Plan your trip · Araku Valley

What's on in Araku Valley

Araku's calendar is set by the harvest and the villages rather than by big temple festivals. The busiest event for visitors is the winter Araku Utsav, and the dance you will hear about is Dhimsa.

Nothing dated is confirmed for Araku Valley 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 Araku Valley

Araku Valley'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.

Nationwide

Diwali

🗓️ October–November

The biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.

Holi

🗓️ March

Coloured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.

Navratri and Dussehra

🗓️ September–October

Nine 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 year

The 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-January

The harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Araku Utsav (late January or early February)

The district administration has held a winter festival in the valley in some years, most recently the Araku Utsav, also called the Chali Utsavam or cold festival, in late January and early February 2026. It brings tribal dance troupes, music concerts, food and coffee stalls, and crafts to the grounds in town. Dates are announced only a few weeks ahead and the festival has not run every year, so check the district's announcements before you plan around it. Rooms fill quickly when it is on.

Dhimsa, the dance of the hills

Dhimsa is a circle dance of the tribal communities of this border region. Women link arms and move in a chain, stepping in time to drums played by men, with the circle widening and tightening as the rhythm changes. It belongs to weddings, harvests and village festivals, and it is also performed for visitors. Shows have been held at the Tribal Museum and near the coffee museum in the late afternoon or evening; ask at the counters for the day's times.

Sankranti (mid-January)

The harvest festival is celebrated across Andhra Pradesh in mid-January. In the valley it coincides with the peak of the winter season, so expect crowds from Visakhapatnam and higher room rates. Many Vizag families also travel up for the long weekend.

The coffee harvest (winter)

Not a festival, but the reason the valley is busy in the cool months. Picking runs through the winter; if you visit a plantation, you may see beans being hand-picked and spread out to dry.

Modakondamma Jatara, Paderu

The fair for the goddess Modakondamma at Paderu, the district headquarters, is one of the largest gatherings in the tribal hills. It is usually held in the late spring; confirm the dates locally. Expect heavy crowds and road diversions around Paderu.

Christmas and New Year

Araku becomes a holiday spot for Visakhapatnam in the last week of December. Resorts often hold bonfire evenings. Book trains and rooms well ahead.

Nationwide festivals

Diwali, Dussehra and Holi are celebrated, but quietly compared with the cities. Plan on the valley's regular sights running as usual, and check whether anything shuts on the main festival days.

See the best time to visit Araku for the seasons.

Questions

Araku Valley — FAQ

When is the Araku Utsav held?

In recent years it has been held in late January or early February, and it ran in 2026. It has not been held every year, and dates are announced only a few weeks ahead, so check the district's announcements.

Where can I watch a Dhimsa dance in Araku?

At the Tribal Museum and near the coffee museum, where performances have been held in the late afternoon or evening, and at the Araku Utsav when it runs. Ask at the museum counter for the day's schedule.

Is Araku crowded over New Year?

Yes. The last week of December and Sankranti in mid-January are the busiest times of the year. Book the train and your room weeks ahead.