Plan your trip · Auli

What's on in Auli

Auli's calendar has one big event of its own, the winter ski championship and carnival. The rest of the year follows the Badrinath pilgrim season on the road below.

Nothing dated is confirmed for Auli 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 Auli

Auli'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 and Apr – Jun 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 Auli

Ski season

🗓️ January–March

India's most developed ski slope, with the cable car running over the treeline to Gorson.

Planning: Snow is unreliable at the margins — check conditions rather than assuming the calendar.

Across Uttarakhand

Char Dham season

🗓️ late April to October–November

The Himalayan temple circuit opens for the summer and closes before the snow. It sets the rhythm of the whole state.

Planning: Registration is required and the roads are at their busiest in May–June.

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.

National skiing championship and winter carnival

When snow allows, the slopes host a national skiing championship alongside a winter carnival. In 2026 they ran together from 13 to 16 February, organised by the state tourism board, the Chamoli district administration and GMVN. Races were held for men and women, with snow marathons, snowshoe races, children's snow games, chairlift rides and performances by local folk groups and the ITBP band. Dates depend on snow and are announced late, often only weeks ahead. Watch Uttarakhand tourism and GMVN announcements. Rooms fill fast that week.

Auli has hosted bigger events before. It held the skiing at the first South Asian Winter Games in 2011, and national winter games have been staged on these slopes.

Ski courses

GMVN usually runs ski courses of about one and two weeks in the winter months, with equipment included. These are not festivals, but they shape who is on the slopes, and places are limited. Check the GMVN website for the current season.

Badrinath opening and closing

Badrinath opens in late April or May and closes around November. The dates are announced each year. The deity's journey between Badrinath and Joshimath, at the start and end of the season, brings processions and crowds to the town below Auli. Around these dates, rooms in Joshimath are in demand.

Pilgrim season

From May to June, and again after the monsoon, thousands of Char Dham pilgrims pass through Joshimath on the way to Badrinath and the Hemkund Sahib trek. Expect traffic and full hotels, and book ahead if you are staying in the town.

National festivals

Diwali, Holi and Makar Sankranti are celebrated in Joshimath's homes and temples, but quietly compared with the plains. Diwali often falls close to Badrinath's closing, which makes those weeks busy.

Planning around events

Carnival week: book early and expect crowds on the chairlift.
Pilgrim peak (May–June): leave Joshimath early in the morning to avoid traffic.
For the calendar year, see the best time to visit page.

Questions

Auli — FAQ

When is the Auli winter carnival?

It depends on snow and is fixed each year. In 2026 it ran with the national skiing championship from 13 to 16 February. Check official announcements for the current year.

Can visitors join the Auli ski races?

The championship is for registered athletes. Visitors can watch and join carnival activities, and ski courses run separately.

Does Badrinath's closing affect a trip to Auli?

Yes, for a few days. The procession brings the deity to Joshimath, and rooms and roads there get busy around the date.