Northeast India Festival Calendar 2026-27: Dates, Places and How to Plan

The big festivals in Northeast India over the next three months are the Tawang Festival (27 to 31 October 2026), Wangala (12 to 14 November), the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival (20 and 21 November), the Sangai Festival (21 to 30 November) and the Hornbill Festival (1 to 10 December).

This calendar lists the festivals worth travelling for from October 2026 to the end of 2027, with dates, places, the permits you need and how to combine two or three in one trip. Dates were checked on 2 October 2026. Where a date has not been announced or follows the lunar calendar, we say so.

Key takeaways

• November and December are the busiest festival months, and the weather is dry and clear.
• Hornbill (1 to 10 December) is the largest. Book Kohima stays six to eight weeks ahead.
• The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival has moved back to Madan Kurkalang in Bhoirymbong for 2026.
• Festivals in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur need an Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors.
• Tribal festivals often have fixed dates each year. Buddhist and Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar and shift.

Festival dates: October 2026 to January 2027

October and November 2026

Tawang Festival, 27 to 31 October

The Tawang Festival is Arunachal Pradesh's showcase of Monpa culture, with masked dances, Buddhist rituals, local food and crafts against the backdrop of the monastery town. Incredible India lists the 2026 dates as 27 to 31 October. Late October is also one of the clearest months for the drive over Sela Pass.

Nongkrem Dance, 1 and 2 November

Nongkrem is the thanksgiving festival of the Khasi state of Hima Khyrim, held at Smit, about 15 km from Shillong. Young men and women dance in gold and silver ornaments in the courtyard of the chief's traditional house. The Shillong Times reports that the 2026 dance is on 1 and 2 November. It is a religious ceremony, so dress modestly and ask before taking close-up photographs.

Wangala, 12 to 14 November

Wangala is the harvest festival of the Garo people, known as the 100 Drums Festival. Troupes from across the Garo Hills dance to a hundred drums at Asanang, about 18 km from Tura. The 2026 edition is listed for 12 to 14 November and marks 50 years of the festival in its present form. Tura is a long drive from Shillong, so plan at least three days.

Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival, 20 and 21 November

India's best-known autumn music festival is timed to the bloom of Meghalaya's wild cherry trees. The 2026 headliners announced so far are Khalid, Swae Lee and Boys Like Girls. On 1 October the organisers moved the festival back to Madan Kurkalang in Bhoirymbong, about 30 km from Shillong. Our Cherry Blossom Festival guide has the lineup, tickets and travel details.

Sangai Festival, 21 to 30 November

The Sangai Festival is Manipur's main tourism festival, named after the state's rare brow-antlered deer. It brings together classical Manipuri dance, martial arts, polo, handloom and food from the valley and the hills. Incredible India lists it for 21 to 30 November 2026 in Imphal. Check the current travel situation in Manipur before you book.

Majuli Raas Mahotsav, around 24 November

Raas is the biggest event of the year on Majuli, the river island in Assam. For three or four days around the full moon, the island's satras stage the life of Krishna through dance, masks and song, often running through the night. The full moon falls on 24 November in 2026. Ferries and stays fill up, so book early. Our Jorhat and Majuli itinerary covers the ferry and where to stay.

December 2026

Hornbill Festival, 1 to 10 December

Hornbill is the largest festival in the Northeast. For ten days at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, Nagaland's tribes present their dances, songs, food and crafts in traditional morung houses, followed by rock concerts and a night market in Kohima. The dates are the same every year. Our Hornbill Festival 2026 guide covers tickets, permits and where to stay.

Me·Gong Festival, 4 and 5 December

Me·Gong is a two-day music and culture festival in Tura, with national and regional artists alongside Garo food, fashion and crafts. Meghalaya Tourism lists it for 4 and 5 December 2026.

Dambuk Orange Festival, mid-December

The Orange Festival of Adventure and Music is held in Dambuk, in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Dibang Valley, when the orange orchards are in fruit. It mixes live music with rafting, off-road driving and ziplining. The 2026 dates had not been announced when we checked. Last year's edition ran from 12 to 14 December.

Winter Tales and Christmas in Shillong

Winter Tales is a small festival of local crafts, food and music at Ward's Lake in Shillong, listed for 17 to 19 December 2026. It leads into Christmas, which is celebrated widely across Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. Churches hold carol services, streets are lit up, and many shops close on 25 December, so plan meals and transport ahead.

January 2027

• Magh Bihu, 14 and 15 January: Assam's harvest festival. The night before is Uruka, a community feast around bonfires in the fields.
• Torgya, January: three days of masked monastic dances at Tawang Monastery. The dates follow the lunar calendar.
• Me-Dam-Me-Phi, 31 January: the Tai-Ahom day of ancestor worship, centred on Sivasagar in Upper Assam.

Festival calendar for 2027

Many tribal festivals in the Northeast are held on the same dates each year, which makes them easy to plan around. Festivals marked as lunar shift each year, so confirm before you book.

For more on two of these, see our guides to Losar in Sikkim and the Ziro Festival of Music.

Which festival suits you?

Permits you need

Indian citizens need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter four Northeast states. Apply online before you travel, and carry a printout with your photo ID.

Rules for foreign visitors are different. Our Northeast India permit guide covers every state, how to apply and what it costs.

How to combine festivals in one trip

Late November to early December is the one stretch where you can see three major festivals in about two weeks, with a wildlife stop in between.

1. 20 and 21 November: Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival. Fly into Guwahati and stay in Shillong.
2. 22 to 25 November: drive to Jorhat and take the ferry to Majuli for Raas Mahotsav.
3. 26 to 28 November: Kaziranga National Park for jeep and elephant safaris.
4. 29 November to 3 December: drive to Kohima for the opening days of the Hornbill Festival. Fly out of Dimapur.

The long legs are Shillong to Jorhat and Kaziranga to Kohima. Each takes a full day on the road.

Planning tips

• Book stays early. Kohima, Shillong and Majuli all have limited rooms, and prices rise in festival week.
• Arrive a day before the festival starts. Roads into festival towns slow down on opening day.
• Carry cash. ATMs run dry and card machines fail when a small town fills up.
• Pack for cold evenings from November to February, even where the days are warm.
• Ask before photographing rituals and people in traditional dress. Some ceremonies are religious, not performances.
• Check dates again a week before you travel. Lunar festivals and newer music festivals do change.

Travel to the festivals with Breeziah

• Hornbill Festival 2026 group trip: 5 days in Kohima, from Rs 19,999 per person. Departures on 30 November, 3 December and 6 December 2026.
• Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 group trip: 4 days from Guwahati, from Rs 12,999 per person. Departs 19 November 2026.
• Jorhat and Majuli Island tour: 4 days, from Rs 13,999 per person. Ask us about dates around Raas Mahotsav.
• Ziro Valley and Apatani culture tour: 6 days, from Rs 21,999 per person.