Holi — the festival of colours

Holi is best known for people throwing coloured powder (gulal) and water at each other in the street, but it starts the evening before with Holika Dahan, a bonfire marking the burning of the demoness Holika in the festival's founding legend. The main day itself is a genuinely chaotic, joyful public event — expect to get thoroughly covered in colour if you take part.

• Mathura and Vrindavan (the Braj region) — celebrations run for several days beforehand, especially at the Banke Bihari and ISKCON temples, and are considered the most significant in the country.
• Jaipur, Udaipur and Pushkar, Rajasthan — hotel and public celebrations aimed at visitors, generally more organised than the Braj region's crowds.
• Most cities and towns nationwide, at a smaller, neighbourhood scale.

Holi follows the Hindu lunar calendar and falls on Phalguna Purnima (the full moon of Phalguna), which typically places it in March, occasionally late February. The exact Gregorian date changes every year — confirm the current year's date before booking travel. (confirmed on enquiry)

Wear clothes you don't mind ruining — the colour does not fully wash out. Vrindavan's celebrations are intense and crowded; if you'd rather a calmer, still-authentic experience, a Rajasthan hotel-hosted Holi is a gentler alternative. We can build a short trip around either.