Venue
Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, India
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Jaisalmer Desert Festival guide
Camel contests and folk music in Jaisalmer.
In short
The Desert Festival suits travellers keen on Thar music, dance and light-hearted camel contests in the sandstone city. It runs three days ending on Magh Purnima; that full moon falls on 20 February 2027, but Rajasthan Tourism had published no 2027 programme by October 2026. Confirm the dates before paying for a room.
Maru Mahotsav, the Desert Festival, is the winter celebration in which Jaisalmer puts the culture of the Thar in front of a crowd. Rajasthan Tourism runs it with the district administration in the golden sandstone city on Rajasthan's far western edge, and it mixes camel contests, folk dance and the music of the surrounding villages.
A good part of it is light-hearted and staged for photographs. There is a parade of turbans and swirling skirts, a contest for the longest moustache and a title for the best-dressed man of the desert. The music is the stronger reason to come. Manganiar and Langa singers, who carry their ballads and hymns from one generation to the next, rarely get audiences this large.
It is also a chance to see Jaisalmer as a working town, with village families in the stands and traders selling the crafts they make at home.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Saturday, 20 February 2027
Where: Rajasthan, India
Venue: Jaisalmer city and Sam Sand Dunes
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Folk Festival
Currency: Indian rupee (₹ INR)
Time zone: UTC+5:30 (IST), no daylight saving
Language: Hindi and Rajasthani; English in tourism
Map
Close to the venue
- Salim Singh ki Haveli Attraction · 130 m
- Jaisalmer Fort Attraction · 240 m
- Patwon ki Haveli Attraction · 360 m
- Gadisar Lake Attraction · 890 m
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Clothing for hot afternoons and cold desert nights
February afternoons usually reach the mid 20s Celsius, and there is little shade at the stadium. The desert gives up its heat quickly after dark, and nights can drop to around 12 to 15°C, so the evening concerts and the dunes call for another layer.
- A fleece or thick shawl for after sunset.
- Sunglasses, and a scarf or cotton cloth to pull over your face when the wind lifts the sand.
- Water, lip balm and sun cream. The air is very dry.
- Closed shoes you can walk through sand in.
- A small torch for finding your car or camp across the dunes at night.
Photographing performers and village families
The parade and the contests are made for photographs, and performers in costume generally expect lenses pointed their way. The families who come in from the villages to watch are another matter. Ask before you photograph anyone in the crowd, women and children above all, and take a shake of the head as a final answer.
The festival draws many communities and faiths together. Dress with some modesty, keep your voice down near temples and shrines, and avoid joking about anything that looks like a ritual. Respect goes a long way here, and people are quick to return it.
Avoiding pickpockets at the parade and Sam dunes
Most visitors have an easy time, but crowds bring pickpockets. Carry your bag in front of you in the parade crowd and at the stadium gates, and keep phones zipped away. Tempers sometimes flare in the crush. If an argument starts nearby, move away.
The final night is where people get separated. The dunes look alike after dark, and it is easy to lose a child in a few seconds. Agree a meeting point before the show and keep small children within arm's reach. Reach Sam well before sunset if you want a decent patch of sand near the performers. Camel owners offer short rides at the dunes: settle the price before you climb on.
Shopping for handicrafts at the festival stalls
Traders set up stalls through the festival, and for many village artisans these three days are a big chance to sell. Look for handloom clothing, leather bags and footwear, puppets, room decorations, jewellery set with precious and semi-precious stones, and small carvings in the yellow sandstone the city is built from.
Prices are open to negotiation. Ask the price first, offer less, and settle somewhere between with a smile. Carry small notes, since change can be hard to find at busy stalls. For gemstones, buy only what you would be happy to own whatever its true value.
What happens on the day
- Day one, morning
Procession
From Jaisalmer Fort to the Shahid Poonam Singh Stadium: turbans, camels, dance troupes and singers.
- Middle days
Stadium contests
Camel races and camel polo, tug-of-war, turban-tying, the longest moustache and the Maru-Shri title.
- Afternoons
Slow and hot
Rest or explore the fort lanes.
- Evenings
Folk concerts
Manganiar and Langa musicians, Kalbelia and fire dancers.
- Last day, towards sunset
Sam dunes
Performances on the dunes carry on late under the full moon, around a bonfire.
Confirming the festival dates and booking a room early
Pin down the dates before anything else. The festival follows the lunar calendar, and the organisers had published no 2027 programme by mid-October 2026. Write to the Tourist Reception Centre in Jaisalmer, which deals with festival enquiries, and only then pay for flights.
Some tented camps near Sam sell packages that bundle in the transfer to the dunes.
Give yourself a day either side. Arriving the evening before the procession means you are not checking in while it passes. A spare half-day after the festival is well spent at the Desert National Park, west of town, or on a desert safari from one of the camps. If Jaisalmer is one stop on a longer route through Rajasthan, our India travel guide helps with the rest of the trip.
The legend of Rawal Jaisal and the festival's origins
Local legend gives the festival a royal pedigree. Lord Krishna, the story goes, told Arjuna that a descendant of the Yadava clan would one day found a kingdom on Trikuta Hill. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal, of that line, built his fort there, and the city that grew around it took his name. The tale says a great celebration marked the founding and was repeated every year after.
Dance carries most of the modern programme. Kalbelia troupes, men and women together, move in a fluid, sinuous style and perform a snake dance that is very much their own. Fire dancers and Gair groups fill the gaps between contests, alongside Ghoomar dancers and puppeteers. Nomadic acrobats called Nat or Kalabaz put on gymnastic displays that draw the loudest cheers of the day.
Listen for the Bhopas too. These storytellers recite folk tales and hymns that sit beside the Manganiar and Langa ballads, and they get as attentive an audience as the dancers. The camel has crept further into the act in recent years, with camel tattoo shows and bands playing from the saddle.
Getting there
Flying in
Jaisalmer Airport, 17 km south-east, has flights only in the cooler months, roughly October to March, with Delhi the best link. See Dhaka to New Delhi or Bangkok to Delhi flights.
Via Jodhpur
Jodhpur is about 300 km away, four to five hours by road; a hired car with driver is easiest.
By train
Daily trains run to Jaipur, with connections to Delhi. Jaisalmer station is about 2 km from the centre.
To Sam
About an hour by taxi or jeep. Book the ride and the return for the final evening a day ahead; cars are scarce after the show.
Where to stay during the festival
A hotel or converted haveli near the fort puts the parade and contests a short walk away; a tented camp near Sam puts you beside the final night. Many visitors do two nights in town and a last one under canvas.
Rooms disappear fast once the dates are out, so confirm the dates with the Tourist Reception Centre before paying for anything.
Weather and what to pack
February in the Thar is warm by day and cold at night. Jaisalmer averages a high of 27.3°C and a low of 12.5°C, with almost no rain (1991-2020 normals).
Nights on the dunes are colder than in town; bring a warm layer for the final evening.
Worth packing
- A warm jacket for the dunes
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- A scarf against dust
- Comfortable shoes for sand and the fort's lanes
Car hire in Rajasthan
Airport transfer to Jaisalmer Desert Festival
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Jaisalmer city and Sam Sand Dunes.
Restaurants and food in India
Places to eat in India before or after the celebrations.
1135 AD
Level 2, Jaleb Chowk, Amer Palace, near Sheela Mata Temple, Amer, Jaipur 302002, India
Cuisine:RajasthaniMughlai
- Dine-in
- Private room
Karavalli
Vivanta Bengaluru Residency Road (formerly The Gateway Hotel), 66 Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru 560025, India
Cuisine:South Indian coastalKerala
- Dine-in
Karim's
Gali Kababian, near Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, Delhi 110006, India
Cuisine:MughlaiNorth Indian
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Indian Accent
The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India
Cuisine:Modern IndianTasting menu
- Dine-in
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Rajasthan Tourism stages it together with the Jaisalmer district administration. For dates and programme questions, the Tourist Reception Centre in the city is the place to ask.
Out on the Sam sand dunes, a drive of around an hour west of the city. Performances there go on late into the full-moon night, and tented camps close by let you sleep on site.
Yes, at least in the lighter ones. Recent editions have staged a tug-of-war between local teams and a side of foreign visitors, which is as chaotic and good-natured as it sounds. Ask festival staff at the stadium how to join.
It is the Mr Desert title, the contest many spectators come for, and it shares the stadium programme with the turban-tying and the longest moustache competition.
They are hereditary folk musicians from the villages around Jaisalmer. Their songs are handed down within families, and the festival is one of the few times each year they play to a crowd this large.
A dance of the Kalbeliya tribe, performed by men and women together. It is fluid and sinuous, and the troupes also perform a snake dance. You will see it in the city programme and again at the dunes.
Yes. Camel races are among the main events, and recent programmes have added camel polo, camel tattoo shows and bands that play while riding.
Some years, yes. A few of the evening concerts have brought in Bollywood singers, though the folk musicians remain the core of the programme. Names are only confirmed when the schedule is released.
Women wear bright chunari scarves and long ghagra skirts, and men wear coloured turbans. Visitors are not expected to dress up, and nobody minds if you do.
What's included
Past editions have included an Air Force display, parachuting and a cricket match, along with martial arts and magic shows. The mix changes from year to year, so check the published programme.
Health & safety
Generally yes. Rajasthan depends heavily on tourism, and Jaisalmer is used to foreign visitors travelling alone. Isolated incidents happen, as anywhere, so take the usual care in thick crowds and on the dunes after dark.
Getting there
The luxury train is one option for travellers who want a grand, all-inclusive tour of Rajasthan with Jaisalmer on the route. Check whether its departure dates line up with the festival before booking, since the train runs to a fixed schedule.
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