Plan your trip · Tirupati
What's on in Tirupati
The festival calendar in Tirupati is the temple calendar. Festival days are the most crowded of the year, so decide first whether you want to be there for one or to avoid it.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Tirupati 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 Tirupati
Tirupati 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 Andhra Pradesh
Tirupati Brahmotsavam
🗓️ September–OctoberNine days of processions at Tirumala, the busiest period of the temple year.
Planning: Darshan waits stretch enormously — if you want a calm visit, avoid this window.
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.
Brahmotsavam
The main festival at Tirumala lasts nine days. Each morning and evening the processional image of Venkateswara, called Malayappa Swamy, is carried around the four mada streets on a different vahana, or carrier, with music and dance troupes ahead of it. In a year with an extra lunar month, TTD holds two Brahmotsavams, and 2026 is one of those years. The annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam ran from 15 to 23 September. The Navaratri Brahmotsavam runs from 12 to 20 October 2026, with Garuda Vahanam on 16 October, the golden chariot on 19 October and the Chakrasnanam, the ritual bath in the temple tank, on 20 October.
Garuda Seva
The night the deity rides Garuda, the eagle carrier, is the busiest night of Brahmotsavam. The mada streets fill hours ahead. If you want a calm darshan, avoid this day.
Vaikunta Ekadasi
Falls in December or January. The Vaikunta Dwaram, a passage around the inner sanctum, is opened for darshan, and demand for tokens is enormous. In January 2025 six people died in a crush at token counters in Tirupati. Book online if you can, and do not join an overnight crowd waiting for counters to open.
Rathasapthami
Usually in February. Malayappa Swamy is taken around the temple on seven different carriers in one day, from early morning to late night.
Padmavathi Karthika Brahmotsavam
The festival of the Tiruchanur temple, set for 5 to 14 December 2026. It ends with Panchami Theertham, when crowds take a holy dip in the temple tank.
At Kapila Theertham
The Kapileswara Brahmotsavam is held around February, and Maha Shivaratri and Karthika Purnima draw large crowds to the Shiva temple.
Ganga Jatara
The week-long festival of Gangamma, the village goddess of Tirupati, usually held in May at her temple in Tatayyagunta. It belongs to the town rather than to Tirumala.
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and change each year. Check TTD's announcements before you book travel.
Questions
Tirupati — FAQ
Why are there two Brahmotsavams in 2026?
The Hindu lunar calendar has an extra month in 2026. In such years TTD holds the annual Brahmotsavam in September and a second, Navaratri Brahmotsavam in October.
When is Garuda Seva in 2026?
During the Navaratri Brahmotsavam on 16 October 2026. The annual Brahmotsavam's Garuda Seva was on 19 September.
Is it safe to go to Tirumala on Vaikunta Ekadasi?
It is the most crowded day of the year. Use the online quota, avoid waiting overnight at token counters, and keep children out of dense queues.
What is the Gangamma Jatara?
The week-long festival of Gangamma, Tirupati's village goddess, held at her temple usually in May. It is a local festival with processions and offerings.