Rajasthan is a kaleidoscopic beauty of color, culture, royalty, heritage, and tradition. Rajasthan’s beauty is derived from its diverse and unique culture. The best way to embrace this culture is by taking part in the fairs and festivals of Rajasthan. This hospitality of the land is impeccable, and you will be welcomed to enjoy the festival like a local person.
Summer is the hottest time in the dry land of Rajasthan. But at the same time it is the best time to view the affluent heritage and culture. This is the time when most culture programs are organized and the artistes perform colorful folk songs and dances in the vibrant Rajasthani attire.
It is also the best time to taste the delectable cuisine & sweets. There are a number of festivals celebrated in this colorful way and several fairs are organized during these seasons in Rajasthan.
Here are the top fairs and festivals to enjoy in Rajasthan.
1. Rajasthan International Folk Festival
This festival was introduced by the government as a way to promote the vanishing art of folk dance and music. This festival is celebrated during Sharad Purnima, which is the most vibrant full moon of the year. Although the festival celebrates all art forms, the music is given more importance. More than 200 international and local musicians visit Rajasthan to be a part of this festival. Apart from dance, music, poetry, and others, you can find many touristy activities and stalls in the location.
Location: Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
When is it celebrated?
From 10 Oct to 14 Oct 2020
2. Pushkar Camel Fair
This is the largest camel fair of the country celebrated at the banks of the scared Pushkar Lake. This festival is a trading market for camel, which holds numerous attractions like music, dance, gypsy entertainments, puppet shows, competitions, art performances, parades, and others. The fairground holds many stalls, which sells souvenirs, delicacies, and others. The best of all is the delicacies made with camel milk. This fair takes place for five days, and some of the tourists camp in the fairground to enjoy bonfire and celebrate with music and dance along with traders.
Location: Pushkar Fairground
When is it celebrated?
From 22 Nov to 30 Nov 2020
Also Read: Pushkar Camel Fair: Essential Festival Guide
3. Teej Festival
This is one of the grandest Hindu festivals of Rajasthan. Teej is celebrated by the womenfolk for the welfare of their husbands. It is also celebrated to welcome the monsoon season by singing, dancing, swinging on swings built under trees, and others. According to mythology, this is the day when Lord Shiva and Parvathi got together. The stalls around the regions of celebration will be filled with souvenirs and seasonal delicacies.
Top delicacies to try during this festival are Malpua and Ghewar. The best of all is the procession of Goddess Parvathi in which, women carry idols of the deity on their heads or in palanquin and walk through the streets with dance and music. You get to watch the women in their traditional colorful dresses.
Location: Many places of Rajasthan, especially Jaipur
When is it celebrated?
It is celebrated on 23 July 2020
Read More: Teej Festival in Jaipur – A Colorful Celebration
4. Summer and Winter festivals of Mount Abu
You would be familiar with the fact that Mount Abu is the only hill town of Rajasthan. During peak summer and winter, the land celebrates three-day carnival to attract tourists. The Summer Festival takes place in May (peak summer), and Winter Festival takes place in end of December (peak winter). The festivals are conducted with dance, music, procession, competition, and so on. Many stalls will be erected for shopping, and other activities. By the end of each day, the fairground is decorated by lighting many fireworks. Tourists stay back to watch the fireworks light up the sky.
Location: Nakki Lake and Polo Ground of Mount Abu
When is it celebrated?
6 May to 7 May 2020
5. Mewar Festival
This is a traditional festival of Udaipur, which celebrated to mark the beginning of spring. This is one of the grandest festivals of Rajasthan. The entire city of Udaipur will be in festival mood, decorating their houses, dressing up in traditional attire and so on. A large procession takes place through the major streets of Udaipur. In this procession, locals carry decorated idols on their head. During this procession, locals take part in dance, music, and celebration. This is one of the cultural festivals famous for its color and beauty.
Location: Udaipur
When is it celebrated?
27 Mar to 29 Mar 2020
Also Read: Mewar Festival in Rajasthan 2020 – A Complete Guide
6. Kota Adventure Festival
This is the festival for adventure lovers. As the name indicates, this festival gives importance to adventure activities like rock climbing, kayaking, windsurfing, angling, rafting, rural exploration, parasailing, trekking, and others. This is a week-long celebration, where service providers offer many adventure packages and activities. If you wish to enjoy water based activities, visit Chambal River. If you are looking for high altitude activities, choose Kishore SagarTalab.
Location: Kishore SagarTalab and Chambal River of Kota
When is it celebrated?
October 18th to November 5, 2020 (Needs Confirmation)
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7. Jaisalmer Desert Festival
As the name indicates, this is a Jaisalmer festival celebrated to enjoy the beauty of the desert. This is a three-day festival celebrated during February. You can find an array of competitions and activities like moustache competition, dance, music, gymnastic stunt, Mr. Desert competition, puppet shows, and others Many stalls will be erected around the fairground, where you can enjoy many delicacies of the land and buy interesting souvenirs. This is one of the liveliest festivals of Rajasthan.
Location: Sam sand dunes, Jaisalmer
When it is Celebrated?
7 February to 9 February 2020
8. Gangaur
Gangaur festival is also associated with Lord Parvathi and it is usually celebrated at the same time of Mewar Festival in Udaipur. The main element of celebration of this festival is the grand procession of elephants, chariot, palanquins and others. The locals join the procession with dance, and music as they carry idols. The festival ends with fireworks. This festival is celebrated to welcome Lord Parvathi to Earth.
Location: Jaipur and surrounding regions
When it is Celebrated?
10 March to 27 March 2020
9. Jaipur Literature Festival
To be honest, this is not as glamourous and festive like the other festivals of the land. However, this is the largest free literature festival of the world. This festival takes place for five days and is participated by hundreds of Nobel laureates, debut novelists, booker prize winner, and others. Many activities like book reading, seminar, debates, and others take place. Many stalls will be conducted for book sales throughout Jaipur.
Location: Diggi Palace of Jaipur
When it is Celebrated?
23 January to 27 January 2020
10. Nagaur Camel Fair
Nagaur Cattle Fair is one of the biggest camel fairs right after Pushkar Camel Fair. Every year, more than two lakhs people including tourists, traders, and buyers take part in this festival. Apart from trading activities, the festival is also famous for animal race, cockfights, animal beauty contest, tug-of-war, dance, music, and others. By evening, the trading ends and the traders get together to enjoy the day with dance and music. Some tourists stay back in the fairground to celebrate with the traders and watch them get their animals ready by early morning. The fairground holds numerous stalls for purchasing souvenirs, spices, delicacies, and others.
Location: Nagaur of Jodhpur
When it is Celebrated?
30 January to 2 February 2020
11. World Sufi Spirit Festival
This is an international festival, which is celebrated with artists from around the world. You can find participants from Mongolia, Italy, Africa, Afghanistan, and several parts of India. This is a festival of music, dance, debate, seminar and others related to spreading the Sufi teachings. This festival takes place in Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur and also in Nagaur Fort.
Location: Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
When it is Celebrated?
14 February to 15 February 2020
12. International Kite Festival
The harvest festival, Makar Sankranthi is celebrated throughout the country for three days. Each state and community celebrates this festival in a unique manner. Rajasthan celebrates it with kites. This festival is usually called as Jodhpur International Desert Kite Festival. As the name indicates, people fly kites to celebrate the day. However, Jodhpur takes it to the next level by releasing kites with the help of helicopters. Hundreds of kites decorate the sky at the same time. Children celebrate the day by releasing bunches of balloons into the sky. It is a very beautiful and colorful festival to watch.
Location: Polo Ground of Jodhpur
When it is Celebrated?
7 January to 14 January 2020
13. Bikaner Camel Festival
Just like other camel festivals, Bikaner also celebrates an extravagant camel trading festival for two days. During this festival, many camel related competitions take place like camel games, camel race, camel beauty contest, and others. You can also enjoy folk dance, music, and other art forms. A large fair is conducted for souvenir hunting and delicacy tasting. By the end of each day, fireworks are lit to decorate the sky.
Location: Karni Singh Stadium of Bikaner
When it is Celebrated?
11 January to 12 January 2020
14. Brij Holi
This festival is celebrated a little before the famous Holi, the festival of colors. This is a grand celebration among the locals of Bharatpur. People dress up as Lord Krishna and Radha and celebrate the festival with song and dance. The cultural programs are crafted to express the beauty of love between Lord Krishna and Radha. By the end of the festival, people celebrate it like Holi by drenching each other in colors.
Location: Brij, Bharatpur
When it is Celebrated?
4 March 2020
15. Chandrabhaga Fair
This is a religious fair and festival celebrated during October or November. This festival is actually a cattle fair celebrated along the banks of River Chandrabhaga. The river is considered sacred and thousands of pilgrims visit the region during the festival to take a holy dip. Later, cattle fair is conducted with camel based activities, dance, music, and others.
Location: Jhalrapatan of Jhalawar
When it is Celebrated?
Dates not Confirmed yet
16. Sacred Festival
This is the festival of music and spirituality. Pushkar is an important religious state in Rajasthan. This festival is celebrated to bring musicians together to celebrate the spirituality of music. The festival is celebrated with music performances, holistic therapies, heritage walks, workshops, and others. You can find a large market erected closer to Jaipur Ghat for souvenir hunting, tasting delicacies, and so on. This festival is celebrated as a way of rejuvenating the whole body and soul.
Location: Jaipur Ghat of Pushkar
When it is Celebrated?
13 February to 16 February 2020
17. Bundi Utsav
Bundi Utsav is one of the major festivals of Bundi. This festival is celebrated to enjoy the heritage of the land. During this festival, dance and music celebrations are very common. Apart from those, you can find numerous interesting activities and games like moustache competition, turban weaving competition, water sports activities, races, games, and much more. This festival is very famous for Shobha Yatra ritual. A large fair is conducted to enjoy souvenir shopping, delicacy tasting, and watching artisans make masterpieces. This festival is celebrated in November or December.
Location: Bundi of Haodti District
When it is Celebrated?
THis festival is celebrated in the month of november every year.
18. Kumbhalgarh Festival
This festival is celebrated to commemorate the art and culture of the land. This festival was started by Maharana Kumbha, and was celebrated at his palace, the Kumbhalgarh Fort. The fort will be decorated with lights and other decorations. All the chandeliers and art works will be at display in the fort. Many artisans from around the world take part in this festival to showcase their art works.
The festival is celebrated for three days and the theme for each day is different. Apart from art exhibitions, the festival is also famous for cultural performances and competitions. The top dance forms of the land like Langas, Kalbeliyas, Kachi, Odissi, and other dances will be conducted by experts. Music and other cultural celebrations take place too. This is one of the important festivals of the land, which attracts locals and international tourists.
Location: Kumbhalgarh Fort of Kumbhalgarh
When it is Celebrated?
1 December to 3 December 2020
19. Baneshwar Festival
Baneshwar Festival is a tribal celebration conducted in Baneshwar, a small delta region of River Soma. This festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Top attractions of this festival are tribal fairs, processions, acrobatic shows, animal performances, magic shows, dance and music celebrations, and night procession. Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are worshipped during this festival and thus, the locals celebrated with two fairs in the past, one for each God. However, today, both the fairs are combined together to form a grand celebration. This festival usually takes place in February.
Location: Baneshwar
When it is Celebrated?
5 February to 9 February 2020
20. Kolayat Festival
This is a traditional fair celebrated to spread the craft and art wealth of the land. This festival takes place closer to Kolayat Lake. The festival starts with a religious holy dip in the lake. This is considered as a way to remove worldly sins from the body. The ghats of the lake will be decorated and you can find numerous rituals in each ghat. Many stalls will be erected around the region for selling souvenirs, art works, and delicacies.
Location: Bikaner
When it is Celebrated?
10 November to 12 November 2020
The exact date of these festivals varies each year, based on the lunar calendar. The region will be quite crowded during festive season. Thus, be prepared for the same. The best way to enjoy Rajasthan is by visiting it during any festival. If you plan so, make sure to keep half your luggage empty, as you will find a lot of interesting souvenirs to hunt in the stalls of the festival region. Festivals of India are always associated with cultural celebration, shopping, and delicacies.
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