With a diverse calendar of fairs and festivals, Assam is a paradisiacal draw for visitors through the year. Beginning with Rabha Hajong Chandubi Festival (1st to 5th January), Magh Bihu (mid-January), Monikut Utsav -Harmony Rally (first day of Magh of Assamese calendar) and Me-Dam-Me-Phi (31st) in January through to December, the sheer frequency of celebrations can leave you floored. And if you have once been a part of any celebration here, take a bet that you will come back again specially for the ones you missed. Such is the draw!
The Magh Bihu spirit of January would still be lingering when you could be part of the Karbi Youth Festival, the oldest festival of the North East that is held in Diphu in February every year (15-19th February), however, 50th year of the festival will be celebrated in 2024 from January 12-19 as a special occasion. February month is also when Ali-Aye-Ligang (Mising Festival, first Wednesday of phagun) is celebrated. In March the festive spirit begins in real earnest with the Doul Utsav of Barpeta, Sualkuchi and Majuli—which almost seamlessly continues on to the April festivals of Rongali Bihu, Gohain Uliuwa Mela of Mayong (4th, 5th & 6th Bohag), the Sanken Festival or Pani Bihu in the Buddhist villages of Assam and Bohaggiyo Bishu, the spring festival of the Deoris. May is for Poi-Nun-Hok (Buddha Purnima) and July/August for the Bathow Puja of Bodo-Kacharis. Come August/September and Karam puja celebrations reverberates in the tea estates of Assam. Guru Jayanti : Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva’s birth anniversary in September / October. Then in October / November is the Falcon Festival, Umrangso; In November the Music Festival of Majuli and the Rass Mahoutsav, Majuli (on full moon day) and in the last weekend, the Folk Tea Festival in Biswanath Chariali is a big draw as is the Judima Festival in Gunjung, Haflong in December, and many other fairs and festivals. Please note that some festival dates and months are subject to change.
These fairs and festivals offer exceptional settings for travelling through the State and savouring the heritage and culture of the State’s many peoples. Rongali Bihu in mid-April is perhaps the icing on the travel backdrop, with the rhythmic beats of Bihu songs echoing through villages, towns and cities for weeks. When combined with the lush natural beauty, wildlife, adventure of Bordoisila (wild wind accompanied by rain), and the refreshing charm of tea gardens, your tour is a dream come true.
These celebrations allow you to immerse yourself in different cultures, compare and contrasting traditions, cuisine, music, dance, and attire. From ritual dances, agricultural dances, and recreational dances to the many folk songs and instruments such as the khol, Pepa, Gogona, Toka, Shinga, Xutuli, Baahi (flute)—you can experience it all! Notably, the Assam bamboo flute, locally known as ‘baahi’ and crafted from the slender, robust bamboo that prospers in the jungles near Silchar, has been acknowledged even by internationally acclaimed flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia as the best.