Nine nights. Endless colours. Non-stop Garba. Discover why Gujarat’s Navratri is the festival every traveller should experience at least once.
Gujarat comes alive in a dazzling blaze of colour and rhythm during Navratri — the world’s longest dance festival. For nine nights, the state transforms into a stage where devotion and revelry entwine. Thousands of visitors arrive each year to witness the hypnotic swirl of chaniya cholis, embroidered kediyus, and dhol beats that pulse late into the night. The celebration is at once spiritual and spectacular — a living kaleidoscope of tradition where every step feels like a heartbeat of the land.
To soak in the energy, head to the cultural hubs of Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Bhavnagar, and Rajkot. And when you pause from the dancing, do what every seasoned traveller does: indulge in a lavish Gujarati thali — a feast as vibrant and layered as the festival itself.
Here are four reasons to visit Gujarat during Navratri
History
Navratri is more than a festival — it is a living chronicle of India’s folklore, spirituality, and devotion. Celebrated in honour of the Mother Goddess Durga, it recalls the legendary battle against the demon Mahishasur, who, emboldened by a boon from Agni, believed no force could defeat him. Unable to quell his terror, the gods turned to Lord Shiva, who urged them to summon the supreme feminine energy — Shakti. From Shiva’s own divine radiance emerged Adhya Shakti, resplendent with celestial ornaments, armed with weapons of the gods, and riding a lion. For nine nights and nine days she waged war against Mahishasur, and on the tenth day, she struck the final blow — a triumph commemorated as Vijayadashmi.
Each night of Navratri is dedicated to one of the nine forms of the Goddess — from Shailputri, the daughter of the mountains, to Siddhidatri, the granter of boons. These stories, passed down through generations, form the soul of the festival, ensuring its place in India’s cultural memory for centuries to come. And while Navratri is marked with devotion across the country, nowhere is its fervour more electric than in Gujarat — where the celebration transforms into a dazzling convergence of faith, music, and dance, drawing pilgrims and travellers from across the world to honour the Goddess in her most radiant form.
Art & Culture
Whether you’re chasing the thrill of all-night revelry or simply want to lose yourself in rhythm, Navratri in Gujarat is the ultimate celebration of dance, colour, and spirit. For nine unforgettable nights, the state transforms into a living stage: chaniya cholis glitter under the lights, kediyus spin to the pulse of the dhol, and circles of dancers move in unison, embodying devotion as much as festivity. It is, quite possibly, the world’s longest celebration of feminine divinity — and one of its most dazzling. Fashion is at the heart of the spectacle. Exquisite mirror-work ensembles spill out of Ahmedabad’s famed Law Garden Market, while Rajkot’s Bangadi Bazaar offers enamelled bangles in countless designs, each crafted to shimmer while allowing ease of movement on the dance floor. When worn together, they transform every participant into part of the living kaleidoscope that is Garba and Dandiya Raas — Gujarat’s iconic folk dances, performed in concentric circles around the earthen lamp that symbolises the Goddess herself.
Where to Dance the Night Away This Navratri
Vadodara
If Garba had a capital, it would be here. The legendary United Way Garba draws a staggering 30,000 revellers each night, making it one of the largest Raas Garba events in the world. The city also buzzes with the MS University Garba, famed for its signature “no taali” (no clapping) style, and the Vadodara Navaratri Festival at the Navlakhi Grounds — both unmissable if you want to feel the pulse of Baroda’s dance energy.
Ahmedabad
As Gujarat’s largest city, Ahmedabad turns Navratri into a heady spectacle. Expect celebrity appearances, live performances, and throngs of dancers at iconic clubs like Rajpath, Karnavati, YMCA, and Gulmohar Greens. For an authentically ethnic experience, nothing beats the Garba at the historic Bhadra Fort, while campuses such as NID and CEPT, or venues like Kalhaar Blues & Greens, offer an upscale, youthful vibe. Don’t miss the city’s much-loved Friends Garba, a two-day extravaganza staged on the festival’s climactic final nights.
Surat
In Gujarat’s diamond and textile hub, the dance floor sparkles just as brightly. The city’s most celebrated event, Shankus Dandiya by AMZ Navratri Group, is unique for being held inside a fully air-conditioned dome — a blend of tradition and modern comfort.
Beyond the Big Three
Elsewhere, the fervour is just as intoxicating. From Gandhinagar’s community-driven nights to the traditional circles in Rajkot and Bhavnagar, each city adds its own rhythm and flavour to the state’s nine-night celebration.
Food and Drink
Celebration in Gujarat isn’t just danced — it’s savoured. Navratri’s grandiosity spills onto the plate in a riot of flavours and textures that are as colourful as the festival itself. Streets and homes alike brim with farsan — golden piles of khaman, dhokla, patra, and kachori — while sweet shops gleam with trays of jewel-toned mithais ready to be devoured in a single bite. Communal feasts arrive as lavish thalis: seasonal curries, sweet-and-spiced dals, pillowy phulkas, rustic bhakris, and puffed puris, all paired with rice dishes and frothy glasses of buttermilk. And then there’s the festival’s most irresistible temptation — melt-in-the-mouth sukhdi (also known as gol papdi), vanishing almost as quickly as it is served.
As the nights stretch on, the celebration finds its way to the streets, where eateries stay open until dawn and food stalls beckon hungry dancers with aromas too tempting to resist. In Gujarat during Navratri, indulgence is as much a ritual as the Garba itself.
After hours of spinning to Garba beats, appetite is inevitable — and Gujarat more than rises to the occasion. In Vadodara, the city’s beloved Ratri Bazaar comes alive at midnight, offering a smorgasbord of regional favourites that taste even better under the glow of fairy lights. For a true taste of Kathiawadi soul food, don’t miss the thalis at Kismat Kathiawadi Dhaba, Shree Kathiyawadi Khadki, or Shiv Shakti Kathiawadi Hotel. Here, rustic staples like sev-tameta nu shaak, ringan nu bhartu, masala khichdi kadhi, bajra or makai rotla, and frothy glasses of chaas arrive with papad crackling on the side — the very definition of comfort after a night of dance.
Surat, Gujarat’s diamond city, glitters with its own culinary treasures. The Grand Bhagwati keeps the revelry going with a vegetarian midnight buffet until 3 am, while The Gateway Hotel serves thalis prepared by Surti housewives, spotlighting rare regional delicacies. Street food adventurers should make a beeline for Lashkari’s stall (famed for yam bhajia), the winter-only ponk market at Adajan, and Shah Jamnadas Chauta Ghariwala, where the iconic ghari — made with mawa, ghee, and sugar — is a local obsession. Their other temptations include saffron-laced suttarfeni and doodhi halwa crafted from gourds grown in nearby fields.
And then there’s Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s food capital. Between the heritage-inspired settings of Agashiye, Vishalla, and Rajwadu, or the bustling dining halls of Atithi, Gopi, and Toran, the city plates up thalis that are as much an immersion into culture as they are a feast. In Gujarat, the nights may belong to Garba, but the mornings — and every hungry hour in between — are owned by food.
Beyond Garba
From the shimmering salt deserts of Kutch to the verdant forests of Gir, Gujarat unfolds like a living canvas of contrasts. Each landscape carries its own rhythm: one moment you might find yourself on safari, watching Asiatic lions prowl Gir’s rugged terrain; the next, walking through history as you trace the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.
Scattered across the state are majestic forts and palaces — testaments to dynasties past — their intricate facades echoing stories of power and artistry. Festivals ignite its cities in a blaze of colour, while centuries-old craftsmanship keeps alive the traditions of weaving, embroidery, and stone carving. In Gujarat, nature, history, and culture converge seamlessly, offering travellers not just a destination, but a kaleidoscope of experiences.
When
Navratri unfolds over nine luminous nights, beginning on the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin — a month in the Hindu calendar that aligns with September and October in the Gregorian year, just as the monsoon rains recede. The tenth day, celebrated as Dasara or Vijayadashami, marks the festival’s triumphant finale.
This year, the revelry runs from September 22 to October 2 — nine nights of dance, devotion, and colour culminating in one of India’s most symbolic celebrations of victory and renewal.
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