India Festivals 2027: Dates and Where to Go
Festival dates for 2027, which are worth a trip and how to plan around them.
By Dhruv Poonia, Digital & Marketing Manager, Colourful Indian Holidays · Published 26 October 2026
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The big India festival dates in 2027: Holi on 22 March, Dussehra on 9 October, Diwali on 29 October and the Pushkar Camel Fair around the Kartik Purnima full moon on 14 November. The full list is below, in date order, with where each is best seen. Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, so dates move every year and can differ by a day between calendars. Always confirm before you book flights. Looking for the festivals themselves rather than the dates? See our guide to India's cultural festivals.
India Festival Dates for 2027
| Date (2027) | Festival | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 15 January | Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan | Kite festival across Gujarat and North India. Some calendars list 14 January. |
| 26 January | Republic Day | A fixed date. The main parade is in Delhi. |
| 18 to 20 February | Jaisalmer Desert Festival | Ends on the Magh Purnima full moon (20 February). One source, so confirm with Rajasthan Tourism. |
| 6 March | Maha Shivaratri | A night of devotion at Shiva temples across India. |
| 21 March | Elephant Festival, Jaipur, and Holika Dahan | The Elephant Festival is held on the eve of Holi. See our Elephant Festival page. |
| 22 March | Holi | The festival of colours. See our festival tours. |
| 15 April | Ram Navami | Celebrates the birth of Rama. |
| 5 July | Rath Yatra, Puri | Giant chariots pulled through Puri in Odisha. |
| 2 August | Nashik Simhastha Kumbh: first Amrit Snan | Bathing day announced for the Kumbh at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar. See below. |
| 4 August | Hariyali Teej | Women's monsoon festival, celebrated in Jaipur. See our Teej Festival page. |
| 17 August | Raksha Bandhan | Siblings' festival, celebrated across North India. |
| 25 August | Janmashtami | Krishna's birthday, with big celebrations in Mathura and Vrindavan. |
| 31 August | Nashik Simhastha Kumbh: second Amrit Snan | Bathing day announced for the Kumbh at Nashik. |
| 4 September | Ganesh Chaturthi | A ten-day festival, biggest in Mumbai. |
| 11 to 14 September | Onam | Kerala's harvest festival, with Thiruvonam on 12 September. See our Onam page. |
| 11 and 12 September | Nashik Simhastha Kumbh: third Amrit Snan | 11 September in Nashik and 12 September in Trimbakeshwar, as announced. |
| 30 September | Navratri begins | Nine nights of dance and worship. Some calendars start on 1 October. |
| 9 October | Dussehra | Effigies of Ravana are burned across North India. |
| 29 October | Diwali | The festival of lights. Lakshmi Puja is on 29 October, and some South Indian calendars mark Deepavali on 28 October. See our Diwali page. |
| 14 November | Kartik Purnima and the Pushkar Camel Fair | The fair's main day is the full moon. Confirm the start with Rajasthan Tourism. See our Pushkar Fair page. |
Dates cross-checked on 26 October 2026. Where a date comes from one source only, we say so.
Which Festivals Are Worth Planning a Trip Around?
- Holi and the Elephant Festival, 21 and 22 March: the most colourful days of the year in Rajasthan, in the pleasant end of the season. See the Elephant Festival and plan a Rajasthan route around it.
- Jaisalmer Desert Festival, 18 to 20 February: folk music, turban-tying and camel events in the desert, in cool weather.
- Diwali, 29 October: lamps and fireworks across the country, at the start of the best season. See our Diwali page.
- Pushkar Camel Fair, around 14 November: one of the world's largest camel fairs, in Rajasthan. See our Pushkar Fair page.
- Onam, 11 to 14 September: Kerala's harvest festival, with boat races and feasts. It falls in the monsoon, so plan for rain. See our Onam page.
What About the 2027 Kumbh Mela at Nashik?
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh is held once every twelve years on the Godavari. It begins on 31 October 2026, with bathing days (Amrit Snan) announced for 2 August, 31 August and 11 to 12 September 2027. Sources report the end date differently, so check the official programme before you plan. These dates were announced in 2025 and can change. Kumbh crowds are among the largest in the world, so book hotels and transport well ahead and expect restrictions on movement on bathing days. See our Kumbh Mela page.
How Should You Plan Around a Festival?
- Book hotels and trains early. Rooms near a big festival fill first, and rates are usually higher.
- Allow a buffer day either side. Roads and attractions can be crowded or closed on the main day.
- Confirm the date a few weeks before you fly, because lunar dates can shift by a day.
- Ask us to build the trip around the festival. Our tours are private, so we can set the days to match.
For the weather at that time of year, see our month-by-month guide and when-to-go planner.
Sources
- HinduPad: Hindu Festivals 2027
- OfficeHolidays: Public Holidays in India in 2027
- Hindu Blog: Hindu Festivals 2027 Calendar
- Patrika: Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027 dates announced
- The Week: Simhastha Kumbh Mela to begin in Nashik-Trimbakeshwar on Oct 31
- Happy Fares: Jaisalmer Desert Festival 2027
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Diwali in 2027?
Diwali falls on Friday, 29 October 2027, with Lakshmi Puja on that day. Some South Indian calendars mark Deepavali on 28 October.
When is Holi in 2027?
Holi is on Monday, 22 March 2027, and Holika Dahan is the evening before, on 21 March. Jaipur's Elephant Festival is held on the eve of Holi.
When is the Pushkar Camel Fair in 2027?
The fair's main day is Kartik Purnima, the full moon on 14 November 2027. The fair builds up over the days before, so confirm the start date with Rajasthan Tourism.
When is the Kumbh Mela in 2027?
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh begins on 31 October 2026, with bathing days announced for 2 August, 31 August and 11 to 12 September 2027. Check the official programme for changes.
Why do festival dates change every year?
Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, not the Gregorian one, so dates move each year. They can also differ by a day between regional calendars.
Dhruv Poonia is the Digital & Marketing Manager for Colourful Indian Holidays, working alongside a family travel business that has arranged tours across India, Nepal and Bhutan since 2007. He also oversees the company's sister sites, Rajasthan Travel Agency and Palace on Wheels Tour.
He writes and maintains the destination guides, route information and travel advice published on this site, drawing on his day-to-day work planning itineraries for international travellers to keep every page accurate and current.
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