Festival Style in India

Outfit guides for 4 Indian festivals, from Holi in Mathura to NH7 Weekender.

4Festivals
4Cities
March–DecemberSeason

India has 4 festivals in this guide, spread across 4 cities. They run in March and December, and festival-day temperatures range from 24°C (75°F) to 32°C (90°F), with nights down to 8°C (46°F). That range is the reason there is no single "India festival outfit". The answer changes by month and by site.

3 of them run in real heat (28°C or more), where loose natural fabrics beat coverage and a brimmed hat does more than any garment.

The ground matters as much as the sky. You will find city streets, beach, desert and open field, which puts closed boots or trainers you accept will change colour at the top of the list for most of these events. 2 of the 4 have camping on site, so outfits have to survive living in a bag on the ground for several days.

Stylistically the crowd here leans costume, boho, water and party. Holi in Mathura is the largest of them at around 500,000 people, and it sets the tone the smaller ones react to. None of that is a dress code. It is what you will see, which is worth knowing if you would rather blend in or deliberately not.

Cities

Festival dressing in India: FAQ

It depends on which one and when. Festival days in India range from 24°C (75°F) to 32°C (90°F), with nights down to 8°C (46°F), so a light base plus one carryable warm layer covers most of them. Rain risk is low to moderate, so the day-to-night drop is the main thing to plan around.

The festivals in this guide run in March and December. Exact dates are set by the organisers each year. Check the official site of the festival you are going to before booking travel.

Down to about 8°C (46°F) at the coldest of these festivals. That is cold enough that a jacket you can carry all day is worth the inconvenience.

2 of the 4 festivals listed here have camping on site: Sunburn Festival, Magnetic Fields Festival. Camping changes what you pack. Outfits in sealed sets, separate sleep clothes, and a second pair of dry shoes.

Broken-in boots or trainers, and never anything new. You will walk 15.000 to 30.000 steps a day, and footwear is the only garment that can end your weekend early.