Jaipur Events and Festivals

(Jaipur, Rajasthan, India)

Festivals are commonplace all through the year in Jaipur and throughout Rajasthan. Visitors lucky enough to experience one of the region's largest festivals and events will find plenty to enjoy and things to do, ranging from costumed processions through the streets of central Jaipur, kite-flying demonstrations, livestock markets and fairs with cattle and camels, and many fireworks displays.

Particularly popular in the Jaipur region is the Camel Festival each January, the Elephant Festival in March, and also the Gangaur Festival, which lasts for 18 days and features local girls dressed in their finest attire. Jaipur's main events are described below month by month.

Jaipur Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Camel Festival - mid-January, music, dancing, camel racing and a range of folk events, often involving camels. Held in the Bikaner area, a notable desert city close to Jaipur
• Nagaur Cattle Fair - mid-January, a large livestock fair in nearby Nagaur, close to Jaipur, also featuring a range of local sports and recreational activities
• Makar Sankranti / Kite Festival - January 14th, involving a holy dip into a religious tank at Galtaji, although these days, the kite flying has become the main attraction, where huge numbers of colourful kites take to the skies all over Jaipur
• Jaisalmer Desert Festival - mid-January, involving celebrations and trekking around Jaisalmer, including a 'Mr. Desert' competition
• Republic Day - January 26th, national holiday in Jaipur
• Baneshwar Fair - late January / early February, religious festivities at Baneshwar, with traditional rituals often based around Lord Shiva

February

• Chaksu Fair - February / March, locals from all over rural parts of Jaipur gather to join in the festivities, which include large numbers of tractors and trolleys, with general festivities

March

• Holi - mid-March, lively Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring, with coloured powders and waters being thrown around
• Sheetla Mata Fair - mid-March, featuring a cattle fair and additional bustling flea market in the Seel-ki-Doongri village, close to Jaipur, honouring the goddess of epidemic diseases
• Brij Festival - mid-March, marking the arrival of spring, with music, dancing and general joyous festivities around Jaipur and beyond
• Elephant Festival - mid-March, where groups of painted and decorated elephants join a long parade in front of large crowds throughout Rajasthan. Also expect to see horses, camels and polo matches
• Thar Festival - mid-March, based in Barmer, with cultural shows, traditional dancing and even puppetry
• Barmer Cattle Fair - mid-March, one of the largest cattle fairs of its kind in the whole of Rajasthan
• Shitla Ashtami - March / April, a religious festival held specifically to ward off small pox, based at the Shitla Mata temple
• Mewar Festival - March / April, singing, dancing, lakeside cultural events and even fireworks displays are held at Udaipur

April

• Tilwara Fair - early April, a fair specialising in local breeds of horses, held at Tilwara each year
• Gangaur Festival - early April, held throughout Jaipur and Udaipur and lasting 18 days, involving offerings of sweet food to the Goddess Parvati, together with processions and lots of sweets. Young girls are known to dress up in their finest clothes at this time

May

• Urs Ajmer Sharif - mid-May, remembering Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, with crowds gathering at shrines in Ajmer to join in the celebrations

June

• Summer Festival at Mount Abu - early June, folk dancing and a range of relaxing events take place at this cool hill station, dedicated to traditional Rajasthani music

July

• Naga Panchami - late July / early August, a chance to enjoy traditional snake charming at its best

August

• Teej Festival - early August, two-day festival in Jaipur, heralding the arrival of the rainy monsoon season, with decorated trees and a long parade, starting at the City Palace
• Independence Day - August 15th, national holiday within Jaipur and all around India

September

• Ganesh Chaturthi - early-September, celebrations based around the birth of the much-loved elephant-headed god, Ganesh

October

• Navratri - mid-October, often known as the 'Festival of Nine Lights', involving fasting and ritual meals throughout Jaipur and beyond
• Marwar Festival - mid-October, devoted to the area's rich folk music, with many folk concerts in nearby Jodhpur and Osiyan, close to Jaipur
• Khalkani Mata Mela (Donkey Fair) - mid-October, a major donkey market, where traders gather at Looniyawas, near Sanganer. You can also expect donkey racing and a series of other donkey-related events
• Jodhpur Riff - mid-October, often known as the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, including folk music, dancing and plenty of food to go around
• Dussehra Mela - mid-October, were huge effigies of historic demon characters of Ravana are burnt to celebrate how good triumphed over evil. Thousands of devotees gather at the Shila Mataji temple and throughout Koto
• Diwali - mid-October, amongst Jaipur's biggest traditional Indian events, with night-time lights, lanterns, candles and fireworks. You can also enjoy markets, decorated buildings and a host of local specialities
• Osian Cattle Fair - mid-October, large cattle fair at the nearby town of Osian
• Pushkar Mela / Fair - late October / early November, huge crowds bring their cattle to Pushkar, along with camels, horses, sheep and many other animals at this event, which is always popular with tourists

November

• Bundi Ustav - early November, cultural events, parades and fireworks at Bundi
• Kashavrai Patan - early November, thousands of pilgrims gather between Kota and Bundi, near to Jaipur, to celebrate the month of Kartika
• Kolayat Mela - mid-November, with spiritual men (sadhus) heading to Kolayat
• Chandrabhaga Fair - early November, a large cattle market based alongside the Chandrabhaga River, involving bathing in the sacred waters

December

• Winter Festival - early December, with folk music and dancing around Mount Abu