The world is once again alive with rigour. Lollapalooza’s tickets sold out in seconds, while the Comic Con grounds are all set to teem with comic lovers living untethered from reality. With a newfound appreciation for open spaces, local culture and artistic experimentation, India has successfully bounced back with groundbreaking festivals, both old and new. Here are 23 such fetes, fairs and carnivals happening this winter season.

23 festivals in India happening this winter

Delhi

Jashn-e-Rekhta

After it’s last onground edition in December 2019, Jashn-e-Rekhta is back this year with three days of all things Hindustani. Expect a celebration of languages, poetry, literature and local culture and heritage. Part of the event will be ghazals, sufi music, qawwali, dastaangoi, panel discussions, poetry recitations and celebrity conversations–all helmed Naseeruddin Shah, Javed Akhtar, Diya Mirza and other noted doyens of the industry.

Comic Con, Delhi

Once again, fans across the country shall unite for the love of cosplay! Happening at the NSIC Exhibition Ground, Comic Con India will bring together the best of comics and gaming for a fun-filled weekend.

PetFed Delhi

India’s largest pet festival is back in Okhla, Delhi. Spread across three acres of green lands, PetFed will present fun workshops, activities and stalls for your furry friends. The event will be prefixed by parties for pets at cafes across the city with dog/cat buffets, health checkups and more. The carnival will also take place in other metropolitans across India such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and more.

Delhi Book Fair
Every literature geek’s paradise, the Delhi Book Fair in Pragati Maidan will feature book releases, literary discourse, author-reader meets and more. Expect storytelling workshops for kids, film screenings as well as conferences apart from a mound of books up for grabs at various stalls.

India Art Fair
Every year, all of South Asia’s contemporary art scene converges in Delhi. India Art Fair is Delhi’s headliner event which brings together artists, collectives, museums and galleries to present art pop-ups and presentations.

Gujarat
Rann Utsav

Against the silver landscapes of its salt desert, Kutch in Gujarat hosts the annual Rann Utsav full of dance and music, adventure sports, bird-watching and handicraft tours. The nearby tent city of Dhodro provides luxury camp accommodation throughout the winter festival. Days are spent walking through villages, enjoying local folk performances and shopping for local handicrafts.

Mumbai
The AD Design Show

Immerse in three days of furniture, lighting and antique exhibits at India’s finest art and design show. The stunning ensemble being put up by Architectural Digest will also spotlight craftsmen live in action at the venue. Expect Power Talks with experts such as Vikram Goyal, Ritu Sethi, Naman Ahuja and more, and a specially curated photo collection tracing the history of art and design in India.

India Cocktail Week

Tunes by Peter Cat Recording Co, tipples by Pistola and guest appearances by the teams behind World’s Top 50 Bars—that’s just the beginning of what India Cocktail Week is all about. Attend the week-long celebrations with bar crawls, mixology workshops and more, and end the experience at the two-day cocktail village where food, drink and music by some of your favourite brands will come together under one roof.

Lollapalooza

Chicago’s iconic music festival is making its Asia debut in Mumbai this winter season. The lineup led by Imagine Dragons will usher in celebrated artists such as AP Dhillon, Cigarettes After Sex, Diplo, Zhu and more.

Kala Ghoda Arts festival

One of India’s largest multicultural festivals will host everything from film and cinema to stand-up comedy and urban architectural exhibits. Watch the streets and cafes of Kala Ghoda transform into theatres, dance stages and workshop platforms. The iconic restaurants of the area will also host curated menus and set dinners, while heritage walks will take you deeper into the world of art and culture in SoBo.

Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho Dance Festival

Watch decked-up artists perform against the backdrop of Madhya Pradesh’s stunning monuments at this week-long festival. Kathak, Sattriya, Odissi, Manipuri, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, and Mohiniattam are only some of the styles that will be performed by renowned artists from across India.

Bengaluru

Echoes of Earth

The music festival that takes pride in its wooded venues is back. This year, Echoes of Earth will be featuring 40 international as well as homegrown artists such as Kerala Dust and The Yussef Dayes Experience. With a solar-powered stage and recycled architecture, the event is on its way towards becoming a coveted sustainable venture in the art and music industry.

Bangalore Literature Festival
The 11th edition of Bangalore Literature Festival will be held at The Lalit, Ashok. With a pitch platform for aspiring authors to meet agents, film producers and other industry experts, this is the palace to be at for opportunity and good ol’ inspiration.

Bloom in Green festival

About 90 minutes from Bengaluru, in Kodiga Timmanapalli, Tamil Nadu, is a space where you can learn animal flow (a grounded movement technique practised on all fours), Miyawaki forest planning, handpan play, slacklining and more. This transformational festival will bring together 30 workshops, performances from over 200 local artists, art installations, a flea market and food stalls. The festival is planned, executed and experienced as a community-driven initiative.

Jaipur

Jaipur Literature Fest
The onset of winter brings with it the anticipation for one of India’s most renowned literary fests. JLF 2023 is yet to reveal its programme, but will welcome speakers such as Amish Tripathi, Sudha Murty and Anthony Sattin.

Kolkata

Kolkata International Film Festival

The 28th edition of Kolkata’s vibrant cinema festival will take off in December. The global annual event first kicked off in 1995 by screening the works of stalwarts like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. Its 2022 lineup is yet to be revealed, but will no doubt pull cinephiles from around the globe once again.

Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival
Curated by Oxford Bookstore, this festival will host not just books but art, film and music. Hear from the likes of Aparna Sen and Shobhaa De, watch William Dalrymple live and dive into food culture with Vir Sanghvi, Vikas Khanna and Sanjeev Kapoor.

Chennai

Margazhi Maha Utsav
After a two-year lull, the temples and sabhas of Chennai will once again reverberate with a celebration of the arts. Watch Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniattam performances, and revel in recitations of classical Indian instruments at various concerts spread across multiple locations in the city. This year, you can also buy tickets to events on the MDnD app instead of waiting in long queues at the venues.

Goa

Serendipity Arts Festival

This year, the multidisciplinary arts festival will stir conversations on sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility. Bikram Ghosh will work his magic on the tabla, Sanjay Mondal will lead a group of child musicians who work with instruments made of waste material, and multiple art projects and culinary, movement, theatre and music workshops will take over the city of Panaji.

Odisha

Chandrabhaga International Sand Art Festival

On the cool sands of Odisha’s Chandrabhaga beach, skilled sand artists will try their hand at sand, stone, bronze and wood sculpting. Artists will come from around the world as well as from different states of India. From life-size representations of Disney cartoons and literary characters to meticulous iterations of religious figures, freedom fighters and historical landmarks, the festival has seen it all.

Nagaland

Hornbill Festival

Jam to indie and international music, rekindle your spirit in the lap of nature and live the Naga life at this ten-day festival. The event puts forward a montage of India’s best-kept secrets in the cultural, culinary and artistic worlds. There will be sports, crafts, ritualistic ceremonies, the Traditional Naga Morung Exhibition, archery, local beauty shows and more. Also be prepared to camp under the stars, stroll through ancient northeastern villages and eat like a local.

Kerala

Kochi Muziris Biennale

The wait is over. Kerala’s biggest art fair is back after three years. Time your New Year plans around the Biennale and witness the best of local and contemporary art through a series of programmes such as the Video Lab, Art by Children, Arts + Medicine for live music and Artists’ Cinema.

Kerala Literature Festival

Imagine Nobel Laureates, Oscar winners, Booker Prize recipients and literary enthusiasts coming together on the beaches of Calicut to think, share and create. Over 400 speakers are expected at KLF’s sixth edition, with names like Shashi Tharoor, Arundhati Roy and Jeffrey Archer in the mix.