getting there
Flying in
International flights land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) in Kurmitola, about 17 km north of central Dhaka. Useful routes include Kolkata to Dhaka, Dubai to Dhaka, Bangkok to Dhaka and London to Dhaka. Prepay a taxi at the kiosk by the arrivals exit, or book Pathao, Uber, Obhai or Shohoz from the kerb.
From elsewhere in Bangladesh
Domestic flights include Chattogram to Dhaka, Sylhet to Dhaka and Cox's Bazar to Dhaka. The Airport Railway Station, just outside the terminal, serves intercity trains.
By metro
MRT Line 6 runs overhead from Uttara North to Motijheel. Agargaon station on Begum Rokeya Avenue is next to the fair ground: two stops from Farmgate, three from Karwan Bazar. Fares start at Tk20; buy a single-journey ticket or use a Rapid Pass or MRT Pass. On Fridays trains start only in the afternoon.
Taking plants home
Potted saplings and sacks of coco peat are awkward on a packed train. Hail a CNG auto-rickshaw or cycle rickshaw outside the ground instead.
Where to stay during the festival
Base yourself near an MRT Line 6 station and the fair becomes an easy hop. Farmgate and Karwan Bazar are a few stops south of Agargaon, while Mirpur 10 and Shewrapara lie to the north. Staying near any of them keeps you clear of the worst road traffic.
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Six Seasons Hotel5-star hotel
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Amari Dhaka5-star hotel
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from$98.00/ night
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Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka5-star hotel
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from$65.00/ night
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Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden5-star hotel
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Hotel Nandini3-star hotel
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from$47.00/ night
- Free WiFi
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Weather and what to pack
The fair falls in Dhaka's wettest weeks. The city's 1991–2020 normals give June an average high of 32.8°C and 317 mm of rain over 17 wet days; July is 32.1°C with 391 mm over 21 days. Relative humidity averages above 80 per cent in both months.
Mornings are usually the most comfortable time on the open ground. Heavy showers arrive quickly, so keep a covered fallback in mind.
Worth packing
- A compact umbrella or light rain jacket
- Sandals or shoes that cope with mud and puddles
- Water and a hat for the heat
- Cash in small notes for the stalls
- A sturdy bag or two for saplings and pots
Flights to Dhaka for National Tree Fair, Dhaka (Jatiya Brikkha Mela)
The busiest routes into Dhaka (DAC).
Car hire in Dhaka
Private car with driver to National Tree Fair, Dhaka (Jatiya Brikkha Mela)
Door to door from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) to Former Dhaka International Trade Fair ground, with stops where you like.
- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) → Former Dhaka International Trade Fair ground
- from $28.00 per day
Restaurants and food in Dhaka
Places to eat in Dhaka before or after the celebrations.
Featured
5.0 (1 review)
Chilekotha Restaurant
House 16, Road 4, Block F. Banani Chairmanbari Moshjid Road. Beside Banani Police Station Dhaka, 1213
Cuisine:BengaliBangla-Chinese
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
Featured
5.0 (1 review)
Sky Pool Restaurant
15th Floor, Six Seasons Hotel, House 19, Road 96, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Cuisine:InternationalBuffet
- Dine-in
- Buffet
- Outdoor seating
Featured
Picasso Restaurant
Level 12-13 & Rooftop, Rahman Regnum Center, 191/B Gulshan Link Road, Tejgaon, Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh
Cuisine:ContinentalChinese
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
5.0 (1 review)
Kathbadam Restaurant
Dasura Tower (2nd Floor), Mirpur Road, opposite Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Cuisine:BangladeshiChinese
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
5.0 (1 review)
Real Thai Sky Cafe
Khan Tower (Level 13-14), Plot 14 & 16, Sonargaon Janapath, Sector 11, Uttara, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Cuisine:ThaiContinental
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
Rozak Rooftop Restaurant
Road 11, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cuisine:BengaliSteaks
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
5.0 (1 review)
3.0 (1 review)
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
No. Entry to the fair ground was free in 2026, as in earlier years. You only spend money at the nursery stalls, on plants, pots, fertiliser and tools.
They open together but differ. The Environment Fair is a short exhibition of a few days to a week, while the tree fair keeps trading plants for about a month after it closes.
Usually only weeks ahead. Recent fairs opened between early June and early July and ran roughly a month, so the next one should fall in the same window once the environment ministry sets the calendar.
Yes. Alongside the plants, stalls sell clay and decorative pots, organic fertiliser, coco peat, vermicompost and hand tools, so you can set up a balcony garden in a single visit.
A state event. It is run under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as part of the National Tree Plantation Campaign. The head of government usually opens it, alongside a shorter Environment Fair.
Yes. In 2026 the government held parallel fairs for 15 days at divisional headquarters, seven days in 56 districts and three days in selected upazilas. The Dhaka fair is the largest and longest.
Very. Experts at the fair give free advice on plant care, and sellers will explain which species cope with a sunny rooftop or a shaded balcony before you buy.
Agargaon has hosted it for years. Reports place the fair there in 2019 and again in 2024, and the 2026 stalls stood on the old international trade fair ground, left free when that fair moved to Purbachal in 2022.
On the open ground in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Agargaon, beside the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. This is the site the Dhaka International Trade Fair used until 2021.
Timing & weather
The 2026 fair opened at 9am and closed at 8pm every day. The 2025 edition kept the same morning start but ran an hour later, so check the hours announced for the current year.
Prices & payment
Prices vary widely. In 2026 a G-9 banana sapling sold for Tk150, a guava tree for Tk600 and a lemon tree for Tk700. Rare imported grafts and large bonsai cost far more.
Families & accessibility
Families are a large part of the crowd, and many parents bring children to pick their first plant. Go on a weekday morning, when the aisles are quieter and the heat is lower.