What's on in Hampi, India through the year

Peak crowds — Hampi Utsav, Walking season in the ruins

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Hampi Utsav (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)), Walking season in the ruins (1 Nov – 28 Feb), Christmas to New Year rush (22 Dec – 2 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — Maha Shivaratri at Virupaksha, Walking season in the ruins

• Festival

  Maha Shivaratri at Virupaksha

  5 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  Virupaksha is a working temple in the middle of the ruins and Shivaratri is its night. The queue for the sanctum runs the length of the bazaar and the crowd is pilgrims rather than travellers. Source ↗

Still on: Walking season in the ruins (1 Nov – 28 Feb)

Busy — Maha Shivaratri at Virupaksha, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Deccan pre-monsoon heat

  15 Mar – 31 May · usuallyExtreme heat

  The granite holds everything it takes all day and there is no shade on the boulder ridges or in the bazaar. Guides stop at eleven and start again at four, and a fair number of guesthouses simply close. Source ↗

Still on: Maha Shivaratri at Virupaksha (5 Feb – 10 Mar (usually))

Busy — Summer vacation (Kerala / far south) in India, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Deccan pre-monsoon heat (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Summer vacation (north & east) in India

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Deccan pre-monsoon heat (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Summer vacation (north & east) in India, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Hazard

  Tungabhadra dam releases

  15 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  When the upstream dam fills, its gates open and the river rises fast: riverside ruins such as Purandara Mandapa and the Chakratirtha ghat go under, coracle crossings stop and people on the far bank can be cut off. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Tungabhadra dam releases (15 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Tungabhadra dam releases (15 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Diwali, Autumn break (Dussehra / Diwali) in India

• Holiday

  Diwali

  15 Oct – 15 Nov · usuallyCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Diwali is a public holiday and the biggest festival of the Hindu year: homes and markets are lit, fireworks go on for several nights, many shops close on the day itself, and Indians travel to family or on holiday, so trains, flights and hotels book up early. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Diwali, Hampi Utsav

• Festival

  Hampi Utsav

  1 Nov – 15 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  The state stages a festival among the ruins with lighting, music and a procession, usually held between November and January, and the town takes a very different crowd for it. Rooms in Hospet and Kamalapura go first; the dates are announced late. Source ↗

• Season

  Walking season in the ruins

  1 Nov – 28 FebDry seasonCrowded

  Walking is the entire activity here, and this is the only stretch of the year it is comfortable. Sunrise on Matanga Hill has a crowd on it by December and the bicycle hire runs out by mid-morning.

Still on: Diwali (15 Oct – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Hampi Utsav, Walking season in the ruins

• Holiday

  Christmas to New Year rush

  22 Dec – 2 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The week from Christmas to New Year is India's busiest holiday stretch: schools and many offices break, domestic travellers pour into hill stations, heritage towns and resorts, and hotels charge peak rates, often with a New Year's Eve dinner surcharge. Book early. Source ↗

Still on: Hampi Utsav (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)), Walking season in the ruins (1 Nov – 28 Feb)