A Complete Guide to India’s Winter Festival Season

India is known as the “Land of Festivals”. Indians, no matter in which part of the country they are, love to celebrate. They love to laud their culture, their region, their food, their music and their people. Despite hundreds of festivals being celebrated across India, Indians still want to host vibrant event festivals where they can showcase their love for art, music and food. These are festivals that are held across the country, with different purposes, and winter seems to be the best time for people across regions to host these. The cooler weather makes it an ideal time for various festivals, where communities come together to embrace the warmth of community and tradition. Travellers from around the world come here to experience the beauty of India. Here is a list of the top winter festivals in India to visit this season -

Faguli, Himachal Pradesh

Dates: February/Early March

Credits: Travel Threads

Imagine yourself surrounded by colossal mountains, a community procession and masked farmer men dancing their way around. They’re wearing grass skirts and colourful costumes and are going around local Himachali homes to receive offerings in exchange of blessings. You’re curious, yet filled with a beautiful unexplainable feeling, the one that you get when you see a community celebrating their culture and their people. Welcome to Himachal’s Faguli festival. 

Faguli is celebrated to mark the end of winters and to welcome the ‘Falgun’ or spring. Popularly known as the ‘Mask Festival’, this 800-year old festival is celebrated with the idea of driving away bad spirits and welcoming good forces for the renewal and fertility of the land. It’s celebrated in the districts of Lahaul Spiti, Kullu, Manali and Kinnaur. The underlying theme of the festival is ‘Victory of Good over Evil’ but all these districts have varying customs and different ways of celebrating it. If you’re looking to explore authentic Himachali culture, then this is a must visit for you.

Rann Utsav, Gujarat

Dates: 1st December 2025 - 28th February 2026

Credits: Condé Nast Traveller India

Camels walking on a far-reaching white sand desert, the echo of soulful songs that tell tales of love and valor, stalls of Kutchi embroidery and bandhani textiles, beautiful luxurious tents pitched on the white ground and evenings filled with folk music, dance, and drama.

The Rann Utsav is a comprehensive package for anyone who is looking to explore the most ecologically and ethnically diverse region of Gujarat. It celebrates the region’s art, music, crafts, food, and natural beauty, especially the white salt desert that glows fabulously on full moon nights. The locals proudly show-off their culture through dance performances of Garba, Dandiya and other folk forms. Across the desert, you will also find hot air balloons and cultural safaris to nearby villages. Be sure to try the Kutchi cuisine and book a stay in the majestic tents that are set up in the white sand, exclusively for the Rann Festival.

Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

Dates: 1-10 December

Credits: Sandeepa Chetan

If you take a walk around the Kisama Heritage Village (around 12 km from Kohima) from 1-10 December, you’ll find a group of men with headgears full of hornbill feathers, chests wrapped in a red cloth, thighs covered in black skirts and their arms and legs adorned with bracelets, armlets and necklaces. Walk a little further and you might come across games such as archery, Naga wrestling and chilli eating contests. And if you’re seeing this, chances are that you’re at the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland.

Organized by the Nagaland government to preserve the cultural heritage of the Naga tribes, this festival is celebrated by the different tribes of Nagaland. It’s named after the ‘Great Indian Hornbill’, because this bird is a prominent figure in many of the folklores of the Naga tribe. During these ten days, Naga tribes from different parts of Nagaland showcase their traditions in the form of dance, music, art and food. Most dancers dress in hornbill feathers and beads and use traditional weapons to depict their rituals. Each tribe displays their tools, weapons, crafts, household items and food samples, in their traditional houses. This festival is a must-do for anyone who is looking for a raw and lively experience.

Perumthitta Tharavadu, Kerala

Dates: December 2025

Credits: Tripoto

Kerala is a popular travel destination during winters, and while most travellers check off Kochi, Allappey, Munnar and Varkala their lists, few go beyond these to explore the real cultural heritage of Kerala. It’s safe to say that if you haven’t experienced the music, dance, food and festivals of ‘God’s Own Country’, then you probably haven’t experienced the true beauty of the state. Among Kerala’s many cultural treasures, the Perumthitta Tharavadu festival stands out as a spectacular display of ritual art, devotion, and community spirit. It celebrates the dance form of Theyyam, where dancers paint their bodies to depict demi-gods, heroes, gods, ancestors and spirits. The festival is hosted at the ancestral house (tharavadu) called Perumthitta Tharavad in Kottamkuzhy, in the Kasaragod district of Kerala, as it honours the family’s ancestors and guardian spirits.

Kila Raipur Sports Festival, Punjab

Dates: Early February 2026

Credits: Tripoto

You can’t think of tractor pull contests, aggressive kabaddi and tug-of-war matches, competitive bullock cart races and a magnificent display of strength, endurance and skill, without thinking of Punjab. And that’s exactly what the Kila Raipur Sports Festival of Punjab offers – a unique rural experience that is rare to find in today’s urban India.

What started in 1993 as an annual rural meet for farmers in Punjab, this festival has now evolved into what is sometimes known as “Rural Olympics”. Farmers from across the state gather to celebrate the agricultural roots of the region. Be sure to plan the travel in advance if you’re visiting this festival and do not miss the food at the local punjabi dhabas on the way.

Uttarayan in Gujarat (International Kite Festival)

Dates: 14 January 2026

Credits: Sandeepa Chetan

A sky filled with kites of different shapes and colours, children and adults gathering on their terraces with Gujarati snacks and sweets, huge grounds filled with people who are competing in the International Kite Festival, the sun getting warmer and the season slowly transitioning from winters to summers.

The International Kite Festival, usually hosted on Uttarayan, marks the end of winter and the beginning of days getting longer and warmer, symbolising renewal. For Gujarati farmer communities, this is the start of a warmer season, a season that brings hope and the energy of good times ahead. The act of kite-flying is often seen as embracing the sun’s return, joy and freedom in the skies, and communal participation across ages and classes. While this is a traditional Gujarati festival, it has seen increased participation from travellers from 40+ countries, who want to showcase their kite flying skill at the festival. If you’re looking to experience a visual spectacle with colourful kites in the sky, then this festival is a must-do for you. Be sure to try the local dishes – undhiyu and jalebi, while you’re there.

Goa Carnival

Dates: 13-16 February 2026

Credits: Outlook Traveller

The smell of roasted sausages and bebinca drifting through the air, confetti fluttering over colonial-era avenues, dancers in flamboyant costumes and floats covered in shimmery cloth and flowers, with Goans dancing to folk, samba, reggae, and fusion rock music. And at the heart of it all is King Momo, a larger-than-life figure crowned and robed, waving to cheering crowds from his grand float. If this doesn’t sound familiar, then this is an experience worth adding to your bucket list. The Goa Carnival is India’s only carnival of its kind with a deep European influence and it provides a sneak peek into Goa’s vibrant culture. For three unforgettable days, Goa transforms into a kaleidoscope of sound and colour, reminding everyone that joy, freedom, and celebration are at the heart of its soul.

From the snowy peaks of Himachal to the sunny shores of Goa, India’s winter festivals paint a vibrant picture of the country’s cultural heart. Each celebration is a beautiful blend of tradition, music, food and community and offers a glimpse into the soul of India. So this winter, step out, explore, and let the celebrations warm your heart in the most unforgettable way.