Annual Pushkar Fair to begin tomorrow

Jaipur, Nov 15: The annual Pushkar Fair is to begin from 16 to 23 November. The full moon night, Kartik Purnima 2018, the focus of the religious and pilgrimage activities, is on Friday 23 November.

Held each November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon, Pushkar Camel Fair is one of India's most highly-rated travel experiences, attracting thousands of camels, horses and cattle and visited by over 400,000 people over a period of around fourteen days.

From Monday 19 November to Tuesday 26 November we will be in the Hadoti region with some of our guests for the authentic local mela and Kartik Purnima celebrations at Chandrabhaga Fair, near Jhalawar; a chance to capture the atmosphere of the trading fairs of earlier times, and explore a less-visited area of Rajasthan.

Annual Pushkar Fair schedule:

Tented bazaars

15 November: The tented bazaars are a hive of activity and the fairground is being set up. Mny camel carts are arriving bringing people with business at the fair. Holy men and religious groups are more numerous in the town each day.

A trader arrives with his livestock at the annual Pushkar Camel Fair 2018, in Pushkar, Thursday, Nov.15, 2018. The annual five-day livestock fair is one of the largest camel fairs in the world. (PTI Photo)

Official Programme begins

16 November: Things get livelier. Acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers and other nomadic performers set up in and around the stadium. Many come from the Nath performing community and learn traditional skills from a young age. The Official Programme of organised events begins: Deep Dan and aarthi at the lake from 5.30pm, followed by a concert at the stadium from 7pm.

Traders arrives with their livestock at the annual Pushkar Camel Fair 2018, in Pushkar, Thursday, Nov.15, 2018. The annual five-day livestock fair is one of the largest camel fairs in the world. (PTI Photo)

Cultural activities, competitions

17 November: The fair is traditionally a great meeting place where even marriages may be arranged. Day 2 of the Official Program features displays and competitions.

18 November: Around the stadium there are cultural activities, competitions and bazaars. Camels and traders will disappear back into the desert as the week progresses and their business is concluded.

Traders arrives with their livestock at the annual Pushkar Camel Fair 2018, in Pushkar, Thursday, Nov.15, 2018. The annual five-day livestock fair is one of the largest camel fairs in the world. (PTI Photo)

Holy Pushkar lake

19 November: The colourful fairground attracts huge crowds with stalls, street vendors, sideshows and ferris wheels. Stadium events continue.

20 November: Numbers of colourfully-dressed villagers are arriving from all over the region to bathe in the holy Pushkar lake. The fairground is going full swing. A craft fair is set up with handicraft stalls.

A woman in her traditional attire walks among a herd of camel during the annual Pushkar Camel Fair 2018, in Pushkar, Thursday, Nov.15, 2018. The annual five-day livestock fair is one of the largest camel fairs in the world. (PTI Photo)