Plan your trip · Dawki
What's on in Dawki
Dawki has no big festival of its own. The events worth planning around happen in Jowai, Shillong and the villages around Dawki, and most follow the farming year or the church calendar.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Dawki 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 Dawki
Dawki'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.
Across Meghalaya
Wangala and Nongkrem
🗓️ October–NovemberHarvest and thanksgiving dances of the Garo and Khasi communities, in villages rather than stadiums.
Planning: Ask locally for the year's village dates; these are not ticketed tourist shows.
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.
Christmas and New Year
Most people in the Jaintia and Khasi hills are Christian, so Christmas is the biggest event of the year in Dawki's villages. Churches and homes are decorated, there are carols and midnight services, and families gather. It is also the busiest week for visitors to Dawki, so the river and the bridge are crowded. Some local shops and eateries close on Christmas Day. Book your camp early.
Behdienkhlam, Jowai (July)
This is the biggest festival of the Pnar people who follow the Niamtre faith. It is held in Jowai, the district town, after the sowing season in July. The name means "driving away disease". Men beat the roofs of houses with bamboo poles to chase off evil spirits. On the last day, decorated structures and wooden logs are carried through the town and plunged into a pool of mud, and crowds dance to drums around it. It is lively and very public, but it is a religious festival. Watch from where the crowd stands and ask before photographing people.
July is monsoon in Meghalaya, so the Umngot will not be clear. Go for the festival, not the river.
Shad Suk Mynsiem, Shillong (April)
Shad Suk Mynsiem is the Khasi thanksgiving dance held in Shillong in spring, usually in April. Young women in jainsem and gold and coral jewellery dance in the centre while men dance around them. It fits well with a Dawki trip, because April is still a clear-water month.
Nongkrem, near Shillong (autumn)
The Nongkrem dance is held at Smit, near Shillong, usually in October or November, as a harvest thanksgiving. It is a religious ceremony with dancing, not a show, so check the year's dates locally.
Durga Puja at Nartiang
The Nartiang Durga Temple, north of Jowai, draws pilgrims during Durga Puja in September or October. It is a long drive from Dawki, so combine it with Jowai.
Checking dates
Most of these festivals follow local or religious calendars, so the dates change every year. Confirm them before you book. For the river side of your plans, see the best time to visit Dawki.
Questions
Dawki — FAQ
Is there a festival in Dawki itself?
Nothing on the scale of the festivals in Jowai or Shillong. Christmas is the biggest local event, celebrated in church and at home.
Can I combine Behdienkhlam with a Dawki trip?
You can, since Jowai is about 55 km from Dawki via Amlarem. But Behdienkhlam falls in July, when the Umngot is high and muddy, so the river will not look like the photos.
Is Wangala celebrated near Dawki?
No. Wangala is a Garo harvest festival, held mainly in the Garo Hills in western Meghalaya, far from Dawki.