Drepung Monastery during the Yogurt Festival, also known as Shoton Festival. Pilgrims burning incense around Drepung. Generally, the festival takes place Shoton the last two weeks of August, the exact dates change from year to year depending on the lunar calendar. This event is also known as the festival of opera, and you will see performances by singers and acrobats throughout the city and especially in the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, known as Norbalinka.