World City Guide

Special Events

Lohri: Hindu festival celebrated with bonfires, 13 Jan, throughout the city
Republic Day: a week of celebration kicks off on 26 Jan, with a military parade along Rajpath.
Martyr’s Day: commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, 30 Jan, a guard of honour stands to attention at Raj Ghat, celebrations throughout the city
Garden Tourism Festival: Feb
Holi: Hindu festival of harvest and fertility on the day after the full moon in early March, people run through the streets bombarding each other and stray tourists with brightly coloured powder and water, throughout the city
Baisakhi: Sikh festival, 14 Apr, throughout the city
Mango festival: Jul
Janamashtami: anniversary of Krishna’s birth, 12 Aug, throughout the city but most ostentatiously at Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
Independence Day: national holiday, 15 Aug, throughout the city
Dusshera: Hindu festival, Oct, throughout the city
Navratri: Hindu festival, Oct, throughout the city
Diwali: the most pan-Indian of Hindu festivals (coinciding with the onset of the Hindu and Jain new year) symbolises the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness by commemorating Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom, Ayodhya, after his 14-year exile, Nov, throughout the city
Qutub Festival: three-day festival of classical music and dance, Oct, Qutub Minar, Sharad Pournima
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadurji: Sikh festival, Nov, throughout the city

Dilli Haat stages in its open-air theatre a wide variety of festivals spanning many aspects of Indian culture throughout the year. DTC organizes a number of other events during the course of the year. See website for further information.