Plan your trip · Alibaug
What's on in Alibaug
Alibaug's festival year follows the sea and the Ganesh calendar. The most local events are Narali Purnima, when fishing families offer coconuts to the sea, and the crowds that cross the sand to the temple inside Kolaba Fort.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Alibaug 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 Alibaug
Alibaug's calendar works around the monsoon — the big outdoor events sit either side of it, and the wettest weeks are the quietest ones for anything held in the open. Broadly, Oct – Feb 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.
Across Maharashtra
Ganesh Chaturthi
🗓️ August–SeptemberMaharashtra's biggest festival: clay Ganesh idols in homes and neighbourhood pandals for up to ten days, then carried in processions to the nearest river, lake or sea.
Planning: Immersion days close roads and fill the ghats and beaches; the largest crowds by far are in Mumbai and Pune.
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.
Narali Purnima (August)
Narali Purnima falls on the full moon of Shravan, usually in August. Koli fishing families offer coconuts to the sea and mark the end of the monsoon break before the boats go out again. Watch from the shore, keep your distance, and ask before you take photos.
Ganesh Chaturthi (August or September)
Ganesh Chaturthi is the biggest festival on the Konkan coast. Here it is mostly a family festival: many households bring home a clay Ganesha and host relatives for one and a half to ten days. Expect heavy traffic on the roads from Mumbai as families head back to their villages. The immersions on the beach are the public part.
Maghi Ganesh Jayanti (January or February)
The Siddhivinayak temple inside Kolaba Fort holds its main celebration for Maghi Ganesh Jayanti. Crowds cross the sand at low tide, and a community meal is often served. It is a good time to see the fort busy with pilgrims, not tourists.
Kanakeshwar fairs
Kanakeshwar Temple is busiest on Mondays in the Shravan month (July to August), at Mahashivratri and at Kartik Purnima, when a yatra (fair) brings lamps and stalls to the hilltop. Start the climb early on these days.
Shimga (Holi)
On the Konkan coast Holi is called Shimga and is often celebrated over several days. In many villages the local deity is carried in a palkhi (palanquin) procession, and there is plenty of colour and music.
Diwali and winter weekends
Diwali in October or November starts the busy season. From then until New Year, weekends are packed with visitors from Mumbai and Pune.
Dates move
Most of these follow the Hindu lunar calendar, so the dates shift each year. Check the current year's dates before you book, and see the best time to visit.
Questions
Alibaug — FAQ
When is Narali Purnima?
On the full moon of the Shravan month, usually in August. The date changes every year, so check a Marathi calendar before you plan around it.
Can visitors join the Narali Purnima ceremony?
You can watch from the shore. It is a community ritual for fishing families, so stay back, do not get in the way of the offerings, and ask before you take photos.
Is it a good idea to visit Alibaug during Ganesh Chaturthi?
It is a good time to see the festival in homes and at the beach immersions, but roads from Mumbai are very busy and rooms fill up. Book early and allow extra travel time.