When To Go

Usually November, around the Kartik full moon

Thousands of camels, horses and traders on the dunes outside Pushkar, alongside one of the most important pilgrimage bathing days of the year. Extraordinary, and the single hardest week in Rajasthan for accommodation - if this matters to you, tell us nine to twelve months out.

Late October or early November

Rajasthan's cities put lamps along every parapet and haveli facade, and Udaipur and Jaipur are remarkable for it. Expect closures on the main day itself, higher prices either side, and fireworks late into the night, which is worth knowing if anyone in the party is a light sleeper or travelling with a nervous pet at home.

Usually March, at the full moon

Public and enthusiastic. Wear clothes you will throw away, and be aware the colour does not always come out of hair. Braj, near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is the more famous celebration, but Rajasthan's is easier to manage with children.

August, during the monsoon

Jaipur's monsoon festival, with processions and green and pink dress. A reason to consider a month otherwise marked as one to avoid.

March or April, shortly after Holi

Eighteen days honouring Gauri, with processions in Jaipur and Udaipur. Quieter than Holi and easier to watch than to join.

Usually February, around the Magh full moon

Three days of camel polo, turban-tying contests and folk music, ending on the dunes at Sam. Jaisalmer is small, so its best rooms go early for these dates.

August or early September

Kerala's harvest festival and the biggest event in its calendar: ten days of flower carpets, feasting, boat races and the Onam sadya served on a banana leaf. If you have Kerala family connections this is the week to be there, and it is the strongest single argument for travelling during the monsoon.

April or May

The largest temple festival in Kerala, with caparisoned elephants, percussion ensembles and an all-night fireworks exchange between two temples. Intense heat and enormous crowds, so not one for a gentle-paced itinerary.

Mid-April

Malayali new year, marked at home rather than in the street, with the vishukkani arrangement seen first thing on waking. Quietly domestic and lovely to be included in.

Usually August, on Punnamada Lake

Snake boats of a hundred rowers on the backwaters near Alappuzha. Grandstand seats need arranging well in advance.

Roughly December to April, in northern Kerala

Ritual possession performances in village shrines around Kannur, lasting all night. Not staged for visitors, which is precisely the point, and it needs a local introduction to attend respectfully.

February or March, in Thiruvananthapuram

Women cook offerings of sweet rice in clay pots along the city's streets, in one of the largest gatherings of women anywhere. Moving, and the city all but stops for the day, so plan around it if you are only passing through.

Usually late September or October

Nine nights of garba and dandiya raas, danced in courtyards and grounds across Gujarat until the early hours. Ahmedabad and Vadodara are the places to be, and nothing else in India is quite like it at this scale. For many of the families we plan for, being here for Navratri is the trip - so tell us early, because it is the single most requested week in the Gujarati calendar and accommodation goes accordingly.

Roughly November to February, on the Great Rann of Kutch

A tented festival on the white salt desert, with Kutchi crafts, music and full-moon nights on the flats. The Rann is only accessible in these months, so the window is not negotiable.

Mid-January

Gujarat's kite festival. The sky over Ahmedabad fills with kites from dawn and the rooftops become the venue. One of the easiest festivals to join with children, and one of the best.

Late October or early November

Diwali, followed the next day by Bestu Varas, the Gujarati new year. Family-centred rather than public, with businesses closed for several days - which affects what is open, so worth planning around rather than into.

Usually January, at the Sun Temple

Classical dance staged at the Modhera Sun Temple. Small, and beautifully sited.

August or September, near Surendranagar

A rural fair of Saurashtra's farming and herding communities, with embroidered umbrellas, folk dance and livestock. A rare chance to see village Gujarat in its finery, in the hot, humid end of the monsoon.

November, fifteen days after Diwali

Varanasi lights every step of every ghat with oil lamps, and the river reflects the lot. Widely considered the most beautiful night of the year on the Ganga. Accommodation with a river view is limited and goes very early.

Usually March, at the full moon

The Mathura and Vrindavan area celebrates Holi for over a week and more intensely than anywhere else in India. Remarkable to witness and genuinely overwhelming to be inside - we would talk through what level of involvement suits your party before building it in.

Every evening, all year

Not a festival, but the reason many people come. The nightly ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat happens whatever the season, and is at its best in the cooler months when the evenings are comfortable to sit through.

September or October

Ramnagar, across the river from Varanasi, stages a Ramlila cycle lasting a month. Traditional, unhurried and largely unvisited.

January or February at Prayagraj, in specific years

The Magh Mela is annual; the larger Kumbh cycles over twelve years. Scale here is on a different order from any other gathering, with all the logistics that implies. Ask us which year you are looking at, because the answer changes what is possible.

August or September

Krishna's birthday, celebrated at midnight in the places he was born and grew up. Deeply moving and extremely crowded; the temples are hard to reach on the night itself without careful planning.

The eve of Diwali, late October or November

The ghats of the Saryu are lit with lakhs of diyas. Accommodation in Ayodhya is limited, so many visitors stay in Lucknow and travel in.

October, starting when Dussehra ends elsewhere

Village deities are carried down from surrounding valleys to Kullu in palanquins, hundreds of them, for a week. Distinct from Dussehra anywhere else in India and firmly a local event rather than a spectacle laid on for visitors.

February or March

Tibetan new year, marked in Lahaul, Spiti and the Dharamshala area with monastery ceremonies and masked dance. Winter access to Spiti is limited, so this needs careful planning.

February or March

A week-long fair as deities converge on Mandi. One of the largest gatherings in the state and easily reached from the Kullu valley.

Usually July or August, in Chamba

A monsoon harvest fair with processions and folk music. Worth knowing about mainly because it gives a reason to be in a month that is otherwise best avoided.