The Festivals Calendar
India's living festivals, with the access you can't book yourself
Pushkar tents sell out a year ahead. Hemis monastery seats need permits. Hornbill camping is a logistics nightmare. fofees books it 4 to 18 months in advance, with a cultural briefing and a specialist fixer for every festival.
Plan around a festival12 months of India
| Month | Festival | State | Foreigner fit | Lead time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Jaipur Literature Festival | Rajasthan | ★★★★★ | 4 mo | Book hotels in Diggi Palace area early |
| Jan | Republic Day Parade | Delhi | ★★★ | 6 mo | Hard tickets; hotel constraint |
| Jan–Feb | Rann Utsav | Gujarat | ★★★★★ | 4 mo | White desert tents; sunrise photography |
| Feb | Goa Carnival | Goa | ★★★ | 3 mo | Beach festival window |
| Feb | Surajkund Crafts Mela | Haryana | ★★★ | 2 mo | Excellent textile shopping |
| Mar | Holi (Vrindavan & Mathura) | UP | ★★★★★ | 9 mo | Widow's Holi, Phoolon ki Holi, Lathmar |
| Mar | Holi (Pushkar / Jaipur) | Rajasthan | ★★★★ | 6 mo | Easier logistics than Vrindavan |
| Apr | Bihu | Assam | ★★★★ | 4 mo | Spring harvest |
| Apr | Pooram (Thrissur) | Kerala | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Caparisoned elephants, percussion |
| Apr–May | Khajuraho Dance Festival | MP | ★★★★ | 5 mo | Classical dance with temple backdrop |
| May–Jun | Buddha Purnima / Ladakh opens | Ladakh | ★★★★ | 6 mo | High-altitude logistics |
| Jun–Jul | Hemis | Ladakh | ★★★★★ | 9 mo | Masked dance, monastery |
| Jul | Rath Yatra | Odisha | ★★★★ | 6 mo | Massive crowds; specialist fixer required |
| Aug | Onam | Kerala | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Sadhya feast, Vallam Kali boat race |
| Sep–Oct | Ganesh Chaturthi | Mumbai | ★★★★ | 4 mo | Pandal hop; final immersion procession |
| Oct | Durga Puja (Kolkata) | West Bengal | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Pandal architecture circuit + food |
| Oct | Mysuru Dasara | Karnataka | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Royal procession, palace illumination |
| Oct–Nov | Diwali | Pan-India | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Best in Jaipur, Varanasi, Udaipur |
| Nov | Pushkar Camel Fair | Rajasthan | ★★★★★ | 9 mo | Tents sell out 12 mo ahead |
| Nov | Dev Deepawali (Varanasi) | UP | ★★★★★ | 6 mo | Ghat illumination, post-Diwali |
| Nov–Feb | Rann Utsav (continues) | Gujarat | ★★★★★ | 4 mo | |
| Dec | Hornbill | Nagaland | ★★★★★ | 9 mo | Permit required; specialist fixer; tribes |
| Year-rotating | Kumbh Mela | UP/MP/HR/MH | ★★★★★ | 18 mo | Major event; scale demands specialist team |