Plan your trip · Haridwar

What's on in Haridwar

Haridwar's calendar follows the river and the moon. Most big days are bathing days, when the ghats fill before dawn and the roads into town close.

Nothing dated is confirmed for Haridwar 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 Haridwar

Haridwar packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. 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.

Signature to Haridwar

Kanwar Yatra

🗓️ July–August

Millions of pilgrims walk to collect Ganga water; the highways fill with them for weeks.

Planning: Road travel through the region becomes very slow — check before driving in this window.

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.

Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar

🗓️ every 6 and 12 years

One of the largest human gatherings on earth, on the Ganga ghats.

Planning: If it is a Kumbh year, either plan around it or plan for it — there is no middle option.

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.

Ardh Kumbh, 2027

The Kumbh comes to Haridwar every twelve years, and the Ardh Kumbh, or half Kumbh, falls in between. The last full Kumbh here was in 2021. The next Ardh Kumbh has been announced for 14 January to 20 April 2027. The main Amrit Snan days, when the akharas of sadhus bathe in procession, are reported for 6 and 8 March and 14 April 2027. Dates can shift, so confirm with the state's official Kumbh announcements before booking. On the main days, vehicles are stopped well outside the town and everyone walks in.

Kanwar Yatra, in Shravan

Every year in the month of Shravan, usually late July into August, millions of Shiva devotees walk to Haridwar. They collect Ganga water in pots slung from a pole and carry it home to pour on a Shiva lingam. In 2026 the yatra ran from 30 July to Sawan Shivratri on 11 August. The Delhi–Haridwar highway was closed to all normal traffic in the final week, with diversions through the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway and other routes. The ghats, trains and Shiva temples are packed. Plan around it unless you are part of it.

Bathing days through the year

Makar Sankranti, mid-January: the first big dip of the year.
Mauni Amavasya, January or February, and Somvati Amavasya whenever a new moon falls on a Monday.
Baisakhi, around 13–14 April: a major bathing day, and part of the Kumbh schedule in Kumbh years.
Ganga Dussehra, usually late May or June: celebrates the river's descent to earth.
Kartik Purnima, the full moon of October or November.

On each of these, the ghat is crowded from before dawn and traffic is diverted.

Diwali

At Diwali, lamps line the ghats and the bazaars stay open late. The water at Har Ki Pauri may still be low from the annual canal closure, which usually ends around Diwali.

Mahashivratri and Shravan Mondays

Daksheswara Mahadev in Kankhal draws long queues on Mahashivratri and on the Mondays of Shravan.

See the best time to visit for weather and crowds by month.

Questions

Haridwar — FAQ

When is the next Kumbh in Haridwar?

The Ardh Kumbh is announced for 14 January to 20 April 2027, with the main bathing days reported for March and April. Check official dates before you book.

Can tourists visit during the Kanwar Yatra?

You can, but it is hard. Highways close to normal traffic, trains fill up and the ghats are packed. Most visitors are better off coming another month.

What happens on a Haridwar bathing day?

Pilgrims arrive overnight to bathe at dawn. Vehicles are stopped outside the centre and you walk in. Expect long waits at the ghat and at temples.