Almanac of feasts
The festival year
Most of these follow the lunar calendar, so the Gregorian date shifts by a fortnight or more each year. Dates given are for 2026–27; confirm locally before you book anything around them.
Festivals
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2026–27 dates
Festival cards
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What a festival looks like
Colour, crowds and light — the four scenes that repeat across almost every festival on this calendar, wherever in the country you catch one.
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Festival dress North India
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A working temple Tamil Nadu
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Flags and banners India
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Lit after dark Rajasthan
Photographs: Sonika Agarwal, Mitchell Ng Liang an, Naveed Ahmed, Sylwia Bartyzel / Unsplash
Crowds and colour
Ten frames of festival India
Dress, temples, banners and lit facades — the visual grammar every festival on this calendar shares.