Alleppey (Alappuzha) · Kerala
Onam celebrations on houseboats — special Onasadya (feast of 26+ dishes on banana leaf) served aboard kettuvallam. Decorated boats, Thiruvathira dance on deck.
August-September (10 days)
Alleppey (Alappuzha) · Kerala
The oldest boat race in Kerala, predating Nehru Trophy. Snake boats race on the Pamba River near Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. More ritualistic and spiritual than the Nehru Trophy. Boats are never painted.
September (Onam period)
Ambaji · Gujarat
A major pilgrimage fair at Ambaji temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, attracting hundreds of thousands of devotees during the full moon of Bhadrapad month. The fair features devotional rituals, folk music, Garba performances, and in recent years, grand drone light shows.
September (Bhadarvi Poonam full moon, typically early September)
Champawat · Uttarakhand
Fair at the Baleshwar Temple complex and Nanda Devi Temple in Champawat — the ancient capital of the Chand dynasty — with Chholia war dance and folk processions.
September (Bhadra Ashtami)
Chitkul · Himachal Pradesh
Post-harvest celebration in India's last inhabited village on the Indo-Tibet border, with Kinnauri dances, archery, and offerings at the Mathi temple.
September (after harvest)
Lenyadri · Maharashtra
The primary festival at the Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak temple, celebrating Lord Ganesha's birth. Girijatmaj means 'son of Parvati' — legend holds the goddess meditated 12 years in Lenyadri for Ganesha's birth, and he grew there for 15 years. The temple, carved into the mountain cave, hosts elaborate pujas, abhishek (ritual bath), and aartis attracting pilgrims from across Maharashtra to this sacred Ashtavinayak shrine.
August–September (Shukla Chaturthi; 10-day festival)
Mahad (Raigad — Ashtavinayak) · Maharashtra
The major festival at the Varadvinayak Ashtavinayak temple in Mahad, celebrating Lord Ganesha's birth. The temple features elaborate ceremonies including pranpratistha (idol consecration), abhishek (ritual bathing), and special pujas. The temple's swayambhu (self-manifested) idol is said to have been discovered in an adjacent lake in 1690, and an oil lamp in the shrine has been burning continuously since 1892. Thousands of devotees visit during the 10-day festival.
August–September (Shukla Chaturthi; 10-day festival)
Morgaon · Maharashtra
The signature festival at Morgaon's Mayureshwar (Moreshwar) temple, the first of the eight Ashtavinayak shrines. The festival features elaborate rituals, abhishek (ritual bathing of the idol), maha-aarti ceremonies, bhajans, and kirtans. Thousands of devotees throng the temple seeking Ganesha's blessings, and the atmosphere is filled with devotion and celebration. Morgaon village's name itself means 'village of peacocks,' reflecting its sacred status.
August–September (Shukla Chaturthi; 10-day festival)
Ganpatipule · Maharashtra
The grand celebration at the 400-year-old Swayambhu Ganapati Temple, one of Maharashtra's most sacred Ganpati shrines. Devotees perform pujas on the golden sands with the Arabian Sea as backdrop, attend aartis, and participate in the traditional Ganpati visarjan procession around the coastal town.
August–September (Shukla Chaturthi; 10-day festival)
Astavinayak Circuit · Maharashtra
The Astavinayak Circuit's signature festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha across eight sacred temples (Ojhar, Morgaon, Theur, Ranjangaon, Siddhatek, Lenyadri, Mahad, Pali). This ancient 8-temple pilgrimage is most crowded during this 10-day festival when devotees visit all temples for darshan and special pujas.
August–September (Shukla Chaturthi; 10-day festival ending on Anant Chaturdashi)
Ranthambore · Rajasthan
Thousands visit the 1,000-year-old Trinetra Ganesh Temple inside Ranthambore Fort, believed to be the only temple where Ganesh is shown with his entire family.
September (Bhadra Shukla Chaturthi)
Satara · Maharashtra
UNESCO-listed plateau erupts with hundreds of wildflower species. Daily visitors capped. Online permits required.
September-October (4-6 weeks)
Leh · Ladakh
Polo matches, archery, traditional music, masked dances. Cultural performances at multiple monasteries.
September 1-15
Badrinath · Uttarakhand
Annual fair honouring Mata Murti, mother of Nar and Narayan, held on the banks of the Alaknanda River with rituals and local festivities.
September
Gagron Fort · Rajasthan
Annual colorful fair held at the mausoleum of Sufi Saint Mitthe Shah, located just outside Gagron Fort. Features music, rituals, and traditional communal gatherings celebrating the intersection of regional faith, folklore, and harmony.
September–October (Muharram, lunar calendar)
Kiphire · Nagaland
A six-day harvest festival celebrated by the Sangtam Naga tribe in Kiphire. Mongmong means 'Togetherness Forever' and involves various rituals, traditional dances, feasts, and thanksgiving ceremonies to honor the gods for a bountiful harvest of crops.
September 1-6
Nako · Himachal Pradesh
Festival at the sacred Nako Lake in Spiti with Buddhist prayer ceremonies at the 11th-century Nako Monastery, folk dances, and boating on the high-altitude lake.
September (varies)
Roopkund · Uttarakhand
Trekkers and pilgrims gather at Bedni Bugyal (en route to Roopkund) for Nanda Ashtami prayers at the high-altitude meadow shrine.
September
Nainital · Uttarakhand
Grand procession carrying the idol of Nanda Devi through Nainital's Mall Road with folk music, Chholia dance, and decorated floats.
September (Bhadra Ashtami)
Ranikhet · Uttarakhand
A vibrant fair dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi with colourful processions, folk music, and traditional Kumaoni dance.
September
Munnar · Kerala
The Neelakurinji flower (Strobilanthes kunthiana) blooms once every 12 years, covering entire hillsides in blue-purple. The last bloom was 2018, next expected around 2030. When it happens, it is one of nature's greatest spectacles.
August-October (once every 12 years)
Nubra Valley · Ladakh
Cultural festival showcasing the Balti and Nubra heritage with yak polo, double-humped Bactrian camel rides at Hunder dunes, and traditional music.
September (varies)
Namchi · Sikkim
Festival honoring Mount Khangchendzonga, the guardian deity of Sikkim. Celebrated at Samdruptse Monastery in Namchi with masked Cham dances, religious ceremonies, and fireworks. Commemorates the consecration of Khangchendzonga and the Treaty of brotherhood among Lepchas and Bhutias.
Late August / Early September (15th day of 7th Tibetan lunar month)
Sangla Valley · Himachal Pradesh
Festival celebrating wildflower blooms in upper Kinnaur, featuring processions of local deities, traditional folk dances, and reenactments of ancient war scenes in traditional attire. Three-day 'Ukhyang' celebration at Sangla Valley organized by Kinnaur administration.
September 15-25 (16th Bhadrapada in lunar calendar)
Kalpa · Himachal Pradesh
Kinnauri flower festival where locals collect alpine wildflowers from high meadows and decorate homes, temples, and deity palanquins to welcome autumn.
September (varies)
Aalo · Arunachal Pradesh
Post-harvest festival of the Adi and Galo tribes — buffalo sacrifice, ritual dances, traditional rice beer (apong). 3-5 days of community celebration centred around agricultural gratitude.
First week of September
Pasighat · Arunachal Pradesh
Solung is the most significant socio-religious festival for the Adi community in Pasighat, marking the completion of crop sowing and transplanting. The five-day celebration features the Ponung dance performed by women of all ages, animal sacrifices to appease agricultural deities, traditional weapon crafting, narrative songs honouring ancestral stories, and community feasts with locally brewed rice beer shared as a gesture of unity.
September 1–3
Tirumala · Andhra Pradesh
The largest and most significant annual festival at Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala-Tirupati. Nine-day celebration featuring daily processional vahanas (chariots) with the deity and consorts Sridevi/Bhudevi, culminating in spectacular chariot processions through temple streets. Attracts pilgrims globally.
September–October (9 days, Aasveeyujamu month; 2024: Oct 3–12)
Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar Pradesh
Annual Sufi death anniversary at the dargah of Salim Chishti with qawwali sessions, prayers, and thousands of pilgrims seeking blessings.
September–October (1st–6th Rabi-ul-Awwal)
Ziro Valley · Arunachal Pradesh
India's coolest indie music festival set in the Apatani tribal valley. Camping under stars, craft beer, independent artists from across Asia. Intimate crowd, no corporate sponsors.
Last week of September