Festivals in Rajasthan

Desert Festival

Where: Jaisalmer
Duration of Festival:3 days (Comes to end on full moon day)
Special attractions: Cultural shows

Vibrant desert festival in Jaisalmer is a wonderful opportunity to experience the sandstones and magical castles. The festival lasts for 3 days- one can experience fancy camel ride, participate in camel races, polo matches, turban tying competitions and various other things. The best part about the festival is the folk dance performance on the last day of the event. The major attractions of the desert festival of Jaisalmer include snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats, folk performers, fire dancers and various other things that will capture your heart.

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Bikaner Camel Festival

Where : Bikaner
Duration of Festival: 2 days
Special attractions: Spectacular and unusual camel performances.

Join this festival and witness some of the best camel performances. Bikaner camel festival showcases the creative side of the people as they perform various activities like camel decoration, camel hair cutting, camel milking and camel dancing. Beside this, there is an enlightening celebration organized by the end of the day. Every year this fest is organized by Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, of Bikaner, Government of Rajasthan. Euphoric performances keep on entertaining visitors. On the final day of fest, there is a magnificent firework which lights up the entire city of Bikaner.

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Nagaur Fair

Where: Nagaur (137 km from Jodhpur towards Bikaner)
Duration of Festival: 4 days
Special attractions: Cattle Fair, Methi & Mirch (chillies)

Nagaur Fair is the 2nd largest cattle feast in India. This carnival provides the largest platform for trading cattle, cows, bullocks, oxen, camel and horses. People are seen wearing vibrant dresses and long moustaches. Visited by many tourists every year, Nagaur Fair captures the essence of Rajasthan and will blend you with their beautiful culture. Folk and cultural competition keeps on happening side by side. Various games like tug-of-war, camel races, cock fights etc are organized for the entertainment of tourists.

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Pushkar Fair

Where: Pushkar
Duration of Festival: 13 days
Special attractions: A Camel Safari, Hot Air Ballooning

Every year in the month of Kartik, Pushkar Mela is celebrated. Drawing in 50,000 camels and 200,000 people, this fair is considered as the largest platform to buy and sell camels, cattle and horses - most of the trading, however, is completed in the days leading up to the fair. This carnival gathers camel traders and associates from all the parts of the world. One can witness unusual performances like camel dancing, bump riding, neck shaking and various other things. A huge camel procession is organized on the 1st day followed by various competitions and trading activities. Owners decorate their camels with paints, jewellery, cloths etc. By the end of the day, live dance and music performances are organized to celebrate the culture of Rajasthan. One the last day, fireworks are organized to lighten-up the entire city and illuminate the deserts of Pushkar.

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Elephant Festival

Where: Jaipur
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Traditional procession of decorated elephants

Here comes Holi and the best manner to celebrate it in Rajasthan is by being a part of the Elephant festival. This parade is considered as a symbol of Rajasthan royalty. This event begins with a huge procession of large and beautiful elephants. For this special day, elephants are groomed, painted, dressed and embodied with heavy ornaments like gold. All the participants of this festival are female elephants and they take part in race, tug of war and polo. The festival pulls huge crowd and is loved by all. Beside this, there are live musical and dance performance too.

Mewar Festival

Where: Udaipur
Duration of Festival: 3 days
Special attractions: Cultural performances on folk music!

Here comes the spring! This is the time when Mewar festival takes place. During this festival, women carry the statues of Isar and Gangaur towards Lake Pichola. The whole city of Udaipur is decorated beautifully in colourful streamers and one can feel that a grand celebration is round the corner. The Mewar festival is one of the most important celebrations of Udaipur and the rich culture of Rajasthan is at its all time best. This is an event that should not be missed if you are travelling to Udaipur!

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Mount Abu : Winter Festival

Where: Mount Abu
Duration of Festival: 3 days
Special attractions: Cultural festival

During the last weekend of December, a cultural festival is organized in Mount Abu. Warm hospitality, folk dance performances, ceremonial processions and colourful culture make this festival an unforgettable experience. Huge firework enlightens the deserts of Pushkar on the last day.

From worship of camels, elephants to sculptures, Rajasthan has shown its religious side in every aspect. This time, plan your holiday in this ‘land of celebrations’ and blend yourself with the colourful fiesta of ethnic traditions. The fairs and festivals of Rajasthan welcome visitors to India from all over the globe.

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Mahashivratri

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Shiv temple decoration in colourful manner

Mahashivratri is considered as the most auspicious festival and celebrated all over India. Lots of mythological beliefs are associated with this festival. Lord Shiva is facilitated with honey, flowers and bel leaves. Most of the women keep a vigilant fast on this day. Celebrations take place throughout the night, and people keep on chanting devotional songs; devotees also take a dive dip in the holy River ‘Ganga’

Holi

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 2 days
Special attractions: festival of colours

The colourful state of Rajasthan celebrates Holi much the same way as Mathura. Crowds of people come together before the full moon night and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves of the winter. On the second day, people throw coloured water and powders (gulal and kumkum) at each other and make merry. Singing, dancing and the traditional beats of dhol add to the gaiety of the occasion.

Gangaur Festival

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 18 days
Special attractions: Reverence of Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati

Soon after Holi, the people of Rajasthan celebrate the festival of Gangaur. It commences on the day right after Holi and lasts for 18 days. The festival is celebrated by the womenfolk with great enthusiasm and devotion for Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva. While married women worship Gauri, unmarried women worship the Goddess to get blessed with good husbands. All the female members gather to dress the image of Isar and Gangaur and then carry them in a ceremonial procession through different parts of the city. This is the time of year when all the women put their best foot forward and look like a diva.

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Mount Abu: Summer Festival

Where: Mount Abu
Duration of Festival: 3 days
Special attractions: Live shows, CRPF road show, processions

To celebrate the exuberance and spirit of this small hill station, every year Mount Abu organizes a 3 days cultural festival on Buddh Purnima. This carnival starts with a procession, live dance programme on the first day, followed by sports activities like skating race, horse race, boat race and various other on the 2nd and the 3rd day. The festival comes to an end with an electrifying fire work and a road show by the CRPF band.

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Urs Fair

Where: Ajmer
Duration of Festival: 6 days
Special attractions: Night-long dhikr/zikr qawwali singing

During this festival thousands of pilgrims, Sufis and tourists head to Ajmer in Northern Rajasthan to celebrate the festival of Urs, to commemorate the death anniversary of Moinuddin Chisti. Music in the form of quawwalis is constantly performed both in the dargah compound as well as outside its gates. The entire city is decorated with lights and frills.

Guru Purnima

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Thanksgiving ceremony

This is the day when you can thank everyone who has taught you spiritual lessons in life. It is celebrated on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad.

Teej

Where: All over Rajasthan (particularly in Jaipur)
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Uplifting occasion filled with singing, swinging, and dancing

To improve the marital status of their lives, women in Rajasthan fast on the day of Teej for marital bliss. Teej plays a very significant role in the life of women as they celebrate this festival in the honour of Parvati, who is also known as 'Teej Mata’. Other than this, it is a very colourful festival where all the ladies enjoy swing, sing, apply heena and adorn themselves with all the jewellery. A special sweet called “ghewar” is prepared specially for this day and also served as Prasad. Teej provides an opportunity to renew family bonds.

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Raksha Bandhan

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 1 day

Rakhi reflects the sweet relationship of a brother and a sister. All the girls tie a thread on their brother’s wrist and in-return all brothers give a promise to their sisters that they will protect them always. This is a special day to celebrate the emotional bonding of siblings. The ritual is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan

Marwar Festival

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 2 days
Special attractions: folk music, live dancing

This lively festival is celebrated for two days during the full moon of Sharad Purnima. The carnival displays the traditional dance and music of Marwar region bringing to life the heroes of Rajasthan. Various other competitions are organized on this day including the regal games of horse and polo.

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Navratri

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 9 days

Considered as the most auspicious 9 days of the Hindu calendar, Navratri is celebrate with great fervour and verve all across Rajasthan. Worship and fasting takes place during the day time while the nights are reserved for feasting and dancing.

Ashwa Poojan

Where: Udaipur
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Worshipping the Horse

On the 9th day of Navratri, a regal festival for the worship of horse is organized in Udaipur. This one of its kind festival acknowledges the special relationship between honour and horse. During this festival, the horse is worshiped by the eldest member of the house; the religious ceremony is followed by a mouth-watering Rajasthani cuisine treat.

Dussehra

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 1 day
Special attractions: Carnival, rides

To celebrate the victory of good over evil, Dusshera is celebrated all over Rajasthan. This day also symbolizes triumph of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. Huge and colourful processions of Lord Rama is organized everywhere. To celebrate the victory of Lord Rama, paper statues of Ravana along with Meghnath and Kumbhkaran are set on fire; this is followed by a huge carnival where people can enjoy sweets, food, rides, dance and musical performances.

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Diwali

Where: All over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 5 days
Special attractions: Festival of lights, firework

Considered as the festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated as the homecoming of Lord Rama. This 5 day long carnival is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Houses and shops are given a rigorous spring clean before being lovingly decorated with fairy lights, patterned lanterns and colourful rangolis/kolams. Puja is organized in the evening to seek the blessings of Devi Lakshmi. After the religious ceremony, people share sweets with family and neighbours, followed by splendid fireworks. People exchange gifts and enjoy them as much possible. These 5 days are considered very auspicious as people purchase utensils and cloths, some even start new business during this time.