How to read these dates
Festivals in Braj follow the Hindu lunar panchang, not the Gregorian calendar, so a date can shift by a day depending on the sunrise rule a temple uses. We checked each date below against two published calendars (Drik Panchang and a second festival list). Where they or local tourism sources differ, we say so. The temples announce their own final schedule a few days ahead.
Plan around a window of two or three days, not one fixed morning. Roads close early on big days, rooms fill, and the real feeling of a festival often starts the evening before.
February to April: spring, Shivratri and Holi
Our fuller guide is at the Vrindavan Holi page, and we run a Barsana Holi tour for people who want to see all of it without a crush.
- Vasant Panchami, 11 February 2027. Spring is welcomed in the temples with yellow clothes and flowers, and the Holi season begins its slow build from here.
- Mahashivratri, 6 March 2027. Braj has its own Shiva shrines, among them Bhuteshwar in Mathura and Gopeshwar in Vrindavan, where Shiva is said to have come in the form of a gopi.
- Laddu Holi, Barsana, around 15 March 2027. Laddus are thrown and shared at Radha Rani's temple.
- Lathmar Holi: Barsana around 16 March, Nandgaon around 17 March 2027. Women of Barsana playfully beat the men of Nandgaon with sticks, and the next day the roles are reversed. Tourism sources give dates from 14 to 18 March, so treat these as the likely days only.
- Holika Dahan on 21 March and Rangwali Holi on 22 March 2027. Mathura and Vrindavan colour the whole town on the 22nd, with Banke Bihari's temple a famous place to be.
- Ram Navami, 15 April 2027, observed in Braj temples with bhajans and processions.
May to July: heat, charan darshan and the guru
- Akshaya Tritiya, 9 May 2027. In Vrindavan it is remembered for the Banke Bihari Charan darshan, when the Lord's feet are shown to devotees for this one day of the year. One calendar lists 8 May, so confirm.
- Nirjala Ekadashi, 14 June 2027. A fast without even water, kept by many families, in the hottest weeks of summer.
- Guru Purnima, 18 July 2027. Known in Braj as Mudia Poono, it is the great day for Govardhan parikrama, when lakhs of pilgrims walk around the hill with their gurus' blessings.
August and September: monsoon, swings and birth
Janmashtami and Radhashtami each have a page of their own, with where to stand and how the day runs.
- Hariyali Teej, 4 August 2027, the start of the swing season. Temples hang jhulas in the sanctums, and the Jhulan period runs until the full moon of Shravan.
- Raksha Bandhan, 17 August 2027. One regional calendar lists the 16th.
- Krishna Janmashtami, 25 August 2027. Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan are lit around midnight for the birth. This is the most crowded night of the Braj year.
- Radhashtami, 8 September 2027. Radha's appearance day, celebrated at Barsana and Raval, her birthplace.
October to December: the Kartik season
The Kartik page has what a month in Vrindavan is really like, and we also offer a Kartik tour.
- Sharad Purnima, 14 or 15 October 2027. The night of Krishna's Maha Ras with the gopis, when kheer is left under the moon. Sources split between the two dates.
- Kartik, the Damodar month, runs from just after this full moon until Kartik Purnima. Lamps are offered every evening, and it is the favourite month of many devotees.
- Diwali, 29 October 2027. Govardhan Puja and Annakut follow on 30 October, with mountains of food offered to Giriraj. Bhai Dooj and Yamuna Dwitiya come on 31 October, when brothers and sisters bathe at Vishram Ghat in Mathura.
- Gopashtami, about 6 November 2027, the day Krishna began tending the cows. We found one calendar only for this date.
- Dev Uthani Ekadashi, 10 November 2027, when Vishnu is said to wake, and Kartik Purnima, 14 November 2027, which ends the month.
- Gita Jayanti, 9 December 2027, the day of the Bhagavad Gita.
Picking your week
Choose Holi if you want colour and noise and are happy to be jostled. Choose Kartik for quiet devotion and cool mornings. Choose Janmashtami if the midnight birth is the thing you have wanted all your life, and book your room as early as possible.
For groups, we plan dates around these windows on the group tours page. Whichever week you pick, lala:Cab follows Krishna's path in the Gita, so the cab, the stay and the guide are ready and responsible before you arrive.
- Every date on this page follows the panchang and can shift by a day. Confirm with the temple or us before booking.
- Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon and Laddu Holi: only tourism sites give dates, and they range from 14 to 18 March.
- Gopashtami: one calendar only. Sharad Purnima: 14 or 15 October. Ram Navami, Akshaya Tritiya and Raksha Bandhan: one regional calendar differs by a day.
Dates checked: 23 October 2026