Pushkar Fair

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The Pushkar fair is one of the great spectacles of Rajasthan. Each autumn, thousands of camels, horses and cattle are brought to the desert edge of this small holy town, along with the traders, families and pilgrims who come with them. It is part livestock market, part religious festival and part country fair, and nothing else in India is quite like it.

When is the Pushkar fair?

Camels gathered at the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan

The fair follows the Hindu lunar calendar and is held in the month of Kartik, usually in late October or November. It builds over about a week and ends at the full moon, Kartik Purnima, when pilgrims bathe in Pushkar Lake. The livestock trading is busiest in the first days; the religious festival grows towards the end. Because the dates change each year, we confirm them as soon as they are announced.

What you will see at the Pushkar fair

Camel traders at the Pushkar fair
  • The camel grounds at dawn, when traders barter and camels are decorated, shorn in patterns and shod.
  • Competitions and races, including camel races, and the famous moustache contest.
  • Folk musicians, dancers and puppeteers from across Rajasthan.
  • The bazaars, selling everything from saddles and bells to silver jewellery and textiles.

The holy town of Pushkar

The ghats of Pushkar Lake at twilight
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0

Beyond the fair, Pushkar is one of the holiest towns in India. Its lake is ringed by bathing ghats and temples, and the Brahma Temple is one of the very few in the world dedicated to the creator god. Pushkar is a vegetarian town, and alcohol is not served; visitors are asked to remove their shoes near the ghats.

Planning a comfortable visit

Pushkar is small, and the best places to stay are booked a year or more ahead for fair week, from luxury tented camps to heritage hotels. Early mornings and evenings are the most beautiful times on the fair ground, with the middle of the day best spent resting. The fair sits easily within a wider journey through Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, as on our Pushkar Camel Fair tour. For more about the region, see our guide to places to visit in Rajasthan, or read the history of the Pushkar fair.

If you would like to be at the Pushkar fair this year or next, let us know and we will hold the right rooms early.

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