March
Holi
Clouds of gulal, gujiya on every plate and bhang thandai — Kanpur plays Holi with total abandon.
- Across the city
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Celebrations
Kanpur celebrates loudly and lovingly — rivers of lamps, clouds of colour, and bazaars that stay awake all night.
Festivals
The City's Festival Calendar
Dates follow the Hindu lunar calendar, so they shift a little each year.
Showing 6 results
March
Ganga Mela
Kanpur's own post-Holi festival, a week later on Anuradha Nakshatra: a final burst of colour that ends at the Sarsaiya Ghat mela — born from the freedom struggle of 1942.
- Hatia & Sarsaiya Ghat
October
Durga Puja & Dussehra
Pandals in Bengali-majority neighbourhoods, Ramlila stages everywhere and Ravan effigies going up in flames.
- Parade Ground & pandals
October / November
Diwali
Markets like Naveen Market and Gumti stay awake all night with lights, sweets and gifts; the city glows for days.
- Markets & homes
November
Dev Deepawali
Fifteen days after Diwali, on Kartik Purnima, the ghats of Bithoor shimmer with lamps — and Varanasi lights up spectacularly.
- Bithoor ghats
November
Chhath & Kartik Purnima
Families stand waist-deep in the Ganga to offer arghya to the setting and rising sun; a holy dip follows at Kartik Purnima.
- Sarsaiya Ghat & Bithoor
Want exact dates? See upcoming events