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Festivals in June in India bring colour, energy, and tradition to different parts of the country. In Goa, the Sao Joao Feast turns villages into lively hubs with music, dance, and well-jumping celebrations. Meanwhile, Ladakh’s Yuru Kabgyat fills monasteries with sacred masked dances and rhythmic chants. Delhi’s International Mango Festival draws fruit lovers eager to taste rare varieties, while Varanasi glows with lamps during Ganga Dussehra. Each festival offers a glimpse into India’s diverse cultural and spiritual heritage.
Top 10 Festivals In June In India
Here are the festivals in June in India, bringing celebrations, traditions, and lively events:
1. Shimla Summer Festival
Photo: Roi Solomon / Unsplash / Image For Representation Only
The Shimla Summer Festival brings joy to this beautiful hill town every June. People gather at the Ridge area to enjoy colourful parades, folk dances, and music shows that celebrate mountain culture. Local artists perform traditional songs while visitors taste delicious momos and sweet jalebi from nearby food stalls. Many look forward to the exciting “Miss Shimla” contest where young women display their talents and cultural knowledge. Tourists can purchase handmade woollens, wooden crafts, and silver jewellery while enjoying the cool mountain air. This festival offers everyone a perfect escape from the summer heat while experiencing Himachal Pradesh’s rich traditions.
Celebrated In: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Traditions: Parades, folk dances, music shows, “Miss Shimla” contest, local crafts
2. Ganga Dussehra
Photo: Neeta Gulati / Unsplash / Image For Representation Only
Ganga Dussehra honours the day when Goddess Ganga came down from heaven to earth. Thousands of people gather along the sacred river in cities like Varanasi, Haridwar, and Rishikesh to take holy baths at sunrise, believing this washes away sins and brings good luck. Priests perform beautiful ceremonies with large lamps circled in the air while temple bells ring loudly. Devotees place small leaf boats filled with flowers and candles on the water and watch them float away. As evening comes, the riverbanks glow with countless oil lamps while people sing sacred songs.
Celebrated In: Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh
Traditions: Bathing in the Ganges, temple prayers, floating leaf boats
3. Ambubachi Mela
Photo: Vikramjit Kakati / Wikimedia Commons
Ambubachi Mela attracts many people to Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. This unusual festival celebrates the yearly menstruation of Goddess Kamakhya. The temple closes for three days, representing the goddess’s menstrual period. Holy men with ash-covered bodies, long hair, and special tools gather outside to perform rituals. People believe this is the most powerful time for special religious practices. When the temple reopens, crowds rush to receive blessed food and special red cloth pieces. Unlike most Hindu traditions that view menstruation as unclean, this festival honours female power as something sacred and special.
Celebrated In: Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati
Traditions: Temple closure, sacred food offerings, spiritual rituals
4. Sao Joao Feast
Photo: Joseolgon / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Sao Joao Feast fills Goa with happiness and celebration each June. This Christian festival honours Saint John the Baptist with a special tradition where young men jump into wells while shouting “Viva Sao Joao!” People wear beautiful crowns made from fruits and flowers called kopels while walking through villages. Everyone dances to traditional music played on special drums and shares the local drink called feni. New sons-in-law receive gifts from their wives’ families during this time. Colourful boat parades and water activities make this festival extra special, showing how Portuguese traditions have mixed perfectly with Indian culture.
Celebrated In: Goa
Traditions: Wearing crowns of fruits and flowers, music, sharing feni
5. Sindhu Darshan Festival
Photo: Peter Olshevsky / Wikimedia Commons
Sindhu Darshan Festival celebrates the important Indus River near Leh in beautiful Ladakh. People from across India bring water from their hometown rivers in special pots to mix with the Indus, showing India’s unity. Against a background of snow-covered mountains, visitors perform morning prayers by the riverbank. Dancers wearing bright traditional clothes perform while musicians play drums. Buddhist monks in dark red robes chant special prayers that echo through the valley. The festival showcases Ladakhi culture through music, dance, and handmade crafts while honouring the ancient river that supported early civilisations.
Celebrated In: Ladakh
Traditions: Offering water from hometown rivers, cultural performances
6. Saga Dawa
Photo: pwbaker / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Saga Dawa fills Sikkim and other Himalayan areas with spiritual energy during Buddhism’s most important month. It celebrates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death—all believed to have happened on the same special day. Colourful prayer flags wave from mountains while monks play long brass horns at sunrise. The main event features a special parade carrying sacred Buddhist texts around temples. People release birds and fish back to nature, showing kindness to all living beings. Devotees light butter lamps and give food to those in need, believing good actions during this month bring extra spiritual benefits and create peaceful feelings.
Celebrated In: Sikkim, Himalayan regions
Traditions: Lighting butter lamps, performing acts of kindness
7. Vat Purnima
Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
During Vat Purnima, married women in Maharashtra and Gujarat pray for their husbands to have long, healthy lives. They walk around sacred banyan trees 108 times while tying red threads on the trunk, fasting from morning until they see the moon rise. Women wear beautiful red or green saris with many bangles that make pleasant sounds as they move. They share the ancient story of Savitri, who saved her husband from death through her devotion. After the ceremony, they decorate their hands with henna designs and exchange fruits and sweets with other women, celebrating marriage bonds.
Celebrated In: Maharashtra, Gujarat
Traditions: Fasting, wearing traditional saris, sharing fruits and sweets
8. Yuru Kabgyat
Photo: Steve Hicks / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Yuru Kabgyat brings ancient traditions alive at Lamayuru Monastery in Ladakh during two special days of masked religious dances. Buddhist monks wear large, colourful masks representing different gods and spirits, performing careful movements that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. They dance to the rhythm of cymbals and drums, telling stories about good defeating evil. Local people dressed in traditional clothes gather to watch, believing the performance brings protection and good fortune to their community. Prayer flags move gently in the mountain breeze as giant horns sound from monastery rooftops, creating a rare glimpse into ancient Tibetan spiritual practices.
Celebrated In: Ladakh
Traditions: Traditional costumes, sacred prayers, cymbal and drum music
9. Eid al-Adha
Photo: Jubersahel / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, brings together Muslim communities across India in joyful celebration. Families wake early to attend special prayers at mosques, wearing their finest new clothes. Afterwards, they perform a ritual sacrifice of animals, following the story of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. The meat is divided into three parts—for family, friends, and those in need—showing the importance of charity. Homes fill with delicious aromas of biryani, kebabs, and sweet desserts as relatives gather to share meals, exchange gifts, and strengthen family bonds through this important religious celebration.
Celebrated In: Nationwide
Traditions: Ritual sacrifice, charity, family gatherings
10. Puri Rath Yatra
Photo: Dibakar Roy / Unsplash / Image For Representation Only
Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, is one of the most popular festivals in June in India. It features three massive wooden chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra through the streets. Devotees from across the world gather to pull these chariots, believing it bring blessings. The rhythmic beats of drums, chanting, and the sight of thousands pulling ropes create an electric atmosphere. The festival’s highlight is the deities’ journey to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay for a week before returning to the Jagannath Temple.
Celebrated In: Puri, Odisha
Traditions: Chariot procession, chanting, music
Festivals in June in India bring people together in ways that go beyond celebration. Some are rooted in deep traditions, while others are all about music, food, and fun. Whether it’s the energy of Shimla’s summer festivities or the spiritual aura of Saga Dawa, each one offers something special. If you want to experience India through its culture and celebrations, plan your trip with TripXL and explore the country in a way that goes beyond the usual sights.
Cover Photo: Dibakar Roy / Unsplash / Image For Representation Only
