.jpg?width=2048)
Celebrate India
India's calendar bursts with religious, regional, musical, cultural and culinary celebrations. Filter by month, type or state to plan around the right moment.
Happening soon
Indian festivals mostly follow lunar calendars, so the exact days shift each year. We name the month they fall in and leave the day to the panchang closer to the time.
Festival calendarFestival directory
Use the calendar when timing is the main decision, or browse the directory for context, location and meaning.
The Ravindra Bhavan open-air complex, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
A massive heritage exhibition showcasing India's diverse tribal crafts, performing arts, and indigenous lifestyle patterns.
.jpg?width=2048)
Takes place at the Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
A 44-day annual gathering where pilgrims camp on the riverbank and take holy dips on auspicious bathing days (Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya, Basant Panchami).
Celebrated nationwide across India, with major cultural and kite-flying spectacles in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and holy river dips in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
A harvest and solstice festival marking the end of winter. Celebrated with kite-flying, bonfires, sesame-jaggery sweets and holy river dips.
Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.
A spectacular religious climax marked by the appearance of the celestial light on Ponnambalamedu hill during Lord Ayyappa's rituals.
Historic Sun Temple, Modhera, Mehsana district, Gujarat.
An elite classical performing arts festival staged against the dramatically lit sandstone architecture of the 11th-century temple.
Held in the historic desert town of Nagaur, situated between Jodhpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan.
One of India's largest cattle fairs, trading cattle, camels and horses, alongside folk performances, tug-of-war, camel races and rural sports.
.jpg?width=2048)
The open-air Nishagandhi Theatre, Kanakakkunnu Palace grounds, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
An elite open-air performing arts festival assembling master exponents of Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Odissi.
The ancient Pattadakal Temple Complex (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), situated beautifully along the Malaprabha River, Bagalkot district, Karnataka.
An elite performing arts festival staging classical Indian dances against the backdrop of 8th-century Chalukyan temples.
Predominantly in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and among Tamil communities worldwide.
Tamil Nadu's grandest harvest thanksgiving to the Sun God, featuring the ceremonial boiling-over of newly harvested rice in milk, cattle worship (Mattu Pongal) and kolam art.
.jpg?width=2048)
The grand stone courtyard of the historic Tawang Monastery (Gaden Namgyal Lhatse), Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
A powerful Buddhist monastic festival designed to chase away evil spirits, featuring spectacular sacred mask dances.
Across the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, extending through Purulia district (West Bengal), Ranchi and Jamshedpur districts (Jharkhand), and Mayurbhanj district (Odisha).
A lyrical folk festival celebrated by young girls who craft clay effigies of Goddess Tusu and float them in streams.
West Nimar, Jhabua, Alirajpur, and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh, as well as bordering zones of Gujarat.
A colorful agricultural matchmaking fair of the Bhil tribes, featuring traditional dresses, musical loops, and partner choice.
The historic courtyards of the Leh Palace, Diskit Monastery in the Nubra Valley, and Likir Monastery in Ladakh.
The scapegoat festival featuring sacred monastic thread traps and mask dances to banish evil forces from the old year.
Goa
A vibrant Portuguese-origin street carnival with float parades led by 'King Momo', music, dancing, and the red-and-black dance, unique to Goa.
The Kala Ghoda Heritage Precinct, extending across the historic Fort neighborhood in South Mumbai, Maharashtra.
India's biggest urban open-air street arts festival, packing visual installations, theater, and heritage walks.
Staged in the open-air courtyards adjacent to the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
A week of Indian classical dance staged against the floodlit medieval temples of Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
.jpeg?width=2048)
Held at the Grewal Sports Stadium in Kila Raipur village, near Ludhiana, Punjab.
A famous rural sports carnival featuring bullock-cart races, traditional Punjabi feats of strength, and exuberant village athletics.
Celebrated in the historic towns of Barsana and Nandgaon within the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.
A playful, famous form of Holi where women of Barsana playfully beat men of Nandgaon with sticks (lathis), re-enacting Krishna-Radha legends.
Celebrated across Himalayan Buddhist regions, particularly in Ladakh, Dharamshala and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), and Sikkim.
The New Year of the Tibetan Buddhist communities of Ladakh, Sikkim and Himachal — celebrated with monastery rituals, family feasts, and masked dances.
Celebrated across all Naga-inhabited districts of Manipur, with the main, grand rotating venue hosted in towns like Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, or Chandel.
The collective seed-sowing festival of all Naga tribes in Manipur, celebrated with traditional flame lighting.
Celebrated across India, with iconic events in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), the Isha Yoga Center (Tamil Nadu), Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh).
A night dedicated to Lord Shiva, observed with fasting, all-night vigils, chanting and abhishekam at Shiva temples — most intensely at the twelve Jyotirlingas.
Papum Pare, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, and East Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh, with massive public grounds in Nirjuli and Itanagar.
A grand community gathering of the Nyishi people to invoke divine ancestors for protection against crop pests and diseases.
Kohima district and Dimapur district, prominent across ancestral Angami villages like Touphema, Khonoma, and Kisama in Nagaland.
The premier body-and-soul purification festival of the Angami Naga tribe, focusing on cleansing old years' sins.
Shilpgram, Taj Mahal na Eastern Gate pase, Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
A grand 10-day state carnival celebrating India's finest handlooms, crafts, culinary arts, and classical music near the Taj Mahal.
Palani Murugan Temple, Vadapalani, and across major Murugan shrines in Tamil Nadu.
Honors Lord Murugan receiving his divine spear. Features intense acts of public penance and carrying wooden kavadis.
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
A women-only festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Kerala, recognised for gathering millions of women who cook ritual Pongala offerings — a Guinness record event.
Bharatpur, Deeg, and Kaman regions in the Braj cultural belt of Rajasthan.
A dazzling celebration of Krishna lore and local folk heritage, featuring vibrant Raslila dance formats.
Across Mizoram, with the main celebrations held in Aizawl.
The biggest, most joyful bamboo-clearing spring festival of the Mizo people, featuring the spectacular Cheraw dance.
Celebrated by Muslims across India; major historic centers include Delhi (Jama Masjid), Hyderabad (Charminar), Lucknow, Srinagar (Hazratbal), and Mumbai (Mohammad Ali Road).
The 'Festival of Breaking the Fast' ending the holy month of Ramadan, celebrated with communal prayers, feasting, charity (zakat) and family gatherings.
Heavily celebrated across Rajasthan (most famously in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer), and by Rajasthani communities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.
A Rajasthani festival honouring Goddess Gauri (Parvati), celebrated by women with colourful processions of idols, folk songs, and prayers for marital happiness.
Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar District, Punjab
A grand Sikh martial arts festival initiated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, featuring Nihang warriors executing sword fighting and horse riding.
North India, primarily the Braj region (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana), Bihar, and widely across the global diaspora.
The festival of colours marking the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. Celebrated by smearing coloured powders, water play, music and sweets.
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, predominantly hosted at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the Ganges River.
A week-long global gathering of yoga teachers and practitioners on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world.
Sree Kottankulangara Devi Temple, Chavara, Kollam district, Kerala.
A unique ritual where thousands of men cross-dress in traditional silk sarees to hold oil lamps for the Goddess.
Madhavpur Ghed, coastal village near Porbandar, Gujarat.
A historic cultural fair celebrating the marriage of Krishna and Rukmini, building cultural bridges with Northeast India.
Celebrated across India, with major historical celebrations in Pawapuri and Kundalpur (Bihar), the Dilwara Temples near Mount Abu (Rajasthan), and Palitana (Gujarat).
The most important Jain festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara. Marked by temple processions, prayers and acts of charity.
