Chennai Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

Chennai's annual calendar is chock full of exciting festivals that give tourists plenty of extra options when looking for things to do. Many of the local events showcase elements of South Indian culture, especially in dance and cuisine.

Keep in mind the fact that dates change from year to year, as most cultural and religious observances coincide with phases of the moon rather than dates on the Gregorian calendar.

Chennai Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Mallapuram Dance Festival - South Indian dances are the main attraction, performed on a centuries-old stage by the sea. This is one of the year's best-attended events
• Pongal - families gather to celebrate the New Year by boiling milk in a new pot, believed to promote prosperity
• Tyagaraja Festival - a famous South Indian composer is remembered through a series of musical performances and art exhibitions

February

• Natyanjali Dance Festival - honouring Lord Nataraja (the 'cosmic dancer'), taking place at the Chidarbaram Temple
• India International Leather Fair - a major leather trade fair that brings merchants, craftspeople and shoppers to the city in huge numbers

March

• Arubathimoovar Festival - the icons of more than 60 saints of Shiva are taken from Kapiliswar Temple and paraded through Chennai in a colourful processional
• Ramanavami - late March / early April, a country wide celebration of the birth of Rama, with various festivities staged in all Hindu temples throughout the city

April

• Tamil New Year - the traditional New Year in this part of India is celebrated in April, when locals go to the temple for special prayers and then visit one another's houses
• Buddha Jayanti - late April / May, falling on the full moon and commemorating the birth of Buddha

May

• Chithirai Festival - celebrating the legendary marriage of Lord Sundareswarar and his princess. Players wear whimsical costumes
• Kavadi Festival - a 'kavadi' is a floral decoration paraded through the streets on this day. The procession goes from the city centre up to Palani Hill

June

• Kanthuri Festival - several days long, this event honours St. Quadirwali, a universalist who believed in the validity of all faiths

July

• Saral Vishai - an annual bathing festival, where participants head to Cortallam Falls for water rites and religious ceremonies
• Naag Panchami - a Hindu festivity dedicated to Ananta the serpent. Expect lots of snake charming on the streets

August

• Velankanni Festival - a Christian celebration that honours the ground where sailors from 16th-century Portugal were wrecked and saved. A shrine at the spot where they were rescued is said to have miraculous powers
• Summer Festival - a fun time to be in Chennai, with activities including boat races, games and Tamil cultural exhibitions
• Independence Day - August 15th, anniversary of the day that India gained its independence in 1947

September

• Bhava Bhavanam Festival - lavishly costumed performers tell the story of Katha Bali Badham through a complex series of traditional dances

October

• Navrati - known as the 'Festival of Nine Lights', locals pray to Sakthi, a goddess who grants health and luck to her devotees
• Gandhi Jayanti - October 2nd, a public holiday celebrating the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

November

• Karthigai Deepam - another festival of lights, although this one is held locally and not across Greater India. Lamps glow outside of homes and the city sponsors a major fireworks display
• Eid al-Adha - an Islamic holiday remembering the religious beliefs of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim)

December

• Music Festival - an Indian music fest with plenty of local flavour and musicians showing up from all over the subcontinent to perform