What's on in Delhi (New Delhi), India through the year

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Republic Day parade

• Festival

  Republic Day parade

  26 JanNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Kartavya Path and much of central Delhi close for the rehearsals as well as the parade itself on 26 January, and security is heavy across the city for a fortnight. Source ↗

Still on: Severe air season (1 Oct – 31 Jan (usually)), Dense winter fog (15 Dec – 31 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Mughal gardens open

  3 Feb – 31 MarWildflowers & blooms

  The gardens behind Rashtrapati Bhavan open to the public for a season each spring, free but ticketed online in advance. They are shut for the rest of the year. Source ↗

• Festival

  Holi

  3–4 MarMajor festivalClosures

  A bonfire the night before, then a day of colour and water that shuts the city down completely — no shops, almost no traffic, and taxis that will not come. Fun if you are invited somewhere, bleak if you are not. Source ↗

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Mughal gardens open (3 Feb – 31 Mar), Holi (3–4 Mar)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Summer vacation (Kerala / far south) in India

• Hazard

  The loo and dust storms

  15 Apr – 20 Jun · usuallyDust season

  A hot dry wind off the western desert that carries dust across the plain and can push visibility down for a day. Working hours shift to early morning and late evening around it. Source ↗

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Summer vacation (north & east) in India

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: The loo and dust storms (15 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Summer vacation (north & east) in India

• Season

  Monsoon over the plains

  25 Jun – 25 Sep · usuallyRisk

  The rains usually reach Delhi in the last week of June and break the heat in a single afternoon. Underpasses flood, traffic stops, and the city is green for the only stretch of the year.

Still on: The loo and dust storms (15 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Monsoon over the plains (25 Jun – 25 Sep (usually))

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Independence Day

  15 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The address from the Red Fort closes roads across the old city and puts drones and airspace restrictions over central Delhi. A public holiday, so the monuments that are open are full of local families. Source ↗

Still on: Monsoon over the plains (25 Jun – 25 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Monsoon over the plains (25 Jun – 25 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Autumn break (Dussehra / Diwali) in India

• Hazard

  Severe air season

  1 Oct – 31 Jan · usuallySmoke season

  Emergency pollution restrictions run from 1 October: construction bans, diesel-vehicle limits and schools moved online when it escalates. The city spent 53 days under Stage III curbs in the winter of 2025-26. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Stubble-burning smoke

  10 Oct – 30 Nov · usuallySmoke season

  Crop residue burns across Punjab and Haryana in the weeks around early November and the smoke drifts onto the city. NASA found the fires have shifted later in the day, past the satellite pass that counts them. Source ↗

• Festival

  Diwali

  8 NovClosuresCrowdedRisk

  Lit-up markets and a week of shut offices, and fireworks that land on top of the crop smoke: Delhi's 24-hour air index reached 488 on the nights after Diwali 2025. The wedding season starts straight after it. Source ↗

Busy — Diwali

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Severe air season (1 Oct – 31 Jan (usually)), Stubble-burning smoke (10 Oct – 30 Nov (usually)), Diwali (8 Nov)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Winter break in India

• Hazard

  Dense winter fog

  15 Dec – 31 Jan · usuallySmoke seasonClosures

  Fog settles over the plain for days at a time and closes the airport in the small hours, with flights and trains running hours late into the afternoon. Build slack into any connection through Delhi in January. Source ↗

Still on: Severe air season (1 Oct – 31 Jan (usually))