Plan your trip · Dehradun
What's on in Dehradun
Dehradun's calendar mixes Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and hill festivals. The biggest local events fall in late winter and spring, the most comfortable time to visit.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Dehradun 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 Dehradun
Dehradun'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 Uttarakhand
Char Dham season
🗓️ late April to October–NovemberThe 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–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.
Jhanda Mela (March)
The Jhanda Mela is Dehradun's own festival. It begins on the fifth day after Holi, the birthday of Guru Ram Rai, at the Darbar Sahib in the city centre. The main event is the raising of a new flag on a tall wooden pole in front of the shrine, watched by crowds of devotees, many from Punjab. A large fair then fills the streets around the Darbar for a couple of weeks. In 2026 it ran from 8 to 27 March. Expect traffic diversions and full hotels near the centre.
Mahashivratri at Tapkeshwar (February or March)
On Mahashivratri, pilgrims queue from before dawn at Tapkeshwar to pour water and milk on the lingam. A fair with stalls and rides usually runs around the temple for about a week. Go early in the morning if you want to reach the cave, and leave bags in the car.
Losar (February or March)
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is marked at Mindrolling Monastery and in the Tibetan settlements around Clement Town with prayers, prayer flags and family gatherings. The date follows the Tibetan calendar, so check it each year. Buddha Purnima, in April or May, is another busy day at the monastery.
Harela (July)
Harela is Uttarakhand's own monsoon festival of green growth. It usually falls in mid-July, at the start of the month of Shravan, and families plant trees and grow small trays of seedlings at home. Schools and government offices across the state run tree-planting drives.
Shravan and the Kanwar Yatra (July to August)
Mondays in Shravan are busy at Tapkeshwar. The Kanwar Yatra to Haridwar brings large crowds of pilgrims on foot and heavy traffic diversions on the Haridwar and Rishikesh roads, so check routes before driving south.
Diwali and Dussehra (October to November)
The markets around Paltan Bazaar and Rajpur Road stay open late before Diwali. Dussehra effigies are burnt at grounds around the city. The weather at this time is some of the best of the year.
Planning around dates
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move from year to year. Check the year's dates before you book, and see the best time to visit.
Questions
Dehradun — FAQ
When is the Jhanda Mela in Dehradun?
It starts on the fifth day after Holi, usually in March, and the fair around the Darbar Sahib lasts a couple of weeks. In 2026 it ran from 8 to 27 March.
Can visitors watch the flag being raised at the Jhanda Mela?
Yes, but the crowd is very large. Arrive early, keep valuables close and expect road closures around the Darbar Sahib.
What is Harela?
A Uttarakhand festival in mid-July that celebrates greenery and the rains. People plant trees and grow seedlings at home.