New Year's Eve on 31 December is not a national celebration in Iran. The country runs on the Solar Hijri calendar, and its own new year, Nowruz, falls at the spring equinox around 20 or 21 March. On the night of 31 December, Iranian cities carry on much as usual, with no official countdowns or public fireworks. The Gregorian new year is marked mainly by Iran's Christian communities, especially Armenians in Tehran and Isfahan, alongside Christmas.
There is a second, more important point for anyone thinking of travelling. As of October 2026, several governments, including the United States and Ireland, advise their citizens not to travel to Iran at all, and others such as India advise against non-essential travel. This guide explains how the turn of the Gregorian year looks inside Iran, how it differs from Nowruz, and what you need to check before considering any trip. For a festive trip this winter, our guide to New Year's Eve celebration destinations lists places built for the night.
Travel advisory: read this first: As of mid-2026, the US State Department lists Iran at Level 4, Do Not Travel, and Ireland's foreign ministry also advises against all travel. India eased its wording in June 2026 but still advises against non-essential travel. Reports during 2026 described airspace closures and suspended commercial flights.
Advice changes quickly. Check your own government's current travel advice and your travel insurer's position before you plan anything. Many policies do not cover travel against official advice.
New Year in Iran: essential facts
- Official calendar: Solar Hijri; the year starts at Nowruz
- Iranian New Year: Nowruz, around 20 or 21 March
- 31 December: an ordinary day; no public countdown
- Who celebrates 1 January: mainly Armenian and Assyrian Christians
- Where: Armenian districts of Tehran and New Julfa in Isfahan
- Christmas: officially recognised, not a national holiday
- Travel status: many governments advise against travel (as of October 2026)
- Entry: rules depend on your passport and current conditions
Why 31 December is not New Year's Eve in Iran
Iran's official calendar is the Solar Hijri calendar, a solar calendar whose year begins at the exact moment of the March equinox. The Gregorian calendar is used alongside it for international business and for Christian holidays, but 1 January carries no official status. Offices, schools and shops follow their normal schedule on 31 December and 1 January.
The Solar Hijri calendar was legally adopted in Iran on 31 March 1925 and counts its years from the Hijra of 622 CE, which is why Iranian dates look so different from Western ones. Its year 1405 runs from 21 March 2026 to 20 March 2027, so 31 December 2026 is simply a day in the month of Dey, the tenth month, in the middle of the Iranian winter. The first six months have 31 days, the next five have 30, and the last, Esfand, has 29 or 30. Because the working week in Iran runs from Saturday to Thursday, 31 December 2026, a Thursday, is an ordinary end-of-week day for most people.
For a visitor, that means there is no public event to plan a trip around. The places where the season is visible are the country's Christian neighbourhoods and churches, described below, and even there the focus is on Christmas and on family gatherings at home.
How Iran's Christian communities mark the Gregorian new year
Iran has long-established Christian communities, the largest of them Armenian, with smaller Assyrian and other groups. They live mainly in Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and Urmia. For these families, the end of December and early January are the high point of the year: churches hold services, homes and community clubs are decorated, and shops in Christian neighbourhoods sell trees, ornaments and festive food.
Armenian neighbourhoods of Tehran
In Tehran, Armenian neighbourhoods and churches have traditionally been where visitors could see Christmas and New Year decorations. Shops selling ornaments and Christmas trees draw curious Muslim Iranians as well as Christians. Armenian Christmas itself falls on 6 January in the Armenian Apostolic tradition, so the season stretches into the first week of the year. The focal point is St. Sarkis Cathedral, the largest church in Tehran and seat of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran, on Karimkhan Zand Street at the corner of Nejatollahi Street (formerly Villa Street). It was completed around 1970. Older Armenian churches in the capital include the Holy Mother of God Church, which housed the diocese offices from 1945, and St. Vartanants Church.
- Where: Armenian districts of central Tehran
- When: late December to early January
- What: church services, decorations, community events
- Status: subject to current travel advice
New Julfa, Isfahan
New Julfa, on the south bank of the Zayandeh River in Isfahan, was settled by Armenians moved there under Shah Abbas I in the early 1600s. Its churches, including the Vank Cathedral with its painted interior, are among the most visited Christian sites in the country in normal times. In the festive season the quarter's cafés and streets carry decorations, and services mark Christmas and the new year.
- Where: south bank of the Zayandeh River, Isfahan
- When: late December to early January
- Highlight: Vank Cathedral
- Status: subject to current travel advice
Nowruz: when Iran actually celebrates the new year
Nowruz is Iran's real new year, a spring festival at the March equinox with roots far older than Islam. Families clean their homes, set a haft-sin table of seven symbolic items whose names start with the Persian letter "s", visit relatives and exchange gifts. The holiday period lasts about two weeks and ends on the 13th day, Sizdah Bedar, when families go outdoors for picnics.
The season begins before the equinox with Chaharshanbe Suri, held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the old year, when people jump over small bonfires and set off firecrackers in the streets. The seven haft-sin items are usually sabzeh (sprouted grains), samanu (a sweet wheat pudding), senjed (dried oleaster fruit), serkeh (vinegar), sib (apple), sir (garlic) and somaq (sumac). On Sizdah Bedar the sprouted greens from the table are thrown into running water. The UN General Assembly recognised an International Day of Nowruz in February 2010. In 2027 Nowruz falls on or around 21 March, when the Solar Hijri year 1406 begins.
Nowruz vs 1 January in Iran
| Nowruz | 1 January | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | around 20 or 21 March | fixed Gregorian date |
| Calendar | Solar Hijri | Gregorian |
| Public holiday | yes, several days | no |
| Who celebrates | almost everyone in Iran | mainly Christian communities |
| Main customs | haft-sin table, visits, Sizdah Bedar picnic | church services, private gatherings |
What to check before considering any travel to Iran
Start with your own government's travel advice for Iran, because several governments advise against all travel as of October 2026. Then confirm that your insurance covers Iran, that commercial flights are actually operating, what visa rules apply to your passport, and that you can manage on cash, since international bank cards do not work there.
- Government advice. Read your own government's travel advice for Iran first; several advise against all travel as of October 2026.
- Insurance. Confirm your policy covers Iran. Many exclude countries under do-not-travel advice.
- Flights and airspace. Commercial flights and airspace access changed repeatedly during 2026; confirm routes directly with airlines.
- Entry rules. Visa rules depend on your passport. Some nationalities face extra restrictions.
- Money. International bank cards do not work in Iran because of sanctions; travellers have needed cash.
- Dress and conduct. Iranian law sets dress rules in public, including head coverings for women.
As one example of how serious official advice currently is, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to Iran (last updated 27 October 2026). It says face-to-face consular help is not possible, only a limited number of airlines fly internationally from Iran, Iranian airspace may close at short notice, and British and dual British-Iranian nationals face a very high risk of arrest and detention. Travelling against such advice can also invalidate travel insurance. Other governments publish their own advice; read the full text for your country before you decide.
If Iran is off the table this year, our visa page and flights page can help you plan a New Year trip elsewhere.
Planning a trip to Iran? Read our Iran travel guide or search flights.
Before booking, check our tips on keeping New Year travel affordable, including the cheapest days to fly and the hotel rules to look for.
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