Skip to content
Naksh.iq

FESTIVALS · KERALA · JANUARY

Kerala festivals in January.

4 festivals this month — dates, locations, and travel tips.

Bekal Fort Festival

Bekal

Cultural festival at the historic Bekal Fort. Theyyam performances, Yakshagana theatre, Kalaripayattu demonstrations, local food stalls, and folk art exhibitions against the fort-and-sea backdrop.

January (3 days)

Cherai Pooram (Gowreeswara Temple Festival)

Cherai Beach

Annual festival at the 1912-built Gowreeswara Temple (also called South Pazhani) featuring Kavadi Utsavam honoring Lord Subramanian and the spectacular Pooram procession. The festival showcases 20–30 caparisoned elephants with gold-plated caparisons, decorated with bells and necklaces. Traditional offering: Ilaneer abhishekam (tender coconut ablution). Concludes with Arattu (ritual bathing of the deity).

Late January to early February; Pooram Nakshatra day (Makaram month)

Malabar Mahotsavam

Kozhikode (Calicut)

Cultural festival celebrating Malabar's heritage. Classical music, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kalaripayattu, and a massive food festival featuring Malabar biryani and halwa competitions.

January (3 days)

Periyar Flower Show

Thekkady (Periyar)

Annual flower exhibition at Periyar featuring Western Ghats endemic species, orchid displays, and spice flower collections. Held against the backdrop of Periyar Lake.

January (3 days)

ALSO ON NAKSHIQ

Eight more rooms in the magazine.

Guides

Visa, scams, food, packing.

Everything the guidebook won't tell you — written for India in 2026.

Blog

Field notes from the road.

Long-form reads on regions, festivals, and the offbeat circuit.

Road trips

Curated multi-day routes.

Driving itineraries with day-by-day stops, distance, and difficulty.

Collections

Themed reading lists.

Wettest places. Sacred lakes. Solo-female-safe. Curated cuts.

NakshIQ 100

The 100 best destination-months.

India's highest-scoring places, ranked across all 12 months.

The Window

Our weekly newsletter, archived.

One honest spread, every Sunday. The full back catalogue.

Skip list

What we'd skip — and what we'd do instead.

Overhyped places with honest alternatives.

First trip

Planning your first time in India.

Safety, scams, what to wear, food survival, solo female travel.