Top 19 Winter Festivals In India You Must Attend In 2024!

New year, a fresh start and hence new resolutions. How about something away from the normal – a resolution to be an eyewitness to some of the wealthiest and most spectacular celebrations of culture, traditions, and art?

Enrich yourself with our nation’s kaleidoscopic culture and traditions as we bring you the best celebrations surrounding India’s best festivals. For starters, try being at these winter festivals in India to be celebrated in 2024. Even when November-December are gone, don’t regret much. The coming months have a lot more to offer to the culture-hungry!

Harvest Festivals Of India In 2024

Agriculture is India’s main economy, and farmers are this country’s backbone. This is why we give immense importance to our crops and have even a dedicated list of cultural festivals in India. Here are the famous winter festivals in India:

1. Lohri

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Now, this one is a ‘must attend’. One can’t miss the colours, celebrations, dance, music, and pomp of Lohri. Also known as Gurmukhi and Sanmukhi, it is the harvest festival of the Punjab state of India. It is also believed to commemorate the winter solstice – the shortest day and the longest night. One of the best festivals in India, celebrated in the winter season, Lohri is marked by a bonfire where the entire family gathers, worships and then celebrates the spirit of togetherness. There is music, there are colours, and there is dance – all putting up a spectacular show of the rich traditions of Punjab.

Also Read: Summer Festivals In India!

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2. Bihu Magh

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So, January translates to magha in the Lunar calendar, and the people of Assam in India welcome their harvest by celebrating Bihu. It is one of the best winter festivals in India, and it would only be fair to say that it is the Assam celebration of Sankranti, which lasts for a week. The highlights of this festival are feasts and bonfires. Makeshift huts made of bamboo and thatch leaves are erected to prepare the food for the feast. The festivities include traditional Assamese games like Takeli Bhonga(pot breaking) and buffalo fighting.

3. Makarsankranti and Gujarat Kite Fest

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With the new harvests coming home, the Hindu farmers in India celebrate the changes in Solar movements. Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn. In Gujarat and some other places, it is also celebrated as the kite festival, where big, bright and colourful kites take up the skies to welcome the believed arrival of spring in India, making it a prominent addition to the list of winter festivals in India.

Related Post: Festivals In March

4. Thai Pongal

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After Bihu in the east, Sankranti in the central and west, and Lohri in the north, Pongal is from the South of India. Since this is also a harvest festival, the reasons behind celebrations are pretty much the same as those of Bihu and Sankranti. Besides, it’s a four-day festival highlighted by traditional sweet dishes, rangolis, and boat races. It is one of the most revered festivals celebrated during winter in India.

Cultural Fests In India

India has a rich culture and heritage, and each state has a role to play in it. Enjoy good music, dance, and art at these fests in India.

5. Nagaur Fest

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So what if you missed the Pushkar fair in November? The Nagaur Fest, also known as Ramdeoji Cattle Fair, is the second-largest cattle festival in India and one of the most vibrant festivals celebrated in winter. As many as 80,000 cattle are exchanged in this festival while clad in colourful and ethnic Rajasthani clothes at one of the most vivid festivals of the winter seasons. Besides, not every day at the fest is sans music and dance. The colourful folk dances and songs of Rajasthan take the extravaganza to a whole new height. The fair also organizes activities like tug of war, camel races, bullock races, juggling, puppetry, cockfights, campfires, and storytelling. It is another of the festivals celebrated in India during winter.

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6. Jaisalmer Desert Fest

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Another one on the list of winter festivals in India is the Jaisalmer Desert Fest, a complete cultural extravaganza. It was started to attract foreign tourism on the sands of Thar and has flourished rightly so. The 4-day long festival witnesses the maximum footfall of foreign revellers and tourists amidst the most explicit display of Rajasthani folk, culture and traditions. The highlights include turban tying competition, moustache competition, folk dances, camel rides, and authentic Rajasthani cuisine.

7. Bikaner Camel Fest

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Camel races, camel milking, fur cutting, camel dance, camel bands, camel beauty pageants and mouthwatering traditional Rajasthani cuisine — Bikaner camel fest is India’s most colourful animal festival. Kicked off by a march of brightly adorned camels from Junagarh Fort, it centres all its actions in the Polo Ground near the fort during the most prominent winter season festivals.

Related Post: Festivals In Gujarat

8. Manali Winter Carnival

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Fun, festival, joy and jubilation – this is what the organizers of Manali Winter Carnival bank upon. Organized for the first time in 1977, this celebration of Himachali culture and winter sports has seen many a changes and has evolved into a fantastic carnival, thus making it to the list of winter festivals in India. Folk performances, cultural competitions and winter sports like skiing and skating on snow has made this carnival in Manali a much sought after carnival in India. So much that it is the best time and the most happening place to try skiing in India.

9. Kutchh Rann Mahotsav

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“Kutch nahin dekha to kuchh nahin dekha” — this tag line of the Rann Mahotsav in Kutch of Gujarat sums up the values of this festival. Spread over almost three months and some 7,000 sq miles of white sand, this is among the best festivals celebrated in winter season and the celebration of Gujarati folk and culture is just epic. 400 luxurious tents to stay in, a vast expanse of white sand to enjoy the serene moonlit nights, live cultural performances, – one can’t ask for more. It is one of the most popular winter season festivals in India.

 Related Post:authentic Kutchhi cuisine

10. Goa Carnival

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What is a carnival for if it does not involve revellers from all castes, creeds, communities and colours and genders? This one, with a past of some 300 years, got its modern version in 1961. Initially celebrated by the Portuguese, the Goa carnival is one of the best winter season festivals and has taken place in every Goan home. Singing, dancing, feasting, guitar strumming, acrobatic performances, clowns, fire performers and whatnot – the Goa carnival is a nonstop festivity of 72 hours. But this is not the only fun Goan fest; there are some crazy festivals in Goa you must attend!

Related Post: Festivals In July In India

11. Konark Dance Festival

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In the backdrop of Konark Sun temple, this mega event in the temple city of Orissa hosts dancers from all over India. This famous winter festival in India is a celebration of the rich classical and traditional dance forms of India. The performances are organized under the sky on Chandrabhaga Beach, and almost all the major classical dance forms of India — Manipuri, Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Chao, and Kuchipudi feature among the main performances. An exclusive crafts fair is organized to promote the traditional handicrafts and sculptures from south India.

And if you have missed the Nov/December highlights of the year, here is what you may like to plan for towards the end of 2024:

12. Mount Abu Winter Festival

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Away from all the royalty of Rajasthan, in the serene hills of Mount Abu, is this three-day celebration of India’s cultural diversity. It is a milieu of folk music and dance, live concerts, fireworks, fire performances, fairs, and a food fest. With a footfall of one lakh revellers yearly, the Mount Abu Winter Festival attracts performers from all over India. It is truly one of the winter season festivals in India. 

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13. Hornbill Festival

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In the extreme east of Indian Territory, Nagaland celebrates the cultures and traditions of some 16 resident state tribes. The Hornbill Festival perfectly fuses music, dance, food and colour. Amidst the serene green valleys and rustic mountains, this festival named after the state bird is a surprise for many with its diverse events. Drum beats, folk songs, performances of war dances, headhunting rituals, car and bike adventures, fashion shows, and the viral chilli eating contest — Hornbill covers all for a carnival sort of festivity. To learn more about the best winter season festivals.

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14. Magnetic Fields Festival of Rajasthan

Music with every possible blend of royalty– this is the Magnetic Fields Festival of Rajasthan. This music festival is held in a 17th century palace-turned-hotel in Shekhavati and is among the most vibrant festivals celebrated in winter season in India. Accommodations in palace suites with antique furniture, alternative and electronic dance music to groove to, pop up parties, morning yoga sessions and an array of food stalls to keep you from all the other distractions of world, the Magnetic fields festival truly holds you firm while you are here.

15. December Music Festival

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This is a month-long celebration of the finest South Indian music and dance. Started in 1929, it is among the quirkiest festivals of the winter seasons and is locally known as Kutcheri Session. Most of the concerts are held in the most pleasant months of Chennai – December and January. The main attractions of the fest are instrumental and vocal Carnatic music, while the traditional performances are spread across various locations in the city.

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16. Baisakhi

Baisakhi is one of the famous harvest festivals celebrated in India with great fun and enthusiasm to mark the beginning of the new spring. Also called Vaisakhi, the festival signifies the end of the harvest season in India. The festival is celebrated by different names in different states of India—Pohela Boishakh in West Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Bihu in Uttarakhand, Maha Vishuva Sankranti in Odisha, Pooram Vishu’ in Kerala, and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

17. Onam

Onam, a religious and cultural Indian winter festival in 2024, is celebrated in God’s country. During this time of the year, many tourists travel to Kerala to experience the amazing vibe of this festival of togetherness – trumpets, boat races, art, floral decorations, rituals, elephants, lights, drums, and of course the delicious Onasadya. Don’t miss out on this great festival celebration spanning for 10 days.

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18. Basant Panchami

Also known as Vasant Panchami, Basant Panchami is a Hindu harvest festival that highlights the coming of spring. It is either celebrated in January or February. Dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Saraswati, the festival takes place in the states of Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. People wear yellow and eat yellow as this colour holds significance importance for this celebration. To celebrate the yellow festival with full fun, the Sikhs conduct Langar while Rajasthan people wear jasmine garlands.

19. Nuakhai

Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival in Odisha that is celebrated to welcome the new rice of the season. It is observed a day after Ganesh Chaturthi and is the most important social festival of Western Odisha. If you want to experience the vibe of this amazing festival, the best places to visit are the districts of Kalahandi, Balangir, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Nuapada, and Boudh.

You May Also Like To Read: Festivals In January In India

You are lucky to live in India. Every fest is a chance to plan a trip and have a new experience. This is just a part of what India has in store for a culture lover. Plan a trip to India and explore these winter festivals in India, and stay tuned until we bring you the other list of festivals to attend during Indian summers. 

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Frequently Asked Questions About Winter Festivals In India

Pushkar R.

An avid traveler, photographer, and writer, he can be spotted in a remote Indian destination twice every month. A true believer of “live like there’s no tomorrow”, Pushkar is out to strike all places off his bucket list before others have even made one!