Ghum Festival
| Year | Dates |
|---|---|
| 2023 | To be announced |
| 2024 | To be announced |
The Ghum Festival is a three-week long festival celebrated on a grand scale in Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal. The state government and the tourism department, along with Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, organize this festival every year to promote the tourism of Darjeeling, to preserve the essence of Darjeeling’s rich heritage, and the most important of all, to display the contribution of Railway staff and the local people of Darjeeling. This annual festival is celebrated with great pomp and fervour, attracting the tourists from all across the country. The Ghum Festival is named after the Ghum Railway station in Darjeeling, the highest railway station in in the country, about 10 Km from Darjeeling by road and is at a height of 7407 feet. An annual festival, the Ghum festival is organized in the month of December, just before the New Year. Ghum festival, Darjeeling 2023 dates are yet to be announced.
Darjeeling, in the state of West Bengal, also known as the “Queen of the Hills”, is a beautiful tourist destination in India, with a plethora of scenic beauty, natural abundance, mountainous roads, hills, and ancient heritage structures. A tour to Darjeeling during the Ghum Festival is the best time to visit the place as it gives you ample scope to explore this city in its best form. A small city with myriad of attractions, the Ghum Festival provides you a unique opportunity to enjoy toy train rides and witness the beauty of the festival and the city as a whole.
Significance of the Ghum festival
The Ghum festival is one-of-a-kind festival where the tourists get to see the unadulterated warmth of the place, making Darjeeling one of the most sought-after tourist destinations of the country in recent time. The Darjeeling Toy Train, which is the major highlight of the festival is today’s UNESCO-credited world heritage site. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), popularly known as the Toy Train, has an in-depth connection in the lives of the people of Darjeeling and vice versa. The Ghum Festival is organized to emphasize this connection.
Till a few years back, this part of west Bengal was not known to many and it was an untrodden area. The Ghum Festival is a way of promoting Darjeeling and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway services to the outer world. This festival has become grander and bigger in each passing year, and thousands of people throng to Darjeeling during the festival time. The Ghum festival along with its toy train services has been successful to a great extent in facilitating trade between Darjeeling and other parts of the country and the world.
Celebrations of the Ghum Festival
The Ghum Festival promotes Culture, Adventure, and Tourism. It showcases the services and the contributions of the railway employees and the local people and their economic activities, thereby making Darjeeling an attractive tourism destination. A tour to Darjeeling during the Ghum Festival includes many activities that makes your trip a worthwhile experience.
• Taking joy rides in the toy trains, the heritage mountain railways, is not to be missed at all and it takes you through the entire city in the midst of the mountainous roads. The beautiful skyline seems to be at hand’s distance when you are on the toy train ride. During the Ghum Festival time, tourists can avail specialized toy train rides, Joy rides, Jungle-Tea-Safari Ride, etc.
• Cultural performances by the locals in the form of dance, music and songs enthral you to the maximum. The cultural integrity of the region is clearly depicted in these cultural programs.
• Local foods prepared by the varied tribes staying in Darjeeling are delicacies that you won’t find in other regions.
• You can visit the Museum at Ghum Railway Station. Other attractions include trips to Sandakphu, Singalia National Park, etc.
• Tea Garden tours are also not to be missed.
• Walks in and around Darjeeling is another special attraction for the tourists to witness the city in its full glory.
• Since it’s a 3 week-long festival, on some specific days, mountain biking, runs, Trekathon are also arranged for the tourists.
• And of course, when you are in Darjeeling for the Ghum Festival, then how can you avoid shopping the wide range of handicrafts, clothes, artworks, souvenirs at the various merchandize stalls located in and around the station?
• To explore the ethnicity of the place and to enjoy the rural life of the locals, you can opt for homestays offered by the local people to the tourists.
Book your Ghum Festival Darjeeling Tour 2023 with the best inbound tour operator in India. While showcasing the rich and diverse culture and traditions of Darjeeling, all efforts are taken to make the Ghum Festival Darjeeling Tour by the tour operators in India a worthwhile and memorable experience.
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