Plan the trip around the festival.

12 festivals across the year

• Arunachal PradeshFebruary or March, by the lunar calendar

  Losar

  The Tibetan and Monpa new year, observed around Tawang and the western districts with monastery rituals and household gatherings.

  What to expect

  • Monastery ceremonies over several mornings
  • Households cleaning, cooking, and receiving visitors
  • Deep cold, and passes that may be snowbound

  Losar falls in the hardest part of the Tawang travel year. Sela Pass can close for days. We will plan it, but we will be blunt about the risk.

  Plan around Losar (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• AssamMid-April

  Rongali Bihu

  The Assamese spring new year, marking the start of the sowing season. Several days of dance, feasting, and visiting.

  What to expect

  • Community grounds hosting husori and bihu dance through the week
  • Households cooking pitha and larus, and a lot of open invitations
  • Towns emptying as people travel home, so plan transport early

  The best of Bihu happens in villages and neighbourhood grounds rather than on a stage. Being driven by someone who knows which ground is worth going to matters more than a ticket.

  Plan around Rongali Bihu (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• MeghalayaUsually April

  Shad Suk Mynsiem

  A Khasi thanksgiving dance held in Shillong over several days, performed in traditional dress to drum and pipe.

  What to expect

  • Daily dancing at Weiking ground in Shillong
  • Formal traditional dress rather than costume
  • An observance with its own etiquette, not a tourist show

  It pairs easily with a standard Meghalaya itinerary, since it happens in Shillong itself. Ask before photographing dancers up close.

  Plan around Shad Suk Mynsiem (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• NagalandEarly May

  Moatsu

  An Ao Naga festival held after sowing, centred on Mokokchung, marking the end of the planting season.

  What to expect

  • Village-level celebrations rather than one large venue
  • Songs, feasting, and a strong community rather than visitor focus
  • Far fewer outside visitors than December

  Mokokchung is a long drive from Dimapur. This is a good option if you want Nagaland without festival-week crowds.

  Plan around Moatsu (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• SikkimUsually late May or June

  Saga Dawa

  A Buddhist holy month marked across Sikkim, with processions in Gangtok and observances at monasteries throughout.

  What to expect

  • Processions carrying scriptures through Gangtok
  • Monasteries busier and more open than usual
  • Early monsoon weather, so the hills are green and the views are not

  This is a religious observance rather than a performance. Ask before photographing anyone, and dress for a monastery rather than a viewpoint.

  Plan around Saga Dawa (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• AssamLate June

  Ambubachi Mela

  A four-day gathering at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati that draws very large numbers of pilgrims.

  What to expect

  • The temple closed for three days, then reopening to long queues
  • Guwahati considerably busier, with traffic to match
  • Peak monsoon heat and humidity

  If you are visiting Guwahati for other reasons in late June, know that this is happening. Hotels fill and the Kamakhya road is slow for days.

  Plan around Ambubachi Mela (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• SikkimUsually late August or September

  Pang Lhabsol

  A Sikkimese festival honouring Kangchenjunga as the state's guardian, with masked warrior dances at monasteries.

  What to expect

  • Masked chaam dances, notably at Pemayangtse and Rabong
  • Monsoon tailing off, with cloud more likely than mountain views
  • A local observance with relatively few outside visitors

  West Sikkim is the place to see this. The roads are slower in the monsoon tail, so allow more time than the map suggests.

  Plan around Pang Lhabsol (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• Arunachal PradeshUsually late September

  Ziro Festival of Music

  An outdoor independent music festival held in the Ziro valley, camping-based and deliberately small.

  What to expect

  • Multi-day outdoor stages in a rice-terrace valley
  • Camping rather than hotels, and a lot of mud if it rains
  • Permits required, and a long drive in from Itanagar

  Getting to Ziro is the hard part: it is a full day's drive from the nearest airport on a road that the festival traffic does not improve. Plan a buffer day.

  Plan around Ziro Festival of Music (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• AssamMid-October

  Kati Bihu

  The quiet Bihu. Lamps lit in paddy fields and courtyards at a lean point in the agricultural year, with none of April's noise.

  What to expect

  • Earthen lamps in fields and at tulsi plants after dark
  • A subdued, domestic observance rather than a public event
  • Good travel weather, with the monsoon over

  This is not a spectacle and should not be sold as one. It fits well inside a normal Assam trip in October, which is when the state is at its best anyway.

  Plan around Kati Bihu (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• MeghalayaUsually November

  Wangala

  The Garo harvest festival, known for its drumming. Held across the Garo Hills, with a larger gathering at Asanang.

  What to expect

  • Long-drum lines and dancers in coordinated dress
  • Village celebrations on different days across the hills
  • A quieter, less-visited festival than the December gatherings

  The Garo Hills are a long drive west of Shillong and are not a day trip. Two nights minimum if you want to see this properly.

  Plan around Wangala (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• MeghalayaUsually November

  Ka Pomblang Nongkrem

  A five-day Khasi harvest and thanksgiving observance held at Smit, near Shillong.

  What to expect

  • Ceremonies at the Syiem's residence at Smit
  • Dance across several days, with the main day drawing crowds
  • Cool, clear post-monsoon weather

  Smit is close enough to Shillong to visit for a day. November is also the best month for the rest of Meghalaya, so this combines well.

  Plan around Ka Pomblang Nongkrem (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
• NagalandFirst ten days of December

  Hornbill Festival

  A large gathering at Kisama near Kohima, where Naga communities present music, dance, craft, and food across ten days.

  What to expect

  • Morning and afternoon programmes at the heritage village
  • Craft and textile stalls, and a great deal of food
  • Kohima at its busiest, with accommodation booked months ahead

  Book three to four months out. The difference between staying in Kohima and staying an hour away is decided long before December.

  Plan around Hornbill Festival (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)