Famous Festivals and Event in December in India 2019

India is a kaleidoscope of colors and culture. You can always find Indians in celebration mood. Starting from tribal people to ultra-modern population, every culture and every community has a list of festivals in December to celebrate and relish.

Here are the top festivals to enjoy in India, if you are visiting in December. December is the peak winter season and a tourism month too. Thus, you can find numerous events, gala and celebrations in numerous places.

Kumbhalgarh Festival, Rajasthan

Date: 1^st To 3^rd December 2019

The month begins with festival mode in Rajasthan. Not many know that Kumbhalgarh is famous for its Kumbhalgarh Fort. If you visit the fort between 1^st and 3^rd December 2019, you are in for a treat. This festivals in December focuses on the cultural and local activities and art forms. If you are looking for a local cultural time, this festival is the right event for you. On the first day, you can enjoy Rajasthan folk fusion performances. On the second day, classical dance programs take place and the third day is for instrumental music (Source:).

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Exhibitions and shops for buying souvenirs.
2. Art and crafts workshops, performances and others.
3. Dance and music performances by local folk groups.
4. Puppet shows and other activities.

Reaching the Destination

Kumbhalgarh does not have an airport. The nearest airport is Dabok airport of Udaipur, which is 66 km away from Kumbhalgarh. From Delhi and other important cities, you can easily find flights to Udaipur. Jodhpur airport is around 168 km away from Kumbhalgarh. The nearest railway station is located in Rani, which is 35 km away. The nearest bus stand is located in Nathdwara, which is 36 km away. From airport, railway station and bus stand, you can find cabs and autos to reached Kumbhalgarh

Suggested Tour Packages:

1. 13 Nights / 14 Days – Rajasthan Tour with Taj Mahal
2. 15 Nights / 16 Days – Rajasthan Experience Tour

Read on: Places to Visit in Rajasthan in December

Rann Utsav, Kutch

Dates: November 2018 to February 2020

Camping in desert is becoming common in India. However, a salt desert is unique. Kutch of Rann is the world’s largest salt desert. During the winter season, the locals and tourists visit the desert, stay in camp overnight and enjoy numerous cultural, adventure and romantic activities. Rann Utsav is a cultural and entertainment festival celebrated from the beginning of November to the end of February. The prime time to visit the festival is during full moon night and during December.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Overnight camping, para motoring, horse riding, camel riding, archery and other adventure and unique activities.
2. Cultural events like story recital, musical performances, cultural activities, dance performances.
3. Visit the villages around the region for safari, exploring local lifestyle and souvenir shopping.
4. This is the right time to enjoy the local cuisine of the land.

Reaching the Destination

The best way to reach Rann of Kutch is to reach Bhuj first and then choose any transportation to reach the desert. From the airport at Bhuj, you can find cabs to reach Rann of Kutch. If you are choosing to ride the train, you can also choose to ride the Ala Hazrat express, the direct train from Delhi to Kutch. However, it would take 19 hours and thus, people prefer the air route.

Read more: Five Most Beautiful Places In India To Visit With Kids

Konark Festival, Bhubaneswar

This is a dance festival, which is celebrated to highlight the traditional dance forms, which are getting extinct as we breathe. It initially started as a dance celebration, where locals perform local forms of dances. As time passed by, the festival became a five-day extravaganza with numerous activities apart from dances. This festival takes place from December 1^st to 5^th, every year in Natamandir open-air auditorium located inside the famous Konark temple, Odisha. Now, the festival focuses on dances, art forms, cultural activities, craft works and so on. On the same day, International Sand Art festival takes place in the Chandrabhaga Beach of Odisha. In this festival, artists make elegant art works with the beach sand. It is an interesting site to enjoy.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Dance, music and other art form performances.
2. Exhibition of temple sculptures.
3. Visit the beach to watch the sand sculptures.
4. Explore the crafts fair for souvenir shopping and sightseeing.

Reaching the Destination

To reach Konark, you need to reach Bhubaneswar, first. You can find flights to Bhubaneswar, from all major cities. From Bhubaneswar, you can find buses, cabs and other transportation to reach Pipli village of Puri. If you are hiring bus, you need to de-board at Pipli and then find a bus to Konark. If you are choosing cab, you can directly reach Konark from Bhubaneswar.

Must read: Top 20 World UNESCO Heritage Sites in India

Feast of Francis Xavier, Goa

Saint Francis Xavier is one of the first Christian missionaries who visited India to spread the religion. His earthly remains were mummified and stored in the basement of Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa. During the Feast of Francis Xavier, which marks the anniversary of his burial (Dec 3^rd), the mummified body is exposed to the public. To mark his contribution to the religion, many interesting anecdotes of his life would be shared in the special mass.

The main element of the festival is the large feast of delicacies served to every visitor. A fair is also conducted outside the Church for souvenirs shopping. It is said that in 2019, the casket with the mummified body will be taken to Italy for restoration. The casket will not return before 2019 feast. Thus, it is better to visit this year before it is removed (Source:).

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Special mass for visitors.
2. Rituals, celebrations and others.
3. Grand feast and a large fair.

Reaching the Destination

Goa has a busy airport within its city limit. Apart from the air route, it is easier to reach Goa from numerous other states of the country via road route, rail route and others. Goa is quite an important tourist destination and thus, the frequency of vehicles towards Goa is very high.

Suggested Tour Packages:

1. 12 Nights / 13 Days – Goa and Kerala Tour
2. 14 Nights / 15 Days – Mumbai Goa and Karnataka Tour

Read also: Best Luxury Boutique Hotels in Goa for a Memorable Stay

Explore: Top Yoga Retreats in Goa 

Galdan Namchot, Ladakh

Dates: December 2019

This is a Tibetan celebration of their New Year. Celebrated in the monasteries of Ladakh, this festival marks the birth of Tibetan Saint, Tsongkhapa. Visit the monasteries of the land to enjoy many cultural activities and attractions. If you find someone giving you scarfs, be happy and accept it as it is a tradition to gift scarfs. If you are being invited to someone’s house for a local cuisine meal, make sure to buy a couple of scarfs. The best event of this festival is the dances performed by the monks of the monasteries.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Artifact exhibit by monasteries.
2. Unique rituals, feasts and fairs conducted in the monasteries.
3. Dance and other cultural performances.

Reaching the Destination

The most beautiful way to reach Ladakh is by train. The nearest railway station is located in Jammu Tawi, which is 700 km away. The remaining distance should be covered via road route. You can find jeeps and cabs for transportation to Ladakh. Some take road route up to Srinagar from Jammu and then fly to Ladakh from Srinagar. You can also fly directly to Ladakh from Delhi.

Suggested Tour Packages:

1. 4 Nights / 5 Days – Tour Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh
2. 4 Nights / 5 Days – Road Trip to Ladakh from Delhi
3. 6 Nights / 7 Days – Ladakh Srinagar Tour

Suggested articles: 

• 5 Must see Places to Visit in and around Leh & Ladakh
• Complete Travel Guide To Plan Your Ladakh Trip
• What to expect in Leh Ladakh during each season?

Magnetic Fields Festival, Alsisar Mahal

Dates: December 2019

This is a special talent show, which is conducted in Alsisar Mahal of Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. This heritage hotel gets a new makeover during the festival. This camping festivals in December goes on for three days and it becomes the stage for all budding artists in the field of music, dance, entertainment and so on. Apart from the stage shows, audiences can also enjoy workshops, adventure sports, buffet and others. The exact venue of the festival changes from time to time. The festival starts on 14^th and ends by 16^th of December, every year.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Morning starts with yoga workshops.
2. Treasure hunt, kite flying, secret parties and other games.
3. Explore the desert for stargazing, camping, adventure sports and others.
4. Music, cooking and other workshops.

Reaching the Destination

The nearest airport is located in Jaipur. You can find cabs, buses and other road transportation to reach the Jhunjhunu district from the airport. You can find direct trains from Bangalore to Jhunjhunu, which would take 32 hours to reach.

Suggested Tour Packages:

1. 19 Nights / 20 Days – Rajasthan with Varanasi
2. 14 Nights / 15 Days – Rajasthan Tour (Royal Experience)
3. 12 Nights / 13 Days – Rajasthan Tour (Culture and Heritage)

Read also: Best Experiences You Can Only Have in Rajasthan, India

Must read: Things You Should Know about Camel Safari in Rajasthan

Perumthitta Tharavad, Kerala

Dates – 7^th to 16^th of December 2019.

You all know that India is famous for its colorful festivals. Do you want to see a spectrum of colors in just one festival? We are not talking about the festival of colors, Holi. The Perumthitta Tharavad is a regional celebration of Kerala, which attributes to color and grandeur. The main feature of this celebration is one of their traditional dances. The dancers of this dance paint their bodies with vibrant colors and represent characters of mythological stories. The dance is a form of storytelling. This is called as Theyyam. This festivals in December is celebrated in Kottamkuzhy of Kerala from 7^th of December 2019 to 16^th of December 2019. It is ten days of pure dance fiesta.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Watch dance performances by local masters.
2. Enjoy unique rituals of temples.
3. Mime performances, cultural music performances and others.
4. Ancient music and dance of tribes.

Reaching the Destination

The nearest airport is located in Mangalore, which is 45 km away. If you are entering Kerala via Calicut International Airport, the village is 168 km away. From numerous destinations in Kerala, you can reach Kasaragod via train. Kottamkuzhy village is located in Kasaragod district. You can reach the village via bus or cab from any part of Kasaragod.

Suggested Tour packages

1. 3 Nights / 4 Days – Kerala Tour (Backwater Experience)
2. 5 Nights / 6 Days – Kerala Tour (Wildlife Experience)
3. 5 Nights / 6 Days – Kerala Tour (World Wide Travelers Choice)

Read on: 10 Things To Do In Kerala on Your First Visit

Explore: Top Six Best Beach Resorts In Kerala

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Karnataka

Dates: Entire month of December 2019

As mentioned before, the land celebrates everything. Most of the festivals of the country are based on culture, religion or any cosmic event like full moon night and so on. There are a very few celebrations, which focus on adventure activities. One such festivals in December is the Hot air balloon festival. Visit Hampi, Mysore, Bidar and other locations of Karnataka during the 31st December to enjoy this festivals in December. The festival takes place for 31 days, so do not choose weekends, as it will be crowded. It is a very simple festival where you can enjoy hot air balloon rides over the heritage sites to get an eagle-eye view of the land.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Hot air balloon ride.
2. Photography.
3. Shopping at local stalls.

Reaching the Destination

It is easier to reach Karnataka via air route, buses, cabs and trains from any part of the country. Once you are inside Karnataka, you can find direct road transportation to Hampi, Mysore, Bidar and others.

Top Suggested Tour Packages:

1. 12 Nights / 13 Days – South India trip from Mumbai
2. 10 Nights / 11 Days – Karnataka and Kerala Tour
3. 6 Nights / 7 Days – Karnataka Tour

Must read: 10 Most Popular Waterfalls in Karnataka, You Must Visit!

Read also: Famous Places to Visit in Bangalore

Hornbill Festival, Kohima

Dates: December 2019

North East Indians have a unique way to enjoy festivals. This traditional festivals in December is to celebrated to glorify the cultural lifestyle, food, heritage and art work of the land. This festival is celebrated by the tribes of the Kohima region of Nagaland. The festival starts on December 1^st and ends by 10^th. This is the right festival to enjoy the culture of the land and have a unique and mesmerizing time.

Top activities to enjoy during the festival

1. Watch the traditional tribal war dance performed by the warriors. You cannot find this performance elsewhere in the world.
2. The main element of this festival is the Hornbill national rock concert.
3. Taste the locally brewed rice beer.
4. The markets are set up in the evening and this is the right place to buy unique souvenirs.
5. Locals and tourists can enjoy car and bike based adventure activities.
6. Traditional games take place during the festival and tourists are also welcomed to be a part of the games.
7. A new leader is selected and the headhunting ritual takes place during the celebration.
8. Large feast is thrown with local cuisine.

Reaching the Destination

The best way to reach Kohima is to fly to Guwahati or choose to ride the train to Guwahati. From Guwahati, you need to reach Dimapur via train or road transportation. Dimapur is 74 km away from Kohima. Hire a taxi from Dimapur to reach Kohima.

Read on: Reasons You Should Visit Meghalaya on North East India Trip

Apart from these, you can find numerous other cultural and local festivals in December like the Cochin Carnival (25^th December to 1^st January), Bishnupur festival (fourth week of December), Mount Abu’s Rajasthan winter festival (last three days of December) and so on. On the other hand, you can also enjoy cliché festivals in December like Christmas, New Year’s Eve and others throughout the country. Do you want to add more class to these festivals in December? Try to cover Indian destinations like a royal heir in luxury trains.

For more details, visit the official page of Visittnt.com.