Plan your trip · Mathura
What's on in Mathura
The Braj calendar follows Krishna's life, and the two biggest moments are Holi and Janmashtami. Both follow the lunar calendar, so dates move each year; confirm them before you book.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Mathura 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 Mathura
Mathura 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.
Across Uttar Pradesh
Braj Holi
🗓️ February–MarchHoli in Mathura and Vrindavan starts a week early and includes the flower and stick variants found nowhere else.
Planning: Vastly crowded; the temple courtyards are the target, and they are small.
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.
Braj Holi
Holi in Braj runs for more than a week and moves from village to village. For 2027 the expected dates are Laddu Holi at Barsana on 15 March, Lathmar Holi at Barsana on 16 March and at Nandgaon on 17 March, Holika Dahan on 21 March and the main colour day on 22 March. Confirm these closer to the time. At Lathmar Holi, the women of Barsana playfully beat the men of Nandgaon with sticks while the men hide behind shields, acting out Krishna's visits to Radha's village. In Vrindavan, priests at Banke Bihari shower devotees with flower petals for Phoolon wali Holi.
Janmashtami
Krishna's birthday falls in August or September. Mathura and Vrindavan fill with millions of pilgrims, many of whom fast until midnight, the hour of his birth. Krishna Janmabhoomi and the Dwarkadhish temple draw the biggest crowds, and Banke Bihari holds its only mangala aarti of the year. Expect road closures and long queues.
Radhashtami
Radha's birthday comes about two weeks after Janmashtami. Barsana, her village, is the centre of it, with crowds climbing the hill to the Radha Rani temple.
Shravan swings
In the monsoon month of Shravan, deities are placed on decorated swings. The Dwarkadhish temple in Mathura holds its Hindola festival for about 13 days, and Banke Bihari seats its deity on a swing for the month.
Sharad Purnima and Kartik
On Sharad Purnima, the full moon of autumn, Banke Bihari holds a flute, the one day a year it does. Kartik, the lunar month that follows, brings pilgrims who stay in Vrindavan to offer lamps each evening. ISKCON marks it as Damodar month.
Diwali and Govardhan Puja
The day after Diwali, Govardhan Puja remembers Krishna lifting the hill. Temples build mounds of food called annakut, and pilgrims crowd the parikrama path around Govardhan.
For weather and crowds by month, see best time to visit.
Questions
Mathura — FAQ
What is Lathmar Holi?
A Holi custom of Barsana and Nandgaon, where women strike the men with long bamboo sticks and the men shield themselves. It re-enacts the teasing between Radha's village and Krishna's. It is held a few days before the main Holi.
Is Braj Holi safe for women travellers?
The crowds are very dense, and unwanted touching does happen. Go in a group or with a trusted local guide, watch from a rooftop or balcony where you can, and leave before evening.
When is Janmashtami celebrated in Mathura?
On the eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada, which falls in August or September. The main puja is at midnight. Check the date for your year and book rooms well ahead.
Can visitors see the Banke Bihari flute on Sharad Purnima?
Yes, if you can get in. It is one of the most crowded days of the year at the temple, so go early and expect long waits.