Festivals

Manali Winter Carnival 

The Manali Winter Carnival, which usually takes place in February, is a charming festival that combines cultural as well as sports events. The activities include skiing competitions, food fests, a craft bazaar, music competition, folk dances, and street plays amongst many other things.

The festival aims to showcase the unique traditions of Himachal Pradesh. Many participants from across India are invited to take part in the carnival and it’s a huge tourist attraction.

Hadimba Devi Fair 

The Hadimba Devi Temple, dedicated to the wife of Bhima from Mahabharata, is an ancient cave temple in Manali and the fair that takes place here around May is a popular event in the region.

The fair dedicated to the deity Hadimba is organized within the temple complex and many locals and tourists come specially to attend the event. It is a colourful event accompanied with folk performances, especially by the local women. This is a great time to visit the temple.

Lossar Festival 

Celebrated around the last week of February, Lossar Festival marks the Tibetan New Year. The festivities are marked with colourful masked dances and other folk performances.

The festival is celebrated across the entire tribal belt of Himachal Pradesh particularly in the Tibetan colonies of Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Solan and Baijnath. One of the major attractions this time is the old Buddhist shrine at Rewalser in Mandi district.