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Ganga Mahotsav: music on the ghats of Varanasi before Dev Deepawali
Ragas on a riverbank stage, the dark river moving behind the musicians
Ganga Mahotsav is a cultural festival held by the Uttar Pradesh tourism department on the ghats of Varanasi: three or four evenings of classical music and dance by the river, a national craft fair and traditional sports. It is timed for the run-up to Kartik Purnima and leads the city into Dev Deepawali, the night the ghats are lined with clay lamps. Dates: 20–23 November 2026. The Varanasi administration and the state government fix them at planning meetings between August and October.
A cultural festival organised by the Uttar Pradesh tourism department to showcase the heritage of the Gangetic plain, timed to run into Kartik Purnima and the Dev Deepawali lamp offering.
The Varanasi administration and the state government set the dates at planning meetings between August and October, always in the days just before Dev Deepawali.
The legend
Varanasi has long been a city of music: some two hundred years ago Pandit Ram Sahai created the Benares style of tabla playing here.
The shehnai master Bismillah Khan is tied to the city, and Varanasi-born Girija Devi became the Queen of Thumri.
Today Varanasi belongs to UNESCO's Creative Cities Network as a City of Music.
To show off this heritage, Uttar Pradesh's tourism department holds Ganga Mahotsav on the ghats: days of music, dance and crafts.
By tradition the festival falls in Kartik and leads the city into Dev Deepawali, when the ghats light more than a million clay lamps.
Customs
Concerts on the ghats
Every evening from four o'clock there is music and dance on the riverbank; in 2025 the main stages stood at Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat.
Classics of all India
Different schools meet in the programme: Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, sitar duets with violin or sarod.
Boat race
Country boats race on the river, and martial arts contests are held on the bank.
Shilp mela
A crafts fair runs every day, with a sculpture display alongside.
Words of the festival
घराना
gharana
a school of music or dance handed down from teacher to pupil and within families
ठुमरी
thumri
a light-classical vocal genre; its Benares manner is called purab ang
शहनाई
shehnai
a reed wind instrument; Bismillah Khan took it from weddings to the concert stage
घाट
ghat
stone steps leading down to the water; in Varanasi the stages go up on them
True or myth
❌ Myth. It is a modern cultural festival organised by Uttar Pradesh's tourism department.
✅ True. The city is part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network specifically as a City of Music.
❌ Myth. Pandit Ram Sahai developed it a little over two hundred years ago.
What happens during the festival
The heart of Ganga Mahotsav is the evening programme. From about four o'clock each day, musicians and dancers perform on stages set up on the ghats, with the river behind them. In recent editions the main stages have stood at Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat, at the northern end of the riverfront; the venues are announced with the programme, so check them each year.
The line-up is classical and drawn from all of India rather than only from Banaras: Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Odissi dance, vocal recitals, sitar in duet with violin or sarod. UP Tourism describes the evenings as leading performers of classical music playing on the bank of the Ganga.
Alongside the concerts the festival has a sporting side. UP Tourism lists a Ganga marathon, traditional sports, a country boat race on the river and Indian-style wrestling. Their times and places come with the official programme.
The craft fair at Urban Haat
Ganga Mahotsav also has a large craft fair. UP Tourism describes a ten-day craft bazaar, the National Craft Fair, at Urban Haat, Sanskritik Sankul, near Chowka Ghat, where artisans from more than 20 states sell their work directly to buyers. A sculpture display usually runs alongside.
The fair is planned to run longer than the concert evenings, so it may be open on days with no programme on the ghats. If you are in Varanasi only for crafts, check the fair's own dates in the announcement rather than the concert dates.
Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali
The festival is a modern one, organised by the state, not an ancient rite described in the Puranas. What ties it to the religious calendar is its timing: it falls in the month of Kartik and is planned to end just as the city reaches Kartik Purnima and Dev Deepawali, when the ghats light more than a million clay lamps. UP Tourism calls Dev Deepawali the pinnacle of the event; in recent editions the concert evenings have closed the day before it.
In practice this means one trip can take in both: a few evenings of music, then the night of lamps. Dev Deepawali itself belongs to the Kartik full moon and is described on our Kartik Purnima page.
Planning a visit
Most of what you need to know comes late, with the official programme.
- Watch for the announcement — The dates are set at meetings between August and October; until then any date is provisional. The UP Tourism festival page and the Varanasi administration are the sources to check.
- Choose a base near the stages — In recent editions the main stages were at Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat, at the northern end of the riverfront; check how far your guesthouse is from them. Compare areas on our where to stay in Varanasi page and see the ghats and Namo Ghat.
- Expect crowds towards the full moon — The last evenings run into the Dev Deepawali crowd. FCDO notes that stampedes have occurred at some events with large crowds, including religious gatherings, and advises following the advice of the local authorities. Keep to the edge of the steps and agree a meeting point.
- Emergency number — In an emergency anywhere in India, call 112. More in Is India safe?
FAQ
When is Ganga Mahotsav?
Next: 20–23 November 2026. It is held in Kartik, usually in November (in some years late October), in the days just before Dev Deepawali; the administration confirms the dates between August and October.
Where is Ganga Mahotsav held?
On the ghats of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh. In recent editions the main stages stood at Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat, and the craft fair is at Urban Haat near Chowka Ghat.
How many days does Ganga Mahotsav last?
The concerts run for three or four evenings. The craft fair at Urban Haat lasts longer: UP Tourism describes it as a ten-day bazaar.
Who organises Ganga Mahotsav?
The Uttar Pradesh tourism department, with the Varanasi administration. It is a modern cultural festival, not a traditional religious one.
Is Ganga Mahotsav the same as Dev Deepawali?
No. Ganga Mahotsav is the music and crafts festival in the days before; Dev Deepawali is the lamp festival of the Kartik full moon that it leads into.
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.