Festival Calendar
Festivals in November
27 festivals happening across India in November
Bali Jatra
Asia's largest open-air trade fair. Celebrates ancient maritime links between Odisha and Southeast Asia (Bali, Java, Sumatra). Boat races, cultural programs, mega fair.
Bundi Utsav
Cultural festival in the lanes of Bundi with processions, fireworks, turban-tying, traditional music, and tours of the town's famous stepwells and murals.
Chalakudy River Festival
River conservation festival celebrating the Chalakudy River ecosystem. Nature walks, documentary screenings, river cleanup, and community events. Emphasizes the campaign to protect Athirapally from hydroelectric projects.
Chandigarh Carnival
Three-day city carnival with float parades down Sector 17, open-air concerts at Rock Garden, food stalls, and cultural performances at Sukhna Lake.
Cherry Blossom Festival
India's only cherry blossom festival — Shillong's streets turn pink as Prunus cerasoides bloom. Live music, photography walks, food stalls, and a Japan-like aesthetic in the hills.
Chhath Puja
Bihar biggest festival — 4-day sun worship on Ganga ghats. Standing in water at dawn offering arghya to rising sun. Massive and ancient.
Chhath Puja at Netarhat
Tribal Chhath celebrations at Jharkhand hill station. Combines Bihar tradition with Jharkhand tribal elements.
Darjeeling Tea & Tourism Festival
Week-long festival showcasing Darjeeling's world-famous tea culture, local cuisine, music, and adventure tourism with tea garden visits.
Deepotsav
Millions of diyas lit along Saryu river. Ram Leela performances. India's biggest Diwali event.
Dev Deepawali
A million diyas light up all 84 ghats along the Ganga. Priests perform grand aarti. The entire riverfront becomes a cascade of fire.
Dudhwa Tharu Cultural Festival
Festival showcasing the indigenous Tharu tribal culture with traditional dances, handloom exhibitions, and guided safaris to spot the endangered swamp deer (barasingha).
Guruvayur Ekadashi
The most important festival at Guruvayur Krishna Temple. Elephant processions, all-night singing, thousands of oil lamps. Lakhs of devotees. The temple courtyard becomes a sea of devotional energy.
Hampi Utsav (Vijaya Utsav)
Cultural festival recreating the grandeur of the Vijayanagara empire. Puppet shows, classical dance, music concerts, fireworks against the boulder landscape.
Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut Fair)
Massive groundnut fair at Bull Temple Road. Farmers offer the first harvest of groundnuts to Nandi. Heaps of fresh groundnuts sold. Street food carnival.
Kartik Purnima at Somnath
Grand celebrations at the first of 12 Jyotirlingas. Special puja during Kartik Purnima. Light festival on the coast.
Laksha Deepotsava
Festival of a lakh (100,000) lamps lit around the Dharmasthala temple complex. Cultural programs, mass feeding of pilgrims (Annadaana).
Lucknow Festival
Ten-day cultural extravaganza showcasing Awadhi heritage with kathak performances, qawwali nights, chikan embroidery exhibitions, and the famous Lucknow food festival.
Manikaran Guru Nanak Birthday
Grand celebrations at Manikaran Sahib Gurudwara where food is cooked in natural hot springs, with special kirtan and langar serving thousands of pilgrims.
Matsya Festival
Cultural festival at Alwar's Siliserh Lake and city palace featuring folk performances, handicraft exhibitions, and boat rides celebrating the Matsya kingdom heritage.
Nongkrem Dance
The most important Khasi festival — men in feathered headdresses and swords, women draped in gold silk, goat sacrifice, and five days of thanksgiving to the goddess Ka Blei Synshar.
Pushkar Camel Fair
50,000+ camels traded. Mustache competitions, longest turban contests, hot air balloons over the desert.
Rudraprayag Kartik Purnima Mela
Fair at the Rudranath and Chamunda Devi temples at the confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers, with oil lamp floats on the river and Garhwali folk performances.
Sangai Festival
Manipur's biggest tourism and cultural showcase — named after the endangered Sangai deer of Loktak Lake. Traditional dance, indigenous sports, handloom exhibitions, and local cuisine.
Sarnath Light & Sound Show Season
The archaeological site hosts a light-and-sound show narrating the story of Buddha's first sermon, drawing large audiences during the tourist season.
Shatrunjaya Mahotsav
Jain pilgrimage festival at Shatrunjaya Hill (863 temples). Mass pilgrimage with special ceremonies.
Theyyam Season
Kerala's most electrifying ritual art. Performers transform into deities with elaborate costumes, face paint, and towering headgear. Enter trance states and perform superhuman feats. Hundreds of different Theyyam forms across North Kerala temples.
Wangala (100 Drums Festival)
100 drums played simultaneously as the Garo tribe celebrates the post-harvest season. Horn-blowing, mass tribal dance, and a rhythm that shakes the hills.