Plan your trip · Aizawl
What's on in Aizawl
Aizawl's calendar mixes old Mizo harvest festivals with a strong Christian year. Chapchar Kut in March and Christmas in December are the two times the whole city comes out.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Aizawl right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Aizawl
Aizawl's calendar runs through most of the year, with the busiest weeks in the clear, comfortable months and a quieter stretch in the heaviest rain. Broadly, Oct – Mar is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Signature to Aizawl
Chapchar Kut
🗓️ MarchThe Mizo spring festival — bamboo dance, drums and the whole city in traditional dress.
Planning: Mizoram is dry and Sunday is genuinely observed; plan travel around both.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Chapchar Kut (March)
Chapchar Kut is the Mizo spring festival. It began as a rest and feast after the forest was cleared for jhum farming, and today it is held in early March. In Aizawl the main celebration is at the Lammual ground in the centre. The highlight is the cheraw, the bamboo dance, where dancers step in and out of clapping bamboo poles. There are other dances, music, games and food stalls, and many people wear traditional dress, including the puanchei, to work. You may be offered a boiled egg on the street. It is a custom called chhawnghnawh. Arrive early for a place near the dancers.
Christmas and New Year (December)
Christmas is the biggest time of the year in Aizawl. Street corners are decorated and lit, a tradition called kawnchei, and churches hold carol services and big community meals. The celebrations run through to New Year. Many businesses close for several days. Book rooms early and expect a quiet city on Christmas Day itself.
Mim Kut (August or September)
Mim Kut is a festival held after the maize harvest, traditionally in memory of those who died in the past year. It is mostly observed in villages and homes, and it is quieter than Chapchar Kut.
Thalfavang Kut (November)
Thalfavang Kut marks the end of the weeding season and the approach of harvest. It is usually held in November, with dances and traditional games.
Anthurium Festival (usually September)
The state tourism and horticulture departments hold the Anthurium Festival to promote the red anthurium flowers grown in Mizoram. It includes cultural dances and fashion shows. It has been held at Reiek, but the venue has moved between years, so check before you go.
Football at Mualpui
Football is Mizoram's favourite sport, and Aizawl FC plays in the national league. A home match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Mualpui is a good way to see the city out in force. Check the fixture list for the season.
Planning tips
Dates for Chapchar Kut and the harvest festivals are set each year, so confirm them before you book. Mizoram is dry during festivals too.
Questions
Aizawl — FAQ
What is the cheraw dance?
The Mizo bamboo dance. Pairs of people clap long bamboo poles together in a rhythm while dancers step nimbly between them. It is the centrepiece of Chapchar Kut.
Where is Chapchar Kut celebrated in Aizawl?
The main city celebration is usually at the Lammual ground in the centre of Aizawl. Other events are held in localities and across the state.
Are Diwali and Holi big in Aizawl?
No. They are celebrated by the small Hindu community, but the city's big festivals are Christmas and Chapchar Kut.