Kolkata's heartbeat
Festivals of Kolkata
2026 Calendar
Kolkata doesn't celebrate festivals — it becomes them. Plan your visit around the calendar below.
2026 at a glance — scroll →
Durga Puja 2026
2026 dates: Oct 17–21, 2026
"The world's largest open-air art festival — and Kolkata's soul"
Kolkata shuts down, lights up, and becomes itself. Nothing else in India compares.
Read the full Durga Puja guide →All Kolkata Festivals — Month by Month
Festivals with a full guide are linked. Others are listed so you know what's happening during your visit.
Netaji Jayanti
Jan 23Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday — huge in Kolkata
Republic Day
Jan 26Parade, flag hoisting, national holiday
Kolkata Book Fair
Late JanLargest book fair in Asia — Maidan grounds
Saraswati Puja
Vasant PanchamiGoddess of learning — every school & college celebrates
Rabindra Jayanti
May 7 (25 Baisakh)Tagore's birthday — cultural programmes across the city, Shantiniketan is unmissable
Independence Day
Aug 15Flag hoisting, parades — Fort William ceremony is the main one
Durga Puja ★
Oct 17–21, 2026Kolkata's soul — world's largest open-air art festival
Gandhi Jayanti
Oct 2National holiday — remembrance events at Victoria Memorial and Raj Ghat
Lakshmi Puja
Sharad Purnima (Oct)One week after Durga Puja — every household worships Lakshmi
Kali Puja & Diwali
Kartik AmavasyaKolkata's night of fire — darker and louder than Durga Puja
Jagadhatri Puja
Kartik Shukla NavamiChandannagar glass-bead illuminations — most underrated festival in Bengal
Bhai Phota
2 days after Kali PujaBengal's sibling festival — sisters bless brothers with tilak and sweets
Poush Mela
Dec 23–25Bengal's greatest folk festival — Baul music in Shantiniketan
Christmas
Dec 24–Jan 1Park Street becomes the city living room for two weeks
New Year's Eve
Dec 31Park Street countdown — one of the biggest NYE celebrations in India