The festival in a nutshell
What it is: a celebration of the desert's music, camels, turbans and moustaches, organised by Rajasthan Tourism and the district.
The shape: an opening procession, contests in the stadium, camel events, evening stages of folk music and a finale on the dunes at Sam.
- When
- About three days ending on Magh Purnima
- Organised by
- Rajasthan Tourism, with the district
- Where
- Jaisalmer town, its stadium, the dunes at Sam
- Finale
- Music and races on the dunes at Sam
- Dates
- Announced each season, we confirm them
- The order shifts: the programme changes a little every year and is announced only a few weeks ahead.
- The moon: it ends on the full moon of Magh, which in most years falls in February.
- The deeper story: our Desert Festival page explains Jaisalmer's caravan history and the musicians at the heart of it all. Here we focus on how to enjoy it.
Pacing yourself: the one rule that matters
Mornings for the town: the fort and havelis very early, before the lanes fill.
Late morning for the contests: turbans, moustaches and Mr Desert in the stadium.
- Dawn
- Fort, Jain temples, Gadisar
- Late morning
- Stadium contests
- Afternoon
- Rest and the pool
- Evening
- One music stage, or a rooftop
- Last night
- The finale at Sam
- After lunch, rest: a long one, at your hotel or camp, with the pool if you have one.
- One evening event: choose the music night you most want, not all of them.
- The finale: the last evening, on the dunes at Sam. Save your energy for it.
- A quiet base: stay outside town. In festival week its calm is worth a great deal.
- A guide beside you: through the busiest hours, to find seats, shade and the way out.
- Children: two events a day is plenty. A morning of camels and an afternoon by the pool keeps everyone happy until the finale.
The opening procession: where to stand
What comes past: decorated camels, men in towering safas, women dancers, drummers, brass bands and folk troupes.
Where it goes: slowly through town towards the main stadium. The route is confirmed each year.
- Where to stand: a raised step, a shop's platform or a rooftop along the route. The crowd closes in quickly at street level.
- When to arrive: early. Our guide finds the spot the evening before.
- With children: a rooftop or balcony, every time. Small ones see nothing from the street.
- Photographs: a short lens and a high viewpoint work better than a long lens pushed through the crowd.
The contests, and how to enjoy them
Turban-tying
- What happens: men race to wind several metres of cloth into a perfect safa on a volunteer's head. The crowd judges speed and shape loudly.
- Join in: visitors are sometimes invited up. It is much harder than it looks.
The moustache competition
- What happens: men with moustaches waxed and curled to astonishing lengths parade before the judges.
- Why it matters: in the desert, a moustache is a matter of family honour.
Mr Desert
- What happens: local men in full traditional dress are judged on bearing, dress, moustache and charm.
- The prize: the winner becomes a small celebrity in town for a year.
Camel day
- What happens: camel races, decorated camels on parade, and camel polo played from high saddles with long sticks.
- The BSF: the camel contingent of the Border Security Force, which patrols the desert frontier, has often performed.
Finding the music
The Manganiyars: hereditary Muslim musicians of the Thar, who for centuries sang the genealogies of their Rajput patrons. Their songs honour Hindu and Sufi saints alike.
The Langas: a related community who play the sindhi sarangi and the algoza, a pair of flutes played at once.
- Kamaicha
- Bowed lute of the Manganiyars
- Khartal
- Wooden clappers played in the hand
- Morchang
- A buzzing jaw harp
- Algoza
- Twin flutes played together
- The kamaicha: the Manganiyar's own bowed lute, with sympathetic strings that hum beneath the tune.
- The Kalbelia: dancers in swirling black skirts, whose dance is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. See our Kalbelia dance piece.
- On the stages: evening programmes in town bring folk music and dance after dark. Seats go early.
- Off the stages: a private hour on a rooftop or in a courtyard, with musicians paid properly and directly. We arrange it.
- Learn more: our page on the Manganiyar singers.
The finale at Sam, and how to do it well
Sleep out: book a dune camp for that night, so you finish where the festival does and don't drive back in the dark.
Arrive early: late afternoon, before the road jams and the dunes fill.
- Choose your camp: set back from the main road and the loudest neighbours, with hot water and good bedding. Khuri is calmer than Sam.
- In the crowd: joyful but dense. Hold hands with children and leave valuables at the camp.
- Dress for night: the warm afternoon at Sam turns cold within an hour of sunset. Carry your jacket from the camp, not in the car.
- Afterwards: back to the quiet of your camp, dinner by a fire, and the moon over the sand.
- The stars: the full moon washes them out. For the Milky Way, choose a moonless night on another trip. Our stargazing in the Thar piece explains when.
What to wear for festival week
Layers: a fleece for dawn at the fort, cotton by eleven, and a proper warm jacket for the dune camp at night.
A light down jacket: packs small and earns its place every evening.
- Days
- Warm and sunny
- Nights
- Cold, especially in the dunes
- Must pack
- Down jacket, big scarf, sunglasses
- Camera
- A sealed bag against fine sand
- A large cotton scarf: for the sun in the stadium and the sand when the wind lifts at Sam.
- Shoes: comfortable, closed and easy to slip off, for the fort's worn stone ramps and the temples.
- Colour: bright colours are welcome. It is a festival.
- Modesty: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women alike.
- A safa: our guides will tie a turban for you the Jaisalmer way. It is the best way to be welcomed in the crowd. See turban tying.
Photographing the festival
Ask first: performers expect cameras, but a man in a magnificent turban in the lanes deserves a question and a smile before the lens.
Go high: rooftops and balconies along the procession give you colour against the yellow stone.
- Dawn and dusk: the fort at sunrise and the dunes at sunset give the warmest light. Midday in the stadium is harsh.
- Protect your kit: fine sand gets into everything on the finale night. Seal the camera bag and change lenses only indoors.
- The moustaches: contestants love to be photographed, and many will pose with real ceremony. Thank them, and show them the picture.
- More advice: our photography tips cover etiquette across Rajasthan.
Quiet escapes in festival week
Gadisar Lake at sunrise
- Why: the old reservoir ringed with shrines is the calmest place in festival week.
- How: a rowing boat at first light, then tea on the ghats. See Gadisar Lake.
The fort at dawn
- Why: before the lanes fill, the living fort wakes slowly, and the Jain temples hold morning worship.
- How: with a guide who knows the families inside. See Jaisalmer Fort.
Bada Bagh at sunset
- Why: the hillside of royal cenotaphs north of town glows at sunset and stays peaceful.
- How: a short drive, timed for the last light. See Bada Bagh.
Kuldhara on the way to Sam
- Why: the abandoned Paliwal village, with roofless houses and a temple in the sand.
- How: a quiet hour on the road to the finale. See Kuldhara.
What most festival visitors miss
The rehearsals: in the days before, troupes practise in the lanes and courtyards. Stand quietly at a doorway and you may get a private show.
Camels being dressed: owners spend hours on decoration before the parade, with beads, bells, mirrors and patterned shearing. Ask your guide to find a family preparing.
- The fort at night: walk the lanes after dark, when families sit out on their steps and the festival noise is far below.
- Men tying turbans at dawn: before the contest, men help each other wind their safas in courtyards and doorways. A lesson in patience.
- Tea with a contestant: a moustache contestant explaining his oil, his wax and his years of patience is better than any stage act.
- The day after: the town exhales. Sleep late, then walk the quiet fort while the stalls come down.
Where to stay, and why not in the fort
Suryagarh: a modern fort in the old Jaisalmer manner, about thirteen kilometres out on the Sam road. Close to everything, calm in festival week. See Suryagarh.
The Serai: SUJAN's tented camp on private desert about forty minutes from town. Our first choice for couples. See The Serai.
- A dune camp for the finale: chosen each season, set back from the noise. Our luxury desert camps guide explains what we look for.
- Not inside the fort: we don't book rooms there. It stands on soft rock and its old drainage cannot cope with hotel water use, which weakens the hill.
- Compare them all: our luxury hotels in Jaisalmer guide.
Eating well in festival week
Ker sangri: the desert's own dish of dried berries and khejri beans, tangy and nutty. See our ker sangri explainer.
Bajre ki roti: pearl-millet flatbread with ghee and a fiery garlic chutney.
- The Jain thali: Jaisalmer's merchant families were largely Jain and vegetarian. Their thali is the most local meal in town.
- Laal maas: for meat eaters, mutton slow-cooked with red chillies.
- Hot saffron milk: from a bazaar stall on a cold morning.
- Bhang shops: a few licensed shops in town sell bhang lassi and sweets. They are strong and slow to act, and we suggest you skip them.
- A fort-view dinner: a rooftop table timed for the moment the fort's lights come on.
- More ideas: our food of Jaisalmer guide.
Etiquette, camels and good manners
Ask before close-ups: performers expect cameras. Families in the lanes don't.
Tip musicians: directly and generously when they play for you.
- Respect the stage: don't wander onto the performance area for a photograph. Organisers and performers will thank you.
- Jain temples: leave leather outside, dress modestly and keep your voice low.
- Don't climb: stay off monuments and crumbling walls. The fort's stone is soft.
- Camels: most events are good-natured. We steer you away from any where animals look stressed. See ethical animal encounters.
- Polite refusals: decline cheap camel rides and cousins' shops offered by strangers. Ask us instead.
- The greeting: khamma ghani. In the fort lanes it will get you invited in for tea.
Mistakes first-timers make
Doing everything: three full days of contests and every evening show. Exhausting. Choose.
Skipping the finale camp: driving back from Sam in the dark after the finale is no fun.
- Booking late: good rooms go many months ahead.
- Forgetting the cold: a February night in the dunes needs a real jacket.
- Only the stadium: the fort at dawn and a rooftop of musicians are the festival too.
- Expecting stars: the full moon outshines them.
Getting there and getting around
By road from Jodhpur: the usual way. Break it with a night in the dunes at Manvar, or leave after breakfast to arrive by mid-afternoon.
Flights: Jaisalmer airport has run seasonal winter flights in some years. Schedules change, so we confirm them when we plan your trip.
- From Jodhpur
- About five hours by road
- To Sam
- About forty kilometres
- To Bikaner
- Five to six hours
- Flights
- Seasonal, in some years
- By train: overnight trains link Jaisalmer with Jodhpur and beyond. See our guide to trains.
- In town: walk where you can. Festival traffic around the stadium and the fort is slow, and our driver drops you as close as the police allow.
- To the finale: leave for Sam in the late afternoon, before the road fills.
Before and after the festival
Arrive via Jodhpur: with Mehrangarh at opening and a night in the dunes at Manvar to break the five-hour drive.
Add Bikaner: five to six hours north-east, completing our desert triangle.
- The bustard: a morning in the Desert National Park with a naturalist.
- Embroidery: a day in the villages of Barmer to the south.
- The lakes afterwards: our honeymoon in Udaipur and Jaisalmer ends by the water.
- The whole journey: our seven-night Desert Festival journey puts it all together.
Is the Desert Festival for you?
Music lovers: the best gathering of desert musicians in the year.
Photographers: a new picture at every turn. Our photography tips help with the light.
- Families with older children: camels, races and turbans. Keep afternoons for the pool.
- Harder if: you dislike crowds, loudspeakers or dust.
- For silence: come in late February or early March, or read our winter in the Thar piece and choose a moonless week.