Festival Calendar
Festivals in February
36 festivals happening across India in February
Ashtamudi Craft & Coir Festival
Festival celebrating Kollam's coir (coconut fibre) and cashew heritage. Coir craft demonstrations, boat races on Ashtamudi Lake, cashew tasting, local art exhibitions.
Auroville Anniversary
Anniversary of Auroville's founding in 1968. Bonfire ceremony at the Matrimandir amphitheatre. Earth from 124 nations (brought at the original ceremony) is symbolically honored. Open to visitors with advance registration.
Banashankari Temple Fair
Chariot procession and temple fair at the ancient Banashankari Amma Temple. Folk performances, rural market, devotional music.
Baneshwar Fair
Massive tribal fair at the confluence of Som and Mahi rivers where Bhil tribals gather for a holy dip, folk dancing, and paying respects at the Baneshwar Mahadev Temple.
Beach Festival
Water sports competitions, beach volleyball, sandcastle building, local seafood festival.
Brihadeeswara Temple Festival
Annual Maha Kumbabishekam and cultural festival at the UNESCO temple. Classical music, Bharatanatyam, Carnatic concerts against the backdrop of the 1,000-year-old temple. Nightly illumination.
Buddha Mahaparinirvana Day
Pilgrims from across the Buddhist world gather at the Mahaparinirvana Temple housing the 6m reclining Buddha, with prayer ceremonies, lamp offerings, and meditation retreats.
Champaner Heritage Festival
Cultural celebration at the UNESCO site. Classical music, heritage walks, archaeological exhibitions.
Desert Festival
Camel polo, turban-tying races, Mr. Desert competition, folk music under the stars at Sam Sand Dunes.
Dosmoche Festival (Diskit)
Two-day Buddhist festival at Diskit Monastery in Nubra Valley with Cham masked dances, ritual destruction of evil effigies, and prayers for the new year.
Elephanta Festival
Classical music and dance at the ancient caves. MTDC organises performances at the cave entrance during sunset.
Fagli Festival
Ancient demon-chasing festival. Masked dancers, bonfires, local chang beer. Zero tourists.
Goa Carnival
India's only Mardi Gras — King Momo leads parades through Panaji with floats, music, dancing, and masks. Portuguese-origin festival unique to Goa.
Gopeshwar Shivratri Mela
Grand fair at the ancient Gopinath Temple where a trident stands exposed to all weather without rusting; thousands gather for night-long Shiva worship.
Gulmarg Winter Games
National-level skiing and snowboarding championships on Gulmarg's slopes, with the Gulmarg gondola — world's second-highest cable car — ferrying spectators to 3,980m.
Khajuraho Dance Festival
India's premier classical dance festival held against the backdrop of illuminated medieval temples, featuring Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, and more.
Losar
Tibetan Buddhist New Year — masked Cham dances at monasteries, ritual offerings, butter sculptures, community feasting, and monastery rituals across Sikkim and Arunachal.
Losar (Monpa New Year)
The Monpa tribe celebrates their New Year with traditional dances, yak-butter sculptures, archery contests, and community feasts at the monastery.
Losar (Tibetan New Year)
Tibetan Buddhist New Year celebrated with monastery prayers, traditional dances, feasting, and the hanging of new prayer flags.
Losar (Tibetan New Year)
Dalai Lama often gives public teaching. Tibetan opera, mask dances, butter sculptures.
Losar (Tibetan/Sikkimese New Year)
The Tibetan New Year is celebrated across Gangtok with monastery rituals, Cham dances, traditional food, and community gatherings.
Mahamaham Festival
Sacred bathing festival at the Mahamaham tank — millions of pilgrims take a holy dip when the celestial alignment occurs. Next Mahamaham expected ~2028. The town transforms completely.
Mahamastakabhisheka
Grand anointment of the 57-foot Gommateshwara statue with milk, saffron, coconut water, and sandalwood. Millions attend. Visible from kilometers away.
Mandi Shivaratri Fair
Over 200 village deities are carried in decorated palanquins to Mandi's Paddal Ground for a week-long International Maha Shivaratri Fair with cultural programs.
Natyanjali Dance Festival
Classical dance festival at the Nataraja Temple — 500+ dancers from across India perform Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi in front of the cosmic dancer. Night-long performances.
Nawalgarh Festival
Heritage festival in the painted havelis of Shekhawati with guided fresco tours, folk music, camel safaris, and traditional Marwari cuisine.
Neemrana Music Festival
Classical Indian music festival hosted at the 15th-century Neemrana Fort-Palace with performances by renowned artists in the stepped fort's courtyards.
Olive Ridley Turtle Festival
Conservation festival during peak turtle nesting at Gahirmatha. Awareness programs, guided nesting viewing, conservation education.
Patiala Heritage Festival
Festival at the Sheesh Mahal and Qila Mubarak showcasing Patiala's royal Sikh heritage with phulkari exhibitions, gatka martial arts, and the Patiala peg tradition.
Pattadakal Dance Festival
Classical dance performances at the UNESCO World Heritage temple complex. Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi against the backdrop of 7th-century Chalukyan temples.
Rose Festival
Annual flower show at Zakir Hussain Rose Garden — Asia's largest rose garden with 1,600+ species — featuring rose competitions, garden tours, and cultural programs.
Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
Asia largest tribal festival at Medaram. 10-20 million tribal devotees gather over 4 days. Honors tribal goddesses.
Sekrenyi
Angami Naga purification festival — ritual bathing in the village spring, community feast of rice and meat, war dances, and the symbolic cleansing of the year's sins.
SulaFest
India's premier wine and music festival at Sula Vineyards. Live music, wine tasting, food, grape stomping, hot air balloons.
Taj Mahotsav
Arts, crafts, music, and dance festival near the Taj Mahal. Artisans from across India showcase work.
Vasant Panchami
Grand Saraswathi Puja — children brought for Aksharabhyasa (first writing ceremony). Thousands of families participate.