One of the most important festivals celebrated here is the ‘Makar Sakranti’. It takes place in mid January and marks the time when the Sun’s direct rays reach the Tropic of Capricorn, after the winter solstice. It is celebrated with lots of folk music and dance as well as kite flying. The skies of Ahmedabad are filled with multi colored kites on this day. Everybody takes part in the festival with great enthusiasm.

The ‘Dang Durbar’ is a tribal festival or an Adivasi festival. It is celebrated by the Dangs around the month of February/ March. The ‘Bhavnagar Fair’ is held in the Girnar Hills, Junagadh in the month of January/ February. Again folk dance and music is one of the main attractions of the fair. The ‘Kutch Festival’ or the ‘Rann festival’ is celebrated at the time of the Shiv Ratri in February/ March. The centre of the festival is Bhuj in Kutch. It has crafts, fairs and folk dances and music and cultural shows, all organized by the Gujarat Tourism. Tours are also conducted, out to the ruins of Dhola Vera, a city that was once a part of the Indus Valley civilization. In the month of March/April, Madhavpur organizes the ‘Madhavrai Fair’ which celebrates the elopement of Rukmani with Lord Krishna. Narrative stories are told in a music and dance show. Any festival of Gujarat is incomplete if not accompanied by folk music and dance. Champaner in the Pavagadh Hills celebrates the Mahakali festival in the month of March/April. As the name suggests, it is held in honor of the great goddess Mahakali. ‘Janmashtmi’ is celebrated throughout India in the month of August/September, but at Dwarka where Krishna once had his legendary Kingdom, it surpasses anything you may have seen elsewhere. The festival is held to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday. The ‘Tarneter’ fair is held in honor of Lord Shiva. This fair is also held in the month of August/ September at the time of Maha Shiv Ratri. ‘Navratri’, the nine-day festival held in honor of Goddess Durga, in the month of September/October, is celebrated throughout the entire state with lots of joy and fervor.

The ‘Ras Garbha’, the Gujarati folk dance can be seen anywhere you go. The dance reflects touches of the classical North Indian Kathak style. In the month of November/December, ‘Diwali’, the festival of lights is celebrated in Gujarat. The birthday of ‘Mahavira, the Jain founder is also celebrated by them in the month of April. The dry areas, especially Kutch, celebrates the monsoon season, when the rainfall and the nomadic tribals return to their villages. This festival is usually celebrated every third/fourth/ fifth year, in the month of July/August. In the month of October/November, Dakor celebrates the ‘Sharad Purnima’ festival. Again Lord Krishna is the central focus of the festival. The ‘Kartik’ Purnima festival held on the full moon night is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva.