India festival
marketing calendar

Festivals are the cheapest way to make a national audience stop scrolling for two seconds, and the quickest way to look out of touch when you miss one. This is our working calendar for brands across India, month by month, with the campaign angle we would try first.

Dates move every year with the lunar calendar, and regional calendars differ. Check exact dates for your planning, and start creatives three to four weeks ahead.

Regional festivals that deserve their own plan

• Pongal (Tamil Nadu): harvest food, family and traditional wear.
• Onam (Kerala): the sadhya, flower carpets and homecoming stories.
• Durga Puja (Bengal, Odisha): pandals, fashion, sweets and travel.
• Bihu (Assam): music, dance and harvest celebrations.
• Baisakhi (Punjab): langar, food and community events.
• Hareli and Teeja (Chhattisgarh): greenery, farming and local pride.

How to use the calendar

• Run one main campaign a month, plus one or two smaller festival posts a week.
• Tie every festival post to your product or offer, so people understand why you are speaking.
• Respect religious and cultural sensitivity. Avoid caricatures, stereotypes and anything that mocks a faith. Have someone who knows the festival check the copy.
• Use one national story, then a state-level version where it matters, like Onam in Kerala or Hareli in Chhattisgarh.
• Start paid promotion a week before the festival, not on the day.
• Check stock, delivery times and customer support before the peak. Festive spikes break things.

Planning a festive push across India? See how we plan nationally, or read our Chhattisgarh calendar.