Festival calendar

Thaipusam

Palani Murugan Temple, Vadapalani, and across major Murugan shrines in Tamil Nadu.

Kila Raipur Sports Festival

Held at the Grewal Sports Stadium in Kila Raipur village, near Ludhiana, Punjab.

Kalaghoda Arts Festival

The Kala Ghoda Heritage Precinct, extending across the historic Fort neighborhood in South Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Goa Carnival

Goa

Ali-Ai-Ligang

The Mising heartland along the Brahmaputra — Majuli, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur.

Bumchu

Tashiding Monastery in Gyalshing district, West Sikkim — a Nyingma monastery founded in 1641.

Chandigarh Rose Festival

The Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Sector 16, Chandigarh — all thirty acres of it.

Dosmoche

The historic courtyards of the Leh Palace, Diskit Monastery in the Nubra Valley, and Likir Monastery in Ladakh.

Lai Haraoba

At Umang Lai — sacred grove — shrines across the Imphal valley and the surrounding hills.

Maha Shivratri

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).

Mahashivratri at Gangeshwar Mahadev, Diu

Gangeshwar Mahadev, a cave shrine among tidal rocks on the Arabian Sea shore at Fudam village, about 3 km from Diu town.

Masi Magam

The Puducherry seafront — chiefly the beach at Vaithikuppam at the north end of the promenade, and the beach at Veerampattinam to the south.

Surajkund International Crafts Mela

Surajkund Mela Ground, Faridabad district, Haryana, beside the tenth-century Surajkund reservoir.

Yanam Venkanna Babu Kalyanotsavam

Yanam, the Puducherry enclave on the Godavari delta in coastal Andhra Pradesh, roughly 800 km from Puducherry town.

Losar (Tibetan New Year)

Celebrated across Himalayan Buddhist regions, particularly in Ladakh, Dharamshala and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), and Sikkim.

Khajuraho Dance Festival

Staged in the open-air courtyards adjacent to the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

Bhagoria Mela

West Nimar, Jhabua, Alirajpur, and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh, as well as bordering zones of Gujarat.

Sekrenyi

Kohima district and Dimapur district, prominent across ancestral Angami villages like Touphema, Khonoma, and Kisama in Nagaland.

Lathmar Holi (Barsana)

Celebrated in the historic towns of Barsana and Nandgaon within the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.

Lui-Ngai-Ni

Celebrated across all Naga-inhabited districts of Manipur, with the main, grand rotating venue hosted in towns like Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, or Chandel.

Taj Mahotsav

Shilpgram, Taj Mahal na Eastern Gate pase, Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

Nyokum

Papum Pare, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, and East Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh, with massive public grounds in Nirjuli and Itanagar.

Bangalore Karaga

Dharmaraya Swamy Temple, Pete vistar, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Shad Suk Mynsiem

The open-air festival grounds at Weiking Field, Jaiaw, Shillong, East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya.

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)

Punjab, Haryana, and major Sikh diaspora hubs globally.

Bihu

Assam and across the Brahmaputra Valley.

Cheiraoba

Throughout the state of Manipur, particularly centered in the domestic courtyards and sacred hilltops of the Imphal Valley.

Puthandu

Across the state of Tamil Nadu, with grand celebrations in major temple hubs like Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, and Chennai.

Vishu

Celebrated across the state of Kerala, as well as by Malayali communities in neighboring regions and worldwide.

Asol Aap

Big Lapathy Beach, Car Nicobar. The 2023 course ran on open sea from Chukchucha to Kinmai village.

Baisakhi in Chandigarh

Gurdwaras across the city rather than one venue, including Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Sector 46-D.

Chad Sukra

Jowai, West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, with Seiñ Raij chapters elsewhere holding their own.

Meghalaya Strawberry Festival

Sohliya village, Umsning block, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya — the origin site and usual inaugural venue.

Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year)

West Bengal, Tripura, and across Bengali diaspora communities worldwide.

Sakewa

Kirat Khambu Rai communities across Sikkim, with observances recorded at Namchi, Gangtok and Ranka.

Kollam Pooram

Asramam Sree Krishna Swamy Temple grounds, Kollam, Kerala.

Chithirai Festival (Madurai)

Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Garia Puja

Across the state of Tripura, observed with immense religious devotion inside both rural tribal hamlets and urban administrative quarters.

Thrissur Pooram

Centered entirely at the Vadakkunnathan Temple grounds in Thrissur, Kerala.

Aoling Festival

Mon district, Nagaland, across all Konyak Naga tribal settlements and ancestral villages.

Hanuman Jayanti

Celebrated pan-India; particularly popular in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Sindhu Darshan

Shey Manla, situated beautifully on the rocky banks of the Indus River, approximately 8 km from Leh, Ladakh.

Raja Parba

Throughout the state of Odisha, with high cultural fervor in coastal districts like Cuttack, Puri, and Khordha.

Goncha

Jagdalpur, Bastar district — the Jagannath temple and the ground beside the Jagdalpur Palace.

Mangani Thiruvizha

Karaikal town — the Karaikal Ammaiyar temple and the streets immediately around it. Karaikal is the Puducherry enclave on the Tamil Nadu coast.

Ambubachi Mela

Kamakhya Temple, Nilachal Hills, Guwahati, Assam

Hemis Festival

Celebrated at the Hemis Monastery, located 45 km southeast of Leh, Ladakh (high-altitude region in Northern India).

Champakulam Boat Race

Pampa River at Champakulam, Kuttanad region, Alappuzha district, Kerala.

Ganga Dussehra

Observed along the sacred banks of the Ganges, primarily in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Garhmukteshwar, and Patna.

Sao Joao Festival

Across the state of Goa, with intense, highly colorful celebrations in villages like Siolim, Anjuna, and Candolim.

Ker Puja

Tripura, centered heavily inside the royal palace compound in Agartala and expanding across designated traditional tribal village blocks.

Tendong Lho Rum Faat

Tendong Hill above Damthang, near Namchi in South Sikkim, is the sacred centre.

Bastar Dussehra

Jagdalpur, Bastar District, Chhattisgarh

Mim Kut

Mizo villages across Mizoram, and among Kuki and wider Zo communities in Nagaland, Manipur and the adjoining Chin areas.

Nanda Devi Mahotsav

Almora, at the seventeenth-century Nanda Devi temple in the Mall area, and Nainital at Mallital Flats beside the Naina Devi temple.

Nanda Devi Raj Jat

Chamoli district, Garhwal. It sets out from Nauti village near Karnaprayag and from Kansuwa in Chandpur; the two processions join at Nandkeshar and walk to Homkund.

Neermahal Water Festival

Rudrasagar Lake and the Neermahal water palace at Melaghar, Sepahijala district, about 50 km from Agartala.

Teej (Hariyali / Hartalika)

Predominantly celebrated in Northern and Western India, particularly across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

Teej at the Rock Garden

The Rock Garden of Chandigarh, Nek Chand's forty-acre sculpture garden in Sector 1, Chandigarh.

Teeyan

Across the state of Punjab, heavily observed in rural courtyards, village common grounds, and institutional cultural arenas.

Drupka Tseshi

Throughout Sikkim, with core monastic prayers at Deer Park in Gangtok, Muguthang in North Sikkim, and various major monasteries.

Onam

Celebrated throughout the state of Kerala, observed universally across all religious communities.

Narali Purnima

Coastal Maharashtra, the Konkan belt, Mumbai, and Goa, heavily centered in historic fishing villages (Koliwadas).

Rakhi Purnima (Gamha Purnima)

Pan-India as Raksha Bandhan; celebrated with distinct cattle-centric and temple traditions as Gamha Purnima in Odisha.

Raksha Bandhan

Celebrated extensively across Northern, Western, and Central India, as well as by Hindu communities worldwide.

Aranmula Boat Race (Uthrattathi)

Pampa River, near the Sree Parthasarathy Temple, Aranmula, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.

Nehru Trophy Boat Race

Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha district, Kerala.

Jitiya Vrat (Jivitputrika)

Bihar, Jharkhand and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.

Bathukamma

Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh

Mysuru Dasara

Centered in the historic royal city of Mysuru (Mysore) in the state of Karnataka.

Navratri

Celebrated nationwide across India, with iconic Garba and Dandiya dances in Gujarat, and massive public celebrations across Mumbai and Delhi.

Tirupati Brahmotsavam

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Jhiri Mela

Jhiri village, about 14 km from Jammu city.

Nongkrem Dance Festival

Smit village, Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya.

Theyyam Festival

North Malabar region (Kannur, Kasaragod districts) of Kerala

Durga Puja

Preeminent in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and among the Bengali diaspora.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

Celebrated pan-India; most famous in Mysore (Karnataka), Kullu Valley (Himachal Pradesh), Bastar (Chhattisgarh), West Bengal (as Durga Puja's end), and northern Ramlila venues.

Kullu Dussehra

Centering entirely at the Dhalpur Maidan in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh.

Marwar Festival

Jodhpur, Mandore vistar, Rajasthan.

Atla Tadde

Across Andhra Pradesh, especially the coastal districts.

Karva Chauth

Predominantly celebrated across Northern and Western India, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Festa de Diu

Across Diu island, staged in four zones — the beaches at Ghoghla and Nagoa, the Naida Caves, Diu Fort, and an amphitheatre.

Hornbill Festival

Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, located near Kohima, Nagaland.

Konark Dance Festival

Held at the open-air auditorium with the Konark Sun Temple as the backdrop, in Puri district, Odisha.

Feast of St. Francis Xavier

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa (Velha Goa), Goa.

Galdan Namchot

Throughout Ladakh, across all households and major Gelugpa monasteries such as Thiksey, Likir, and Spituk.

Urs Ajmer Sharif

Island Tourism Festival

The ITF Ground on VIP Road, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The 2025 edition ran at thirteen venues across South, North and Middle Andaman.

Madai

Bastar division and Kanker district — Charama, Kurna, Narayanpur and many other villages each hold their own.

National Minicoy Festival

Kodi Beach and the lagoon at Minicoy, the southernmost island of the archipelago, 398 km south-west of Kochi.

Pawl Kut

Statewide across Mizoram — in farming villages as part of the agricultural cycle, and in Aizawl and other towns as a community occasion.

Visakha Utsav

RK Beach (Ramakrishna Mission Beach), Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh.

Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and major Vaishnavite shrines across India.

Losoong (Namsoong)

Christmas

Iconic in Goa, Kerala, Northeast India, and major metropolitan cities.

Christmas in Mizoram

Every locality and village in Mizoram, through the church rather than the street. Aizawl has the largest concentration.

Sunburn Festival

Goa, usually hosted across prominent beachside venues like Vagator or Candolim.

Commemoration of Netaji's First Flag Hoisting

Flag Point, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Andaman & Nicobar Islands, with observances at the Cellular Jail complex and the Martyrs Column.