Mon · Nagaland
The Konyak Naga spring festival — the former headhunter tribe's biggest celebration. Log drum beating, warrior dances with traditional tattoos and skull necklaces, and village-wide feasting.
April 1-6
Unakoti · Tripura
An annual pilgrimage fair held at the rock-cut Shaiva shrine of Unakoti attracting tens of thousands of devotees. The primary ritual centers on taking a holy dip at Ashtamikunda, considered highly auspicious for good fortune. The festival features music performances, traditional folk dance, cultural celebrations, and local food stalls. Devotees from various religions and castes congregate to honor the sacred site and its ancient rock-cut sculptures.
April
Amritsar · Punjab
Sikh New Year. Golden Temple lit up. Bhangra processions. Nagar Kirtan (holy procession).
April 13-14
Takht Sri Damdama Sahib · Punjab
Grand annual fair at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo) celebrating Baisakhi—the Sikh new year and harvest festival. Commemorates the foundation day of the Khalsa Panth (1699). Features colorful decorations, devotee gatherings, stalls selling traditional prashaad, sweets, and trinkets. Major pilgrimage site where Guru Gobind Singh compiled the Adi Granth.
April 13
Patiala · Punjab
Baisakhi celebrations at the historic Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib with kirtan, langar, nagar kirtan processions, and Punjabi folk performances.
April 13-14
Barot Valley · Himachal Pradesh
Angling festival in the Uhl River valley celebrating Barot's legacy as India's first trout hatchery established in 1909, with catch-and-release competitions.
April (varies)
Guwahati · Assam
Assamese New Year harvest festival — Bihu folk dance, buffalo fights, community feasts, and the sound of the dhol across every village. Assam's biggest celebration.
Mid-April (around Apr 14-15)
Chakrata · Uttarakhand
The Jaunsar-Bawar tribal New Year celebration with traditional Harul dance, animal sacrifice rituals, and community feasting — a unique Uttarakhand festival.
April 14
Daringbadi · Odisha
Spring horse dance festival of Kandhamal tribals. Performers wear bamboo horse frames, dance to drum rhythms. Ancient martial tradition.
April (Chaitra)
Talasari · Odisha
Annual pilgrimage festival held in the nearby village of Chandaneswar featuring worship at the ancient Shiva temple during the Hindu month of Chaitra. Thousands of devotees gather for ritual worship and fair celebrations.
13 days in Chaitra (April)
Baripada · Odisha
Biggest annual Chhau dance festival. Hundreds of performers in Mayurbhanj style (no masks). Fire performances, martial arts choreography.
April (Chaitra month)
Madurai · Tamil Nadu
Grand 12-day festival celebrating the divine marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareshwarar. Massive procession with temple chariot through Madurai streets. 1 million+ spectators. The celestial wedding is re-enacted at midnight.
April-May (12 days)
Fatehpur Sikri · Uttar Pradesh
Special congregational prayers at the Jama Masjid near the Buland Darwaza, followed by community feasting and celebrations.
April–May (varies)
Kavaratti · Lakshadweep
Island-wide festivities with special prayers, community feasts, boat races, and traditional music.
April/May (lunar)
Mount Abu · Rajasthan
Fair at the Dattatreya Temple atop Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of the Aravalli range, with devotees trekking up for blessings and panoramic views.
April (Vaishakh Purnima)
Sariska Tiger Reserve · Rajasthan
Grand fair organized at Pandupol Hanuman Temple within Sariska Tiger Reserve celebrating the birth of Lord Hanuman. Draws pilgrims and locals for rituals, prayers, and festive gatherings at the 5,000-year-old shrine.
March–April (lunar calendar)
Bengaluru · Karnataka
Ancient Dravidian festival where a priest carries a flower-decked pot on his head through old Bangalore streets all night. Sword-bearing Vahnikula Kshatriya warriors escort. Thousands follow.
March-April (9 nights)
Kasauli · Himachal Pradesh
Annual international music festival in the colonial-era Kasauli Club featuring jazz, blues, and rock bands performing amid pine forests at 1,800m.
April (varies)
Kolanupaka · Telangana
Grand Jain festival celebrating Lord Mahaveer birthday. Special puja to the 2000-year-old jade statue. Jain pilgrims from across India.
April (varies)
Aalo · Arunachal Pradesh
Harvest festival of the Galo tribe, held every year for the first 5 days of April since 1966 in Aalo. Celebrants smear each other with rice flour (a sign of goodwill), perform the Popir dance, and feast on communal rice beer.
April 1-5 (fixed dates)
Ahobilam · Andhra Pradesh
Festival celebrating the birth of Lord Narasimha at the nine-shrine Ahobilam temple complex in Nandyal, where mythology places the site of the deity's emergence from a pillar. Attracts thousands of devotees to this sacred Kshetra dedicated to the fierce lion-man avatar.
April 30 (Vaishakha Chaturdashi)
Pahalgam · Jammu & Kashmir
Tourism festival along the Lidder River valley with trout fishing competitions, horse polo, and Kashmiri folk performances amid blooming almond and cherry trees.
April (varies)
Pithoragarh · Uttarakhand
Kumaoni spring festival at Pithoragarh's Rai ground with masked dances, agricultural rituals, and a unique ritual ploughing ceremony symbolizing the farming season start.
April (Baisakhi)
Kolkata · West Bengal
Bengali New Year marking the first day of the Bengali calendar (Poila = first, Boishakh = first month). Celebrated across West Bengal with processions, fairs, traditional attire (women in saris, men in kurtas), family gatherings, and cultural performances. UNESCO recognised this festival as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2016).
April 14-15
Orchha · Madhya Pradesh
Grand celebration at the only temple in India where Lord Rama is worshipped as a king with a guard of honour and gun salute.
March–April (Chaitra Shukla Navami)
Jibhi · Himachal Pradesh
Fair at the ancient Shringa Rishi Temple near Jibhi in Banjar Valley, with devta (deity) palanquin processions, Nati folk dance, and community feasting.
April (Baisakhi)
Ujjain · Madhya Pradesh
One of four major Kumbh Melas in India, held in Ujjain when Jupiter enters Leo (Simha Rashi). Spans two months with three main Shahi Snan (sacred bathing) dates where hundreds of thousands of sadhus and pilgrims participate in grand processions and holy dips in the Shipra River, believed to cleanse the soul and lead to moksha.
April-May (every 12 years; next in 2028: 27 March–27 May)
Simlipal · Odisha
Festival celebrating the blooming of 96 endemic orchid species. Nature walks, tribal cultural programs.
April (orchid season)
Bhadrachalam · Telangana
Grand celestial wedding ceremony of Rama and Sita. State government sends traditional wedding gifts (Talambralu). 500,000+ attend.
April (varies)
Palampur · Himachal Pradesh
Celebrates the first flush of Kangra tea with tastings at local gardens, cultural programmes, and exhibitions on tea heritage.
April
Vagamon · Kerala
Annual Urs (pilgrimage) festival at Thangal Para, a Muslim pilgrimage centre 5 km from Vagamon at 2,500m elevation. Honors Sheikh Fariduddin, a revered 13th-century Sufi saint from Afghanistan. Thousands of devotees gather on this sacred day to offer prayers. Traditional sweet dish Ganjusakkar is made and distributed to all attendees.
Late April
Thrissur · Kerala
India's greatest temple festival. 100 caparisoned elephants face off in two groups at Vadakkunnathan Temple. Panchavadyam percussion orchestras of 200+ musicians. Competitive fireworks lasting 3+ hours through the night. 1 million+ spectators.
April-May (one day, full moon)
Pfutsero · Nagaland
A four-day harvest festival celebrated by the Chakhesang Naga tribe in Pfutsero to mark the successful harvest year and rejuvenate the community. The festival begins with a sacred purification ceremony involving the village priest's sacrificial offering, followed by merrymaking, traditional dances, sports, games, and leisure activities that reinforce community bonds.
May
Srinagar · Jammu & Kashmir
Asia's largest tulip garden — 1.5 million tulips in 60+ varieties below the Zabarwan hills.
Late March / April (2 weeks)
Belur · Karnataka
Diamond-studded crown placed on the Chennakesava idol. Grand procession through Belur town with the jeweled deity.
March-April (3 days)
Verinag · Jammu & Kashmir
Festival at the octagonal Mughal spring of Verinag — believed source of the Jhelum River — with Kashmiri Sufi music, garden tours, and trout-watching at Kokernag.
April (varies)
Yamunotri · Uttarakhand
Devoted worship of the river Yamuna on her sacred day with offerings, aarti, and ritual bathing at the source.
April (Chaitra Shukla Shashthi)