Festivals in India: Best 10 to Experience

Rooted diversely in mythology, seasons, and harvest cycles, festivals in India offer travelers a kaleidoscope of colors, rituals, and communal joy. From the luminous Diwali to the riotous Holi, each festival provides unique insights into India's spiritual and social fabric. Here are India's popular festivals. You can single out your favorite and take a long immersion in it during your trip to India.

Diwali

Diya Oil Lamps

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is India's biggest event across the whole country to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. The two days of the festival are typically observed in the month of Kartik (October or November) according to the Hindu calendar, and it falls on October 20, 2025.

On the festival day, homes and streets are decorated with specially made oil lamps (diyas) and lighting lanterns. You may expect Indians to create a special colorful painting called Rangoli on the grounds of streets and public spaces. The paintings are fantastically made of flowers, chalk, and flour in different geometric patterns.

One of the best places to experience Diwali is Varanasi, with its breathtaking setting of Ganga Aarti, and Jaipur, dazzling with fabulous lighting decorations. Don't miss trying traditional sweets like ladoos and barfis as locals exchange gifts while soaking in the joyous spirit. The celebrations also include a magnificent display of fireworks and burning crackers, which is a great sight to take photos of. Since Diwali is a family-centric festival, many businesses will close, so plan travel and accommodations in advance.

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Holi

Locals Dyed by Holi Powder in Various Colors

Holi is considered one of the most riotous festivals celebrated throughout India. Falling on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna (February or March, and the 2026 date is March 4), it is famous for its exaggerated colors.

The most exciting tradition of Holi is the colorful feast of playing fair games. Thousands of people gather in open areas, throwing dry colorful powders and water-filled balloons or taking a shot with water guns at each other. The magical scene also comes with traditional Indian dances and music.

You can head to Mathura-Vrindavan or Barsana and be a real participant in the especially exuberant atmosphere. While soaking in the fun of the game, this Indian spring festival is also a time for local traditional snacks. Gujiya (sweet dumplings), malpua (pancakes), thandai (a flavored milk drink), and more Holi delicacies are worth a try. The festive celebration involves lots of people and colors of powder and water; it's essential to protect your eyes with sunglasses and use organic colors to avoid skin irritation.

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Dussehra

Marked on the 10th day of the bright half of the Hindu month, Dussehra symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, commemorating Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. This year, the annual festival happens on October 2. Besides rituals of prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples, Dussehra is celebrated with outdoor practices.

The common highlight must be the spectacular parade with massive effigies of Ravana (a mythical king of ancient Sri Lanka), which are burnt on the bonfire in the evening as a symbol to destroy the evil. Some regions will give a big Ramlila performance, where actors and artists reenact scenes from the epic Ramayana.

Kolkata in West Bengal is a recommended spot to see its wonderful Durga Puja. People worship and carry decorative idols of Goddess Durga to the local Hooghly River by dancing and chanting, and immerse these idols in the river. If traveling during Dussehra, expect large crowds, and the festival also signifies the start of Diwali preparations, so arrive early for events.

Navratri

Goddess Durga

Navratri is another important Hindu festival in Northern and Eastern India. It has two celebrations every year: Chaitra Navratri and Sharada Navratri.

Chaitra Navratri is known as Spring Navratri with special puja ceremonies dedicated to Goddess Durga, which begins on March 30 and ends on April 7, 2025. While Sharada Navratri is more popular, it begins on 22 September 2025 and lasts for over nine days due to different times of regional celebrations, which include the final event of Dussehra (on the 10th day).

The festival is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga, when devotees often go on a fast and come to temples for prayers. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, you can capture energetic Garba and Dandiya Raas dances where women in colorful chaniya playfully hit men in traditional kediyus with dandiya sticks while dancing in circles to rhythmic music.

In Kolkata, the iconic Durga Puja showcases a visual spectacle of stunning artistic idols immersed in rivers on the final day. Navratri features a vibrant blend of Indian rituals, music, dance, and colorful decorations nationwide. Connected to Dussehra, hotels will fill up quickly, and public transportation is limited, so make sure that you book early.

Elephant God Festival (Ganesh Chaturthi)

Elephant God Festival

Ganesh Chaturthi honors the birth of the beloved elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha, over a 10-day period, usually in August or September. It is celebrated on 27 August 2025. On the festival days, there are many clay-made statues of the Elephant God installed on the streets, homes, temples, and open places in the country. Many regions host grand processions with devotional dances and songs, especially Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja.

It is the most unforgettable moment experiencing idol immersion (Visarjan), where beautifully decorated idols of Ganesh are paraded through streets and carried to the nearby rivers, finally immersed in the holy waters.

For food savoring, you can taste locally made modak during Ganesh Chaturthi, a kind of sweet dumpling that is Ganapati's favorite sweet. An eco-friendly idol is available for buying in shops and pandals, but you should choose and install the idol properly, with a trunk bent towards the left and facing the north direction.

Pushkar Camel Fair

Pushkar Camel Fair

The Pushkar Camel Fair brings a unique fusion of busy trading and competitions in India's rural culture. The great fair is held in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan from Thursday, 30 October, to Friday, 5 November 2025. At this time of year, thousands of camels, cattle, and horses are traded in the market.

The fair is busy with street food vendors, folk music performances, and arts and crafts stalls. The thrilling sections are the camel racing (every participating camel is elaborately adorned) and mustache competitions (the winner is who boasts the longest mustache). There are also many Indian sports races during the fair, such as turban tying, wrestling (for men), the Matka Race (for women), and the Bride and Groom Competition (for foreigners).

You won't miss the night part when pilgrims congregate to take a dip in the town's cherished lake as the culmination of the Pushkar Fair. The fair is in the desert, quite a way from the town center, so the ideal accommodation and mobility choices may be camel carts and Pushkar camps.

Eid-Ul-Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr, also known as "Meethi Eid," is a joyous festival celebrated by Muslims across India to mark the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. There is no actual day depending on the moon sighting. The two-day event takes place on March 19 to 20, 2026.

The day begins with special prayers and a hearty meal at home or in mosques, where devotees are dressed in the finest clothes and exchange sweets with each other. In many places in India, traditional Eid dishes could be the staple diet of the celebrations. You get a chance to savor local authentic recipes at some food stalls, like kebabs (grilled lamb), biryani (rice stew), and khurma (noodles with milk and dried fruit).

Since Eid is a time for family gatherings, a great number of Indian Muslims return to their hometown. The tickets for public transport may fill up and rise in price around Eid, so be sure to make any reservations as early as possible.

Onam

Onam is the most captivating harvest festival of Kerala in South India. The 10-day celebration with a riot of Kerala's culture and heritage attracts visitors at home and abroad each year. In 2025, it happens from August 26 to September 5.

Kerala's people design intricate floral carpets with various petals on the ground in front of their houses to welcome King Mahabali. The large festival, along with traditional Kathakali dance performances, embraces phenomenal processions known as Athachamayam, which feature extravagant floats and elephants embellished with jewels.

Another popular focus is to watch snake boat races on rivers or lakes that are unique to the festival. You can't leave without trying the Onam Sadya, a classical 26-dish feast served on banana leaves.

Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri plays a prominent role for all Hindu devotees across India. The festival is celebrated in commemoration of the marriage of Lord Shiva on the new moon night of Phalgun. You can join this grandeur between February 15 and 16 in 2026.

Devotees observe fasting, chanting, and offering prayers all night. At midnight, temples are full of visiting pilgrims for Shiva ceremonies. You can witness Abhishekam, a mesmerizing way that the Lord Shiva idol is bathed with water, milk, honey, sugar powder, and ghee.

During the festival, some major temples will host a week-long Mahashivratri fair, like in the Bhootnath Temple in Mandi, where temporary shops, food stalls, and handicraft stalls are set up in a line for shopping and eating. The ritual also includes Varanasi's ghats hosting spectacular ceremonies, while Jammu's Mandir attracts thousands.

In Udaipur, the Jag Mandir lights up beautifully. Mahashivratri expects the massive influx of devotees on the occasion, and there may be traffic diversions and restrictions till the end of the Mahashivratri celebrations, so it's better to determine a viewing destination and hotel before the festival.

Krishna Janmashtami

Janmashtami celebrates Lord Krishna's birth on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrava, usually in August or September, which takes place on August 15 and 16, 2025, for two days.

The celebrating day contains the fast and skit reenactment of Krishna Puja's childhood. Temples and houses are beautifully decorated, and the air is filled with chants of "Hare Krishna." It offers extreme fun to watch devotees performing the "Dahi Handi" ritual in Mumbai, where a team of guys climb on each other to form human pyramids to break pots of curd. The pots are tied on a rope from a high building that needs lots of time and technique to complete.

For the firsthand moments of Janmashtami, it's nice to visit Mathura, the birthplace of Kanha, where you can take a glimpse into exclusive shows like hulanotsov, Rasleelas, and Ghatas, especially in the Krishna Janma Bhoomi temple complex.

Plan Your India Trip With Odynovo

India's festivals are a mesmerizing blend of devotion, tradition, and exuberance. Whether it's the explosive colors of Holi or the desert spectacle of Pushkar, each event invites travelers to immerse themselves in unparalleled local carnivals.

Plan your trip to India with Odynovo! We work to tailor individual itineraries and projects according to your preferences. Contact us and just time your visit around the festivals, we ensure you have unforgettable memories by interacting with friendly locals, witnessing incredible rituals, and savoring authentic festive foods.