India Festival Tourism Complete Guide 2026: Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, Pongal, Bihu, Onam, Dussehra and Kumbh Mela
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations India Festival Tourism Complete Guide 2026 TL;DR I have travelled inside India for festival weeks across eleven states, and the country runs on around fifty plus major festivals every year. Diwali in October to November, Holi in March, Durga Puja in October, Pongal in mid January, Bihu in April, Onam in August to September, Dussehra in October, Goa Carnival in February and the twelve year Kumbh Mela form the core circuit. Eight Indian entries sit on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Plan six to eighteen months ahead. Why Visit India Festival Tourism 2026 India has roughly 1.4 billion residents, 22 official languages and four main festival traditions covering Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Indigenous communities. Hindus are about 79 percent of the population, Muslims about 14 percent, Christians around 2 percent, Sikhs about 1.7 percent, Buddhists around 0.7 percent, Jains about 0.4 percent and Tribal animist groups a...