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India Festival Guide 2026/2027

Here is a brief overview of interesting festivals in India

If you'd like more information about events, please contact us.

Pushkar Camel Fair – Rajasthan

Date: 17–24 November 2026

Category: Culture, Photography, Desert

Description: One of the world's largest camel fairs with livestock trade, music, dance, competitions, and religious ceremonies.

Photogenicity: ★★★★★ | Crowds: ★★★★★

Hemis Festival – Ladakh

Date: June/July (Lunar calendar)

Category: Buddhism, Himalayas

Masked dances by Buddhist monks in Ladakh's most famous monastery.

Photogenicity: ★★★★★ | Insider Tip: ★★★★☆

Hornbill Festival – Nagaland

Date: 1–10 December

Category: Tribal Culture

The cultures of the Naga tribes are presented with dance, music, and traditional competitions.

Dev Deepawali – Varanasi

Date: November

Thousands of oil lamps illuminate the ghats of the Ganges.

Madras Music Season – Chennai

Date: December–January

The world's most significant festival for Carnatic music.

Regions

  • Rajasthan: Pushkar, Bikaner, Jaipur Literature Festival, Maru Mahotsav
  • Himalayas: Hemis, Losar, Phyang Tsedup, Saga Dawa
  • South India: Onam, Thrissur Pooram, Mysuru Dasara, Madras Music Season
  • Northeast: Hornbill Festival, Ziro Festival
  • Holy Cities: Dev Deepawali, Ganga Mahotsav, Ratha Yatra

Top 10 for Photographers

  1. Pushkar Camel Fair
  2. Hemis Festival
  3. Hornbill Festival
  4. Dev Deepawali
  5. Durga Puja
  6. Mysuru Dasara
  7. Thrissur Pooram
  8. Bikaner Camel Festival
  9. Ratha Yatra
  10. Ziro Festival

Recommended Itineraries

Winter: Jaipur → Bikaner → Surajkund → Jaisalmer

Summer: Leh → Hemis → Ladakh Monasteries

Autumn: Ziro → Kolkata → Pushkar → Varanasi

December: Nagaland → Chennai → Odisha → Goa

As of June 2026. Some traditional festivals follow lunar calendars and publish exact dates later.

Festival Guide

You can view the complete India Festival Guide below (german language) or download it for offline reading.

Download PDF Guide