Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

The mesmerizingly beautiful Jaisalmer Fort becomes all the more beautiful during the time of the Desert Festival, which is held every year on the Hindu month of Magh (February), three days before the full moon.  This is an annual festival considered to be one of the most famous and vibrant cultural events of Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan. If you are planning to visit Rajasthan for a pleasure trip, then the best time to visit the state is during the Jaisalmer Desert Festival time. It is organized by the Rajasthan Tourism Department for a span of 3 days. This is a festival which displays Rajasthan’s culture and traditions through music, dance, and other art forms and is held in the Sam dunes (42 km from Jaisalmer) of the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer Desert Festival is one of the best festival tours in India as it is visited by hundreds of tourists from all across India, including tourists from international destinations. Jaisalmer Desert Festival 2023 dates are 14^th to 16th February, 2023.  Book  Jaisalmer Desert Festival Tour 2023 now.

History of Desert Festival Jaisalmer

As per legend, once Lord Krishna told Arjuna that a successor belonging to the Yadav community would set up His kingdom on the Trikuta Hill. This prediction by Lord Krishna came true in 1196, when Rawal Jaiswal, a descendant of the Yadav family, formed his kingdom in Jaisalmer, which is on the Trikuta Hill. As a result, there were celebrations in the kingdom during that time, and eventually, it turned into an elaborate festival.

Significance of The Desert Festival Jaisalmer 2023

Jaisalmer Desert Festival, one of the best festival tours of Rajasthan, India is organized to celebrate the glorious heritage of Rajasthan. It is a festival to keep the traditional and cultural roots alive in the minds of the people of Rajasthan. In today’s time, this is a celebration to display globally the cultural side of royal Rajasthan in the best way possible.

Celebrations at Jaisalmer Desert Festival

It is a joyful celebration at the backdrop of the Jaisalmer Fort. The golden sands of Jaisalmer become a kaleidoscope during the festival time with attractive colours, music, dance, fun, food and frolic. Jaisalmer comes to life during the three-day festivities of the desert delights. Tourists are amazed to see the rich cultural traditions, performing and creative arts of Rajasthan.

Enjoy Jaisalmer Cultural Extravaganza

Local artists are seen in their attractively designed hued costumes and traditional attires, dancing, singing and playing their folk songs. Gair dance forms and folk fire dances are added attractions and great crowd pullers. Sounds of high-pitched musical instruments echo in the vast expanse of the serene desert. You will come across snake charmers, acrobats, folk artists, puppeteers, jugglers beautifully displaying their artistic skills. Colourful camels adorned with attractive ornaments and coloured bridles are the star performers of the event. Camel races, camel polo matches are some of the attractive events.

Enjoy Various Competitions

Visitors and locals can take part in varied competitions like as tug of war, turban tying and longest moustache competition. Also, there are beauty pageants for men like as Maru Sri or Mr. Desert.

Relish Rajasthani Delicacies and Splurge on Rajasthani Gift Items

When you are attending Jaisalmer Desert Festival, how can you miss out the delicious Rajasthani delicacies served at various food stalls lined up on the festival ground? Also, there are stalls selling local handloom products, Rajasthan handicrafts, fashion apparels, jewelleries made of precious and semi-precious stones, locally made leather items, puppets, and many more such traditional items which are worth purchasing as gifts or souvenirs. In fact, visiting Jaisalmer during Desert Festival and not shopping is an incomplete journey

Camel Rides on the Dunes

Tourists prefer to take a camel ride which walk on the sandy desert at night, giving a view of Jaisalmer. That’s an altogether a different experience where you can enjoy the golden hues at the backdrop of a moonlight sky. The folk artistes performing on the sand dunes take the enjoyment to the next level. You can even stay overnight in the luxury desert camps and make the desert safari worth the penny spent.

Dune Bashing

Dune Bashing on the Thar Desert is another activity which tourists love to do when they visit Jaisalmer during the festival time. For all those who are adventurous and prefer thrill activities, the topography of the desert allows you to go for off-roading adventure and bashing. Tourists try to do paramotoring, parasailing and quad biking on the Thar Desert.

Jaisalmer City Tour

If you are in Jaisalmer for the Jaisalmer Desert fair, then take out some time to enjoy a fun-filled full-day Jaisalmer City Tour. You can explore the beautiful forts, palaces, temples, havelis, including the lake during this tour.

Weather of Jaisalmer during festival time

In fact, the best time to visit Jaisalmer is during the Desert Festival time. The months of February are extremely pleasant. The temperature is anywhere between 5 degrees to 24 degrees, as a result of which the days are warm and comfortable, the nights are cooler but perfect to enjoy all kinds of activities in the Jaisalmer Desert fair.

How To Reach Jaisalmer

The nearest airport to Jaisalmer is at Jodhpur, 300 km away. There are regular flights from all the major cities to Jodhpur. From the airport, you can book a cab or take an express train to reach Jodhpur. Jaisalmer is connected with Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jaipur, and Delhi by railways. Rajasthan state and private buses ply regularly from various cities to Jaisalmer.

It’s a lifetime experience for travellers to attend the Jaisalmer Desert Festival. Book your tickets well in advance with the best inbound tour operators in India to avoid the last-minute rush. You can also explore other royal destinations of Rajasthan along with the Jaisalmer Tour India during the Desert Festival.