Magh Mela (Jan/Feb). Bathing festival held in Allahabad. In 2019 this will be the peripatetic, triennial Kumbh Mela.
Taj Mahotsav (Feb). Cultural festival put on by the tourist board in Agra’s Shipgram craft market to showcase UP handicrafts.
Ramayan Mela (Feb/March). Celebration of the events in the Ramayana epic, held in Chitrakoot.
Dhrupad Mela (Feb/March). Classical music festival in Varanasi, centred on Tulsi Ghat.
Urs (May–June). Celebration of the life of the sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chisti, held in the Muslim month of Ramadan at Fatehpur Dikri’s Jama Masjid.
Muharram (Aug/Sept). Lucknow sees particularly big processions to celebrate the Islamic new year.
Ganga Mahotsav (Oct/Nov). Celebration in Varanasi with candles lit along the ghats to pay homage to the River Ganges, held two weeks after Diwali, which is itself a major celebration in Varanasi.
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